Newbie

Questions about crabsitting and transporting hermit crabs.
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thegatti
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Newbie

Post by thegatti »

Hello, I am pretty new to keeping hermit crabs. I have two hermit crabs which I have had for a few months. Their names are Herbert and Sherbert. I'm not sure what sort they are but I live in Aus if that helps. They are living in a 20l tank with desert sand as the substrate. I have a UTH but I'm constantly turning it on and off cause it gets too hot. My crabs also have a sponge in the fresh water. It looks like they're molting now as they are buried. I am doing a bit of a deep clean around them and it is hard to dry the sand. I have it in a bucket near my fireplace. Is there any other way to dry it besides the oven?
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emmac350
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Re: Newbie

Post by emmac350 »

Drying your sand isn't necessary - many crabbers use damp sand with their crabs. As long as it isn't soaking wet, but more like a 'sandcastle' consistency, it's fine for your crabs. If your crabs bury to molt, they need the sand to be able to hold the caves they make. Additionally, what is your humidity range in your tank? There is another crabber who has a wood-burning stove in her house for wintertime, and she finds that it dries out the tank more than is safe for the crabs, so having damp sand will help your tank maintain proper humidity. She does use dry sand as her substrate, but she uses small glass votive candleholders with marbles or glass pebbles in them that she fills with water and puts in the substrate to keep her humidity up.

Did you bake your sand before trying to dry it? Baking is recommended to kill any bacteria in the sand. To do it, spread it on a baking sheet and bake at 150 C for half an hour. That helps to dry it out as well.

Does your UTH cover too much of your tank? It should ideally cover around half of the tank so that your crabs can choose what temperature they want. Also, if your house is within the crab-safe temperature ranges, you don't need to turn the UTH on. I have my heat bulb attached to a thermostat (you can find them online) so it only turns on when the temp gets too cold; it hasn't turned on in several months as it's summer here. If your fireplace keeps the crabs' room warm enough, don't worry about the UTH.

You mentioned that you have fresh water - does this mean you also have salt water? if you're using a sponge, be sure to sterilize it every few days - they harbor bacteria. To do that, either dry it completely and microwave it for a few seconds (if it's wet, it'll shrink a TON) or boil it in crab-safe water.

I don't think I would recommend doing a deep clean 'around' your crabs. Honestly, you don't need to do a deep clean that often - I have done three and I've only been crabbing for 10 months (but one was when I was setting up my new tank and the other was when my crabs were no longer in their old tank; I have done only one where I wasn't moving crabs somewhere). If your crabs are molting, the sounds of you digging around them can freak them out and stress them to the point of death. I try to wait until everyone's on the surface before doing a deep clean, or at least until I know that the crabs 'down under' aren't molting. Next time, I'd wait until they aren't molting; spot clean the tank, but deep cleans can go at least six months to a year before another is done.
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ladybug15057
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Re: Newbie

Post by ladybug15057 »

Being from Australia there is a 99.9% chance you have C. variabilis (aka crazy crabs/Aussie hermies) They must be offered an ocean/sea water source that is specifically sold for salt water fish tanks to remain healthy.
It is not necessary to use damp sand. If your fireplace has a mantle you can put the sand in an oval glass or metal container and put it up there to dry it. I use an oval roaster and put about 2 inches within it, place this on top of my wood burning stove, and stir it every so often for the sand to dry after washing it. In a bucket this is almost impossible to do due to how deep it is. Chances are it may mildew before it dries. Once the sand is dry, I use the oval roaster, fill it about 1/2 full and bake it for 30 minutes to sterilize it. I make sure to stir it every 10 minutes so it does heat evenly and the bottom doesn't scorch from the heat. To try to bake the sand dry will certainly take its toll on ones utility bill. Just washing the sand alone unless it is done with boiling water does nothing for sterilizing the sand. Here is a link to Aussie thermometers and thermostats that one can also plug an UTH into:

http://www.ozpetshop.com.au/index.php/cPath/42_125

Sponges and/or damp sand is not really necessary if one opts not to use a damp substrate. There are other ways to boost humidity levels if needed.
Marie (aka ladybug15057)

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thegatti
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Posts: 27
Joined: 14 Jun 2009, 23:09
Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 5
Total gallons: 20
Total tanks: 1
Location: Warwick, QLD

Re: Newbie

Post by thegatti »

Ok. I wont do another deep clean for a while. I haven't cleaned the tank since putting the sand in...so I was a bit worried. I wanted dry sand so I could scoop up the crab poop with a fish net or something. The UTH only covers about 1/4 of the tank. I have the thermometer in the substrate at the hottest end so I don't overheat the crabs. I dunno what my humidity level is, but I get some condensation on the tank walls when I nearly cover the tank with a plastic lid (no holes so I leave a gap).

No, my tank is nowhere near the fireplace. It is in my cold room downstairs- hence the UTH.
I have a bowl of salt water in my tank at all times. I can't tell if they use it, but better safe than sorry.
Can someone tell me why commercial food is no good for my hermies? Besides the fact that they don't seem to eat it?

Sherbert has finished moulting ( I think). I caught him walking last night :D . I put some peanut butter in for food and I took him for a walk today.
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ladybug15057
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Posts: 3098
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Total gallons: 305
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Location: Southwestern Pa., U.S.

Re: Newbie

Post by ladybug15057 »

Majority of hermie foods sold on the market have ethoxyquin and/or copper sulphate (insecticides) in them and hermies are from the arthropod (insect) phylum. Some also contain other chemicals as well as food colorings that are not good for hermies. One can find food that they eat themselves and offer it to hermies and they can get all the vitamins and minerals they need to stay healthy.

(scroll down at the below link)
http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... storyid=44

http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... storyid=25

http://www.hermitcrabcuisine.com/

Some of the freeze dried or dehydrated foods at the link below maybe a little difficult for you to buy due to living in Aus.:
http://crabbywiki.com/tiki-browse_categ ... =off&type=

You can try the reptile, bird, or fish sections for freeze dried foods.
Sorry, I thought you wanted to dry sand outside of the tank and why I suggested to use your fireplace. Depending on how cold the room is, you may need to either buy another UTH that fits about 1/2 of the outside of the tanks floor, or if your hermies do not have a night/day cycle to their lives you may need to invest in day and moon glow bulbs. (very important for a hermie to have a night and day cycle to their lives.
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thegatti
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Posts: 27
Joined: 14 Jun 2009, 23:09
Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 5
Total gallons: 20
Total tanks: 1
Location: Warwick, QLD

Re: Newbie

Post by thegatti »

No, youre right. I did want to dry the sand outside the cage. The cage itself is away from the fireplace. sorry to confuse you. :)
I didn't know about the day/night cycle. My room is fairly dark in the day....mabe something for me to look at.
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emmac350
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Re: Newbie

Post by emmac350 »

Yeah, getting a defined day/night cycle has made my crabs more active. I agree with Marie - your day cycle doesn't really need to be too much more than a full spectrum fluorescent bulb; I've been using one for a few months and it raises the temperature a little bit but not much. It's been nice having it as well because the tank is easier to see into!

How long have your crabs been dug in? And what size are they? They may not have been molting, but just burying because they like the temperature in the sand.
Follow the daily lives of my crabs at thedailyhermit.tumblr.com

Mommy to:
Rack, 23 Sep 08; Benny, 23 Sep 08; Slightly, 3 Jan 09; Nibs, 3 Jan 09; Curly, 3 Jan 09; Spaz, 5 Jul 09

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thegatti
Zygote
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Posts: 27
Joined: 14 Jun 2009, 23:09
Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 5
Total gallons: 20
Total tanks: 1
Location: Warwick, QLD

Re: Newbie

Post by thegatti »

They have been buried since I changed the substrate from gravel to sand which was about a month ago. Herbert came out once but has since gone back under. I'm worried that they may not be eating.
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emmac350
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Posts: 1949
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Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 6
Total gallons: 40
Total tanks: 2
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Re: Newbie

Post by emmac350 »

They may very well be molting, which can take up to a few months. They can't molt in gravel (unless they surface molt) so once they get decent conditions, many crabs will immediately molt. Just keep the conditions good and be patient. You can smooth out the sand surface to see if they come up when you're asleep - any movement they make will be visible on a smooth surface. Don't worry about them not eating, because if they're molting, they'll be eating their exo for a while.
Follow the daily lives of my crabs at thedailyhermit.tumblr.com

Mommy to:
Rack, 23 Sep 08; Benny, 23 Sep 08; Slightly, 3 Jan 09; Nibs, 3 Jan 09; Curly, 3 Jan 09; Spaz, 5 Jul 09

If you are contacted privately and enticed to join another forum, please inform a moderator. This is an unethical practice.
thegatti
Zygote
Zygote
Posts: 27
Joined: 14 Jun 2009, 23:09
Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 5
Total gallons: 20
Total tanks: 1
Location: Warwick, QLD

Re: Newbie

Post by thegatti »

THEY HAVE RETURNED!!!! lol :P
I am so glad they are ok. They came out yesterday. Now I can take them out of the tat and play with them.

I'm going away for a holiday soon and I need to take my crabbies with me. Anyone taken their beloved crabs with them?
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