Calci-sand

[CrabbyJo]

Papatoad,
I had a poor crab come up with both claws and a leg missing after a bad molt.
I put him in isolation, fed him lots of mashed up food (make sure you feed PLENTY of protein and seaweeds!), and within 3 weeks he went down to molt again. I was astounded. He took 4 weeks to finish molting, and had two miniatures of his claws and his leg back!
So yes, they can molt that quickly.

make sure you have ocean salt water in that salt water dish, made from a mix meant for salt water aquariums, as there are enzymes and electrolytes you can't find in hermit crab salts. You want the salinity to be correct, too.

[Papatoad]

Now you see him now you don't. I replaced the playsand with eco earth and now my little crab has gone under again. He did seem to be hanging out at the salt water dish. I use instant ocean 1/2 cup to 1/2 gal. I have been offering equal amounts proteins to veggies. What kind of seaweed do you use and where do you get it? He seems not to have been eating. I think they are having fun in the new substrate. I like the eco earth immensely more than the sand. Seems to be a bit cleaner. I had sand all the time in water bowls and food dish. I kept a bucket of clean water to rinse them off in. Still kinda early to make the call though. Thank you for listening.

[emmac350]

Instant Ocean is 1/2 cup to 1 gallon of water. No need to use all of your mix up unnecessarily! Also, my crabs immediately dug in when I switched them to EE, so no worries about that!

As for seaweed, you can buy it from the Addiction store or the pet store and health food store. At health stores, looked for powdered spirulina - it's an algae that is a superfood for both crabs and humans. At pet stores, you can buy spirulina pellets, sheets of green or purple seaweed (for herbivore fish) or even (check ALL ingredients first for ethoxyquin or Copper sulfate) I've seen algae crisps and veggie flakes with spirulina in them.

[ladybug15057]

Sometimes to a hermie when the substrate is replaced/cleansed to them it is like a new environment due to the familiar scents are gone. So some do seem to de-stress again, or who knows they may also explore the underside of the substrate like some explore the whole tank after a cleaning?
1/2 cup Instant ocean to 1/2 gallon of dechlor water is too much IO. This is double the salinity level recommended and a few years ago there was a study done that showed hermies offered ocean mix 2-sometimes 3 times the recommended mixing dose daily had developed gill damage.
Instant Ocean calls for 1/2 cup to 1 U.S. gallon of dechlor water.
For seaweed I use the Julian Sprung's Sea Veggies by Two Little Fishies:
http://www.twolittlefishies.com/tlf_prod_foods.html

[CrabbyJo]

I too buy seaweed mixes from Keep On Crabbin', but also pick up spirulina powder and kelp granules at my grocery store, in the natural food section. It's in the bulk foods, so is super cheap. You can get a teaspoon of each of them for less than a buck each.

[Papatoad]

My bad, it is 1/4 salt to 1/2 gal water. I looked it on an my other post. I have had it mixed for a little while again. I should scribe it on the jug I use so I don't mess up. Thanks for the info on the seaweed.

[mamaturtle2000]

Just out of curiosity Papatoad, you say you keep a bucket of water to rinse them off with; what does that mean? You have a bucket near the tank so that it is room temperature?

[Papatoad]

No, the bucket of water is to rinse their water dishes in before refilling. Before they were always half full of sand if the crab dug next to it or had crawled into it leaving a sand trail through it. I have a severe ankle injury and have been on crutches for 8 months. I have to be creative in moving and carrying stuff. I have never dunked my crabs. I have read some people do it bi weekly or so, mine seem to bath enough on their own. The people who gave them to me told me if I ever wanted them to come out of their shell to hold them under a running tap. Both my crabs are very out going and curious. They do not need this method to get them moving! I used to handle them a little more when I got them, I very rarely pick them up any more. I did pick up Batman a couple days ago to examine him. He ended up crawling around my hands like a pro. Missing claw and crippled leg and all. Spiderman is always crawling somewhere. Or hiding in the coconut hut, peeking out. This is how I refer to them as this is the shells they came in. Spiderman shed his shell and is in a beautiful shell. But Batman seems to like his. I probrably have 10-15 shells in there for him to pick from. As soon as he does. Painted shell disapears. I do not like painted shells.

[emmac350]

Just a note - the "tap water" method of getting a crab out is awful. For their size, the stream of tap water coming out of the tap is about the equivalent of you getting a firehose to the face. Wouldn't recommend it unless you want crabby crabs. Besides, tap water (untreated) has all sorts of chemicals in it (read: chlorine and chloramines) that blister crabs' gills and, if exposed often enough, can cause the gills to no longer be effective for breathing and the crab will suffocate.

[Wai]

Also, splashing the hermit crabs will frighten them and may result in a pinch.