Updating Crab Care section

Queries and feedback on how this site is run. No care questions.
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ladybug15057
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Re: Updating Crab Care section

Post by ladybug15057 »

Plastic lids I hope, one should not use anything metal within the tank.
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Ashleigh
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Re: Updating Crab Care section

Post by Ashleigh »

yeah they're plastic
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Re: Updating Crab Care section

Post by Wai »

I am currently writing a section on Bathing. If your tank with buried moulters is invaded by pests, what should you do? Here are some of the actions (good and bad) that I can think of:

- Only give non-moulters a bath, digging them up if necessary
- Give all hermit crabs a bath, digging them up if necessary, even if they are moulting
- Set up a bug trap to attract all the pests away from the terrarium (can be effective or not)
- Do nothing

What do you recommend?
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ladybug15057
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Re: Updating Crab Care section

Post by ladybug15057 »

This would mainly depend on the type of pest/mite one would have. (a bit complicated really) Not all mites or pests are harmful to hermies, but do give some crabbers the heebeegeebeez. (sorry, couldn't resist) And one can not really tell if a hermie burrowed for molting or not. Even if the hermie only burrowed to destress, to dig them up can also be more stressful and harmful than good.
All crabbers should have an iso unit, and those who would be above surface could be bathed and placed within a pest free area.
If it would be like paper lice or gnats for example, they normally are not harmful to hermies so to dig up a possible molter is not recommended. However, there are also a few that are harmful to hermies but one does not actually know if they had gone down to the molter to do any harm. This is when it is also suggested to use the predatory mites, (Hypoaspis Mites)
If one were to bath their hermies due to pests/mites it is suggested to use an ocean water bath mix. Majority of pests will vacate the hermies shell upon ocean water going within it, and ocean water will also cause any possible larvae within the shell to explode. But this must be an actual ocean water mix sold specifically for salt water fish tanks, and of course a super deep clean boiling what can be boiled, baking what can be baked, or a super hot water wash for those things that cannot be washed or baked... and even an ocean water soak prior to washing the items.
But either or, one must figure out where the pests are coming from and stop them at the source.
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Re: Updating Crab Care section

Post by Wai »

New hermit crabs should be bathed. However, what do you add to your hermit crabs' bath water besides sea salt?
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Re: Updating Crab Care section

Post by ladybug15057 »

Me, I add nothing because I use distilled water. But one who doesn't use distilled/pure water would need to use a dechlorinator in the water. There are no sea/ocean salts here in the U.S. that I am aware of (or that are on the 'ocean' mix list on CSJ) that contain a dechlorinator. This is something that needs added separately.
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Re: Updating Crab Care section

Post by Wai »

I am currently working on the Species Identifier tool.
http://www.hermitcrabparadise.com/crabc ... tifier.php

However, I am short on photos.

Does anyone here have ruggies? If yes, could you take a closeup photo for the ridge marks (////) on the front of their claws?

Does anyone here have cavs? If yes, could you take a closeup photo of the front of their claws, which lack ridge marks?
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Re: Updating Crab Care section

Post by emmac350 »

You should see if Vicki would let you use pictures from the species identifier on the addiction forum. It has pretty decent pictures. Just a thought!
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Re: Updating Crab Care section

Post by Wai »

This isn't in the Crab Care section, but in our Home page, if you scroll down under the video, you can see that I've added four "NO" images.

I chose to label HBH's cookies specifically in the fourth image, because I know for sure that it contains ethoxiquin (as stated in its ingredients list). Are there any other commercial hermit crab foods that clearly state that they contain ethoxiquin or other pesticides?
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Re: Updating Crab Care section

Post by CrabbyJo »

Zoo Med hermit crab food: http://exoticpets.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi ... _foods.php

Contains Ethoxyquin
6 hermit crabs - 3 PPs and 3 Equadorians
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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