I think she likes to streak!

Questions about unexpected problems.
Post Reply
jacobshaner
Zygote
Zygote
Posts: 6
Joined: 22 May 2008, 02:15
Hermit crabs: 3

I think she likes to streak!

Post by jacobshaner »

Nothing new here. My crabbie is streaking again,, even though the tank has been cleaned, changed, and both she and her shells have had a bath. The temp and humidity are perfect, so I don't get it. She eats, drinks and seems healthy, just once in a while she takes off nekked!
User avatar
emmac350
Coenobita
Coenobita
Posts: 1949
Joined: 22 Sep 2008, 08:08
Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 6
Total gallons: 40
Total tanks: 2
Contact:

Re: I think she likes to streak!

Post by emmac350 »

There are a lot of reasons for crabs streaking. Answer these questions to see if we can help her out.

What substrate do you use? Brand name?

How do you treat your waters? Again, brand names are needed.

Do you have a half-log hidey in your tank?

What do you feed your crab? Brand name, please!

What is the temperature and humidity of the tank?
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.
User avatar
ladybug15057
Coenobita
Coenobita
Posts: 3098
Joined: 03 Mar 2008, 04:12
Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 82
Total gallons: 305
Total tanks: 7
Location: Southwestern Pa., U.S.

Re: I think she likes to streak!

Post by ladybug15057 »

When was the last time she molted? Do you see a water sac? Has/is she displaying any pms signs?
Marie (aka ladybug15057)

If you are contacted privately (via pm or e-mail) and enticed to join another forum, please contact a Crab Crew member. This is an unethical practice.
jacobshaner
Zygote
Zygote
Posts: 6
Joined: 22 May 2008, 02:15
Hermit crabs: 3

Re: I think she likes to streak!

Post by jacobshaner »

her substrate is sand, bought from Home Depot, washed and baked. Her food is a mix of lobster bites, fruit and flower base food, crabs "cookies" and hermit crab nuggets. I used to keep both treated plain water and salt water in the tanks, but she never, ever took baths in the salt. Over the years my other crabs have died. . . she's the last. She last molted maybe six months ago. Her temp is 72 and so is the humity.
She's out of her shell again, perched on the water dish, but she never goes in. Is she gonna die?
User avatar
Sterwick
Zygote
Zygote
Posts: 73
Joined: 28 Oct 2009, 03:02
Gender: Male
Hermit crabs: 4
Total gallons: 35
Total tanks: 2
Location: Leomister, England, nr Wales.
Contact:

Re: I think she likes to streak!

Post by Sterwick »

jacobshaner wrote: Her food is a mix of lobster bites, fruit and flower base food, crabs "cookies" and hermit crab nuggets.
Please stay away from those dreadful 'hermit crab nuggets and other commercial food. You need to add more variety to your diet. There are many safe, organic things you can give to your crabs, you'll find lots on the hermit crab cuisine, http://hermitcrabcuisine.com/blog6.php. When cooking things that involve meat, cook a bit of plain, unseasoned meat, and keep dried food (such as krill) supplies so you don't have to spend too much money.
jacobshaner wrote: I used to keep both treated plain water and salt water in the tanks
What brand of dechlorinator? What brand of salt? When you say 'I used to', have you stopped giving it saltwater? Please get back to using the saltwater.
jacobshaner wrote:her substrate is sand, bought from Home Depot, washed and baked.
How much of the sand do you use?
jacobshaner wrote:Her temp is 72 and so is the humity.
That's a bit too cold but not too bad.
jacobshaner wrote: She's out of her shell again, perched on the water dish, but she never goes in. Is she gonna die?
It probably goes into the water dish when you don't realise, remember they are nocturnal.

Hope this helped.

Stevo.
My names stevo These are my hermies: mangon, enco, cocon, theforestgiant. RIP sheldon and tobasco, may you forgive the humans who were treating you in those appaling conditions in the petstore.
CrabbyJo
Coenobita
Coenobita
Posts: 1849
Joined: 21 Jan 2009, 13:31
Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 7
Total gallons: 85
Total tanks: 4
Location: Alaska

Re: I think she likes to streak!

Post by CrabbyJo »

Actually, 72 is borderline not great. It isn't a big deal if it drops to 72, but if it stays around 72 for extended periods, you will begin to have problems with your crabs.

FYI, just because crabs don't seem to use the saltwater, or eat certain foods we know are good for them, does not mean they aren't using or eating those things. They take very small bites, and I have seen my crabs "sipping" at the saltwater, not going in, and if I hadn't been lucky enough to see that I would have believed they weren't touching it, either.

If we didn't ever see our dogs drink from a bowl, would we stop giving them water? No, because we know they need it to live.

Crabs need a warm temperature, averaging about 76-78*F, and they need ocean salt water (not hermit crab HBH crap that adds no salinity to the water) and dechlorinated (or distilled) fresh water.
No if's ands or buts, they need these things.

Commercial foods also contain preservatives that are dangerous for hermit crabs, so they are most definitely best steered away from. Unless you only want your crab to live for 6 months or a year, that's what the foods were designed for - a short life expectancy. So they don't worry about the dangers of the preservatives.
6 hermit crabs - 3 PPs and 3 Equadorians
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please feel free to share information from this website, but please be sure to give credit and a link back to the information. Failure to give credit is plagiarism. Don't take credit for someone else's information.
User avatar
ladybug15057
Coenobita
Coenobita
Posts: 3098
Joined: 03 Mar 2008, 04:12
Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 82
Total gallons: 305
Total tanks: 7
Location: Southwestern Pa., U.S.

Re: I think she likes to streak!

Post by ladybug15057 »

Great answer CrabbyJo! And the ocean water mix must be one sold specifically for salt water fish tanks.
As for the play sand, not all impurities can be washed or baked out of play sand. Here are pictures, look at the bottom one. It is that of the higher quality Quickrete playsand sold at Home DePot after it was washed and baked:

http://crabbywiki.com/tiki-index.php?pa ... Substrates

And not all impurities left behind can be seen even with magnification of what these pictures were taken with.
Marie (aka ladybug15057)

If you are contacted privately (via pm or e-mail) and enticed to join another forum, please contact a Crab Crew member. This is an unethical practice.
Post Reply