Just learning

ellenh46 · Post by **ellenh46** » Mon Aug 25, 2014 3:44 am

My daughter bought 2 hermit crabs last week, wanted to take them up to college in a habitat, but then found out she couldnt have them so now im taking care of them. My questions are, she has a wet sponge in there that I have to keep moist daily, should i keep doing it that way, or just put water in a dish, also she was told to only feed them over night should i keep doing that too. She bought hermit crab food, and i was reading on here all sorts of stuff they can be fed so do i just put it in their tank over night. Please let me know as I am new to this and Im sure I will have more questions. Thanks

Geranium · Post by **Geranium** » Mon Aug 25, 2014 4:59 am

Sad that she couldn't take them with her, they are in a tank so often that is fine in dorms.There is a ton of good information in the stickies pinned at the top of the Zoea forum in particular. I would read it all. Most commercial food is bad news. They also need a variety of foods so one food isn't good even if it doesn't contain the harmful ingredients. There are food lists at the top of the Zoea section as well. They can eat much of what you eat, just unseasoned and preferably organic. There are two online places I would recommend for dry foods, The Hermit Crab Patch and The Hermit Crab Addiction Store.Feeding at night is good because that is when they are generally active, they are nocturnal.Sponges breed harmful bacteria when wet so take it out, sterilize it and then put it back in as a food supplement but not wet. If you are having trouble with humidity, we have ideas for that. Fill out these questions and someone will give advice.

ellenh46 · Post by **ellenh46** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 1:58 am

Thank You so much, i will def look into all of that. I picked up a 10 gallon tank yesterday and they seem to be very happy as they have plenty of room to roam around. Im sure ill find my answer on here but just in case how often should i clean the the tank

Horsejazz34 · Post by **Horsejazz34** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 2:42 am

For the first month you should leave them alone as you don't want to stress them out. Other then water and food changes or something pressing that would harm their health that you have to change in their tank don't bug them. After that just once a month unless there's a burrowed crab in witch case leave them be. If there's mold obviously change it unless there's a burrowed crab.

Geranium · Post by **Geranium** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 3:20 am

I spot clean as needed sometimes daily, sometimes weekly. With a 10 gallon you will likely need to do a deep clean every 4-6 months depending on the number of crabs and how messy they are.Hands off for the first 4-6 weeks is important. Generally you only want to go into the tank once it is set up well, to change the food and waters. I still clean up if it gets really bad, I just don't touch the crabs and work around them.

ellenh46 · Post by **ellenh46** » Wed Aug 27, 2014 1:21 am

Thank You both for letting me know, knowing me i would of cleaned it all the time lol. I have only been taking care of them for 4 days so far(since my daughter left for college, so have had them for 2 weeks) and have kept the food in the tank 24/7 and a treat and noticed that they have not been eating or drinking, is that normal

Geranium · Post by **Geranium** » Wed Aug 27, 2014 1:48 am

You won't necessarily notice them eating or drinking because they often consume very little at once. Are you leaving the same food in the tank? They are programmed to not eat the same food in a 48 hour period, this insures they get a variety of food so their nutrients are broader. Have you taken care of the problems in their tank? If they don't have good conditions, that can affect both health and behavior, sometimes sooner, sometimes later.

jenok · Post by **jenok** » Wed Aug 27, 2014 2:29 am

Yes, most people put to much food in and can't or don't notice if anything was eaten. I have 3 crabs and usually put 3-4 different items in for them to eat but only a small pinch about the size of 1/2 a pea.

ellenh46 · Post by **ellenh46** » Fri Aug 29, 2014 12:23 am

I posted just now asking about food but just read my responses again, what do you mean by commercial food? I know you told me where to find the food list but I cant seem to unless im just over looking, can I feed them canned veggies or fruit, if so what can i give them

Geranium · Post by **Geranium** » Fri Aug 29, 2014 1:11 am

Here is the categorized food list. I would not feed them canned veggies unless they are homemade because of the excess salt but many feed them organic baby food, just check the ingredients. Freeze the leftovers and break off chunks to thaw for feedings later in the month. Frozen veggies are good, cooked or just thawed. Most meat but especially seafood is wonderful for them, eggs are a favorite.Commercial food meaning the little containers at the pet store labeled Hermit Crab food.

ellenh46 · Post by **ellenh46** » Sat Aug 30, 2014 1:03 am

Oh duh I should have known that's what commercial food was, which I have. I read the food list I didn't realize they could be fed so much stuff. So now I bought a lid for the tank, should I keep the cover for it open, or keep closed because of the moisture.

Geranium · Post by **Geranium** » Sat Aug 30, 2014 2:15 am

Most likely covered is the right answer. What do your gauges say about humidity? You may need to cover any openings as well. On all of my tanks I have 1/8-1/2 inch openings, the rest is covered.

ellenh46 · Post by **ellenh46** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 1:13 am

I have a full hod cover that flips open in front,is that one ok to have? I read the list of food, i saw cereal on there, what kind can i feed them( name brand cereal) i have plenty of that in the house and could give them that occasionally.

Geranium · Post by **Geranium** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 4:38 am

I know of people who use regular aquarium hoods without incident, just watch for escape routes and eliminate them. They can climb to places you would not expect. Also keep a close watch on humidity, it is vital to their survival.Unsweetened cereals in general should be fine. Mine eat Cheerios, puffed rice, 7 grain cereal from Whole Foods, oatmeal, to name a few but little to no sugar and watch for excess salt. I end up reading labels for the crabs as often as I do for the humans.

ellenh46 · Post by **ellenh46** » Thu Sep 04, 2014 12:02 am

I have plenty of plain oatmeal should i feed it to them dry, and tuna should i give it to them right out of the can? Also i went in the tank last night to change the water and there were about 8 gnats in there flying around, that freaked me out, I change the food on a daily basis, what can i do about this? I am also going to the pet store today and on my list is to buy a small spray bottle to mist them, now should I wait until i see them crawling around to mist them or just mist their shells. the problem is when they see me they hide right back in their shells so how can i get the moister on them and should i use plain water