wiz-fiz
Very Well-Known Member
bump, am I impatatient or what!
Will
Will
hermit crab care
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Wild_Storm
Well-Known Member
As I said before I don't know anything about Crabs, but I would imagine that like snakes they can pick where they want to be if you give them a hot and cool end.
wiz-fiz
Very Well-Known Member
OK, so three quarters isn't heted?
Will
Will
Wild_Storm
Well-Known Member
Heat will go a certain way along the tank, so it would more be 1/3 hot, 1/3 warm, 1/3 cool. But please not- I know NOTHING about crabs. It would also depend on how you heat the tank, and where the heat source is placed... In my snake enclosures I put it in one back corner.
wiz-fiz
Very Well-Known Member
I will be heating with a heat pad on a thermostat set at about 27degreeesC
Will
Will
Wild_Storm
Well-Known Member
I don't know anything about heat pads. My friends don't use them for their snakes either... Sorry! Will the heat pad go along the whole length of the tank?
wiz-fiz
Very Well-Known Member
If I get a big enough 1.
Will
Will
Sarah24
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My old set-up was in a tank with a mesh top (available if u want it), i used calci-grit for substrate coz its good for them, a water dish, food dish, and the pellets you can buy from your pet shop for food. Also provide a few extra shells coz they like to change sometimes. They are pretty sturdy so heating isn't absolutely essential but if you are in a cold area would be benefitial. I never used heating and they got along just fine but then again it's reasonably warm where i live.
Anyway, good luck with them!!
Anyway, good luck with them!!
willia6
1.3 tank heated should be fine.. if its on a themrostat.. even a better but a very small mat on its own (of course common sense please) should be alright.
on of the new ReptileOne heat mats 5 watt.. gets 125 F (50C) at its hottest, with indoor/outdoor carpet as a substrate. its only a very small area so my gecko's are fine. they sit on the log above it. which is at 95F (35C)
its VERY hot for such a small mat. but carpet under the pad (helps the table) and as a substrate, or between the pad and tank.. should be enough..
1.3 tank heated should be fine.. if its on a themrostat.. even a better but a very small mat on its own (of course common sense please) should be alright.
on of the new ReptileOne heat mats 5 watt.. gets 125 F (50C) at its hottest, with indoor/outdoor carpet as a substrate. its only a very small area so my gecko's are fine. they sit on the log above it. which is at 95F (35C)
its VERY hot for such a small mat. but carpet under the pad (helps the table) and as a substrate, or between the pad and tank.. should be enough..
cootiesami
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Hi
I saw your recent discussions relating to the care of hermit crabs. I have been a successful hermit crab owner for 8 years. I started out with terrible information given out to me by a pet store and I have found that hermit crabs are alot more work to ensure they live a long and prosporous life. I had alot of hassles in my first year but once i set things up correctly i am happy to say i have not had a fatality in 6 years.
I make all of my own food, I am careful about what i put in their tanks and ensure they have correct humidity and temperature. I even sell my food persons interested in the best nutrition for their crabs.
They should not be considered easy to care for animals because if you were a dedicated owner you would spend in excess of 2 hours a day caring for them. I am an active member on several hermit crab related sites which have plenty of information to ensure you give them the best chance at a happy life.
The sad fact is that tens of thousands are taken from the beach every week and many die because people dont understand how to care for them. Even your local pet store is quite oblivious to their needs.
Sites i recommend you look at are
hermitcrabparadise.com (an Australian run hermit crab care site)
crabstreetjournal.com (an international organisation dedicated to the care of hermit crabs, many of the members are experts about the care of hermit crabs.
and finally a site dedicated to the basic needs of australian hermit crabs, this site is purely informational,
the address is hermitcrabsaustralia.bravehost.com
any help needed pm me!
CHeers
Sam
I saw your recent discussions relating to the care of hermit crabs. I have been a successful hermit crab owner for 8 years. I started out with terrible information given out to me by a pet store and I have found that hermit crabs are alot more work to ensure they live a long and prosporous life. I had alot of hassles in my first year but once i set things up correctly i am happy to say i have not had a fatality in 6 years.
I make all of my own food, I am careful about what i put in their tanks and ensure they have correct humidity and temperature. I even sell my food persons interested in the best nutrition for their crabs.
They should not be considered easy to care for animals because if you were a dedicated owner you would spend in excess of 2 hours a day caring for them. I am an active member on several hermit crab related sites which have plenty of information to ensure you give them the best chance at a happy life.
The sad fact is that tens of thousands are taken from the beach every week and many die because people dont understand how to care for them. Even your local pet store is quite oblivious to their needs.
Sites i recommend you look at are
hermitcrabparadise.com (an Australian run hermit crab care site)
crabstreetjournal.com (an international organisation dedicated to the care of hermit crabs, many of the members are experts about the care of hermit crabs.
and finally a site dedicated to the basic needs of australian hermit crabs, this site is purely informational,
the address is hermitcrabsaustralia.bravehost.com
any help needed pm me!
CHeers
Sam
wiz-fiz
Very Well-Known Member
just read that hermit crabs don't ike painted shells, they refer unpainted 1's, it hurts there eyes or something.
Will
Will
Wild_Storm
Well-Known Member
Find that hard to believe... I haven't seen any shells in the local petstore that AREN'T painted!!
The reason painted shells are really bad for them is because the paint chips off them and the hermies are likely to eat it which in turn poisons them.. The paint can also soften with the temp and humidity in the tank and cause the hermit to become stuck in the shell :? As cute as the painted shells look, a dead hermie attached to it is not!
And just to give you an idea on what can be done for hermies.. This is my 40 gallon crabitat,
I managed to utilise the height and put in 5 different levels.
Ground level has a waterfall, large saltwater bubbler pool, fresh water pool, one cocoshack and plenty of space for the hermies to scurry and bury along with their spare shells.
2nd level has two cocoshacks, food dishes, plants, cholla & shells.
3rd level has a cocoshack, more shells and plants. Between the 2nd & 3rd levels I have a small drinking coconut station! Hubby made all the coconut shacks for me so I took the top of one of them and suspended it in the jungle vines to form a drinking/sponge station to help not only with the humidity but to be there for the hermies who hang out on the top when they get thirsty!
There are jungle vines that go between all three levels as well as driftwood for easy access.
Above level 3 is a ledge the hermies can retreat to and for the thrill seekers, there is a fifth and final level that comprises of a fishing net .
I have their uth and lights connected to a microclimate thermostat, I have a hygrometer and 2 temperature guages & NO painted shells :wink:
Already looking at upgrading to a 60 gallon which is going to have a rockpool and of course more hermies!
I managed to utilise the height and put in 5 different levels.
Ground level has a waterfall, large saltwater bubbler pool, fresh water pool, one cocoshack and plenty of space for the hermies to scurry and bury along with their spare shells.
2nd level has two cocoshacks, food dishes, plants, cholla & shells.
3rd level has a cocoshack, more shells and plants. Between the 2nd & 3rd levels I have a small drinking coconut station! Hubby made all the coconut shacks for me so I took the top of one of them and suspended it in the jungle vines to form a drinking/sponge station to help not only with the humidity but to be there for the hermies who hang out on the top when they get thirsty!
There are jungle vines that go between all three levels as well as driftwood for easy access.
Above level 3 is a ledge the hermies can retreat to and for the thrill seekers, there is a fifth and final level that comprises of a fishing net .
I have their uth and lights connected to a microclimate thermostat, I have a hygrometer and 2 temperature guages & NO painted shells :wink:
Already looking at upgrading to a 60 gallon which is going to have a rockpool and of course more hermies!
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LauraM
Well-Known Member
i remeer me and my sister both got one for our birthdays (right next to eachother) hers kept climbing up the plastic palm tree and out the air hole.. i remebr picking snales off the wall outside seeing it it was the hermit crab ( i was like 4 i didnt know the different between a hermitcrab and a snail shell gimme a break) there super easy to look after (but really really smell when they pass away) if you go to your local petshop you can just get everythign at once bam done!!
One very big misconception is hermit crabs are 'easy' to look after. They are alot of work! If you want them to live a long and healthy life then they are a lot of work, if you think they are disposable and easily replaced every few months then yes that would be easy
Rainbow-Serpent
Very Well-Known Member
Thanks for that tip, maybe thats why some of mine have died, all of mine are painted and the spare shells are painted, exept for one, and he seems to be the most friendly, sometime soon i'll have to pick up some normal shells!
Ive been keeping hermies since I was very young (around 3 or 4, im 11 now) But all of them have died!:evil:The painted shells probably have something to do with it then, thanks for telling me that!
Rainbow-Serpent
Very Well-Known Member
Well Willia, I have 3 at the moment (picking up a Strawberry soon), I keep them in a enclosure around 1ft long by 20cm wide,it has a breathable top, and it cost me about $30, I have high calcium sand, a big water bowl, a food bowl, I usually feed them either oats or the Petcity Tropical feed, which has oats, sultanas and some other things, but sometimes I give them little pieces of diced fruit, (just to give them a balanced diet)
Mine dont really go by a heat source, I have them under a lamp at light, but outside during the day, it usually just depends on the particular temp that day.
You have to replace the sand every few weeks, and replace the wet sand around the bowl once a week, you need to have about 4 spare shells depending on how many hermies you keep.
the sand needs to be 2-3cm deep, and it needs to have a hide, I didnt buy a hide for my hermies, instead I used a shell so massive that they can hide in it if they want to.
Also, you need to buy special hermit crab salt, get a tub (not the feeding or water one though!), fill it with water and add a pinch of salt and bathe them in it once a week.
I try to handle mine alot, but not during molting, I have 1 hermit crab in particular that is a fantastic handler, he doesnt clip at all, the other 2 are a little moody, but are starting to come around.
Im off to the petstore, right now actually, bye!
Mine dont really go by a heat source, I have them under a lamp at light, but outside during the day, it usually just depends on the particular temp that day.
You have to replace the sand every few weeks, and replace the wet sand around the bowl once a week, you need to have about 4 spare shells depending on how many hermies you keep.
the sand needs to be 2-3cm deep, and it needs to have a hide, I didnt buy a hide for my hermies, instead I used a shell so massive that they can hide in it if they want to.
Also, you need to buy special hermit crab salt, get a tub (not the feeding or water one though!), fill it with water and add a pinch of salt and bathe them in it once a week.
I try to handle mine alot, but not during molting, I have 1 hermit crab in particular that is a fantastic handler, he doesnt clip at all, the other 2 are a little moody, but are starting to come around.
Im off to the petstore, right now actually, bye!
No worries Rainbow serpent, a lot of people have no idea about the painted shells, especially the pet shops, at the end of the day they dont care about the hermies health, all they want is the money!
There are a couple of other things I noticed with your hermies. Are you using an everyday desk lamp for their light? If so, this is harming them. Hermies require proper reptile globes, the normal house light globes are really bad for them, they are too drying, they zap any humidity out of the tank and they are very drying on the hermies themselves.
Here a few more tips proper & correct care:
1.Our hermies here in Oz require a temp of 26-28c and the humidity needs to be 70-80% They require humidity in order to breathe through their gills, if there is no humidity in the tank then they suffocate.
2.They require a nice soft substrate like sand, it needs to be at least twice as deep as the size of the hermie. DO NOT USE SHELL GRIT, WOOD SHAVINGS OR SAWDUST OR THAT AWFUL COLOURED SAND. you need nice natural sand. The shell grit they can not bury in and it actually scratches them, its like us trying to sleep on steel wool!
I have the sand 6 inches deep in my tank.
3.They need many shells to choose from.. at least 4-5 for each hermit. They shop for their shells like we do for clothes, they are very picky with their shells, so the more you have for them to choose from, the happier and healthier they will be.
4.DO NOT feed any of the commercial stuff they sell in pet shops. There are ingredients in these foods that harm the hermies, feed them fresh fruits, vegetables, tinned fish like tuna and sardines, chicken, bits of cooked meat, popcorn as a treat, peanut butter as a treat and honey! There are heaps and heaps of foods you can feed them.
5. They MUST have a salt water dish AND a fresh water dish available to them 24/7. DO NOT bath the hermies, put a salt water dish in there cage that is deep enough for them to submerge in if they want to. You can put some pebbles or sea sponges in the dish so the small hermies can crawl out if they fall in or if its too deep for them. Taking them out and bathing them yourself causes them alot of STRESS, if you supply them with a dish they will have a bath when they want to.
6. You must use a water conditioner in all the water you put in there cage. Any aquarium water conditioner that removes chlorine and chloramine from the water is fine.
7. DO NOT ever dig up a crab, every so often the crab buries down underneath the sand and sheds his exoskeleton. This takes anywhere from a week upto 3 months depending on the size of the hermie! If you dig them up or disturb them they will die. This is very very important!
8. Do not use Painted shells!
There is so much more information on hermit crabs, the crab street journal forum and the hermit crab association forum are excellent and will give you the best advice you can find
There are a couple of other things I noticed with your hermies. Are you using an everyday desk lamp for their light? If so, this is harming them. Hermies require proper reptile globes, the normal house light globes are really bad for them, they are too drying, they zap any humidity out of the tank and they are very drying on the hermies themselves.
Here a few more tips proper & correct care:
1.Our hermies here in Oz require a temp of 26-28c and the humidity needs to be 70-80% They require humidity in order to breathe through their gills, if there is no humidity in the tank then they suffocate.
2.They require a nice soft substrate like sand, it needs to be at least twice as deep as the size of the hermie. DO NOT USE SHELL GRIT, WOOD SHAVINGS OR SAWDUST OR THAT AWFUL COLOURED SAND. you need nice natural sand. The shell grit they can not bury in and it actually scratches them, its like us trying to sleep on steel wool!
I have the sand 6 inches deep in my tank.
3.They need many shells to choose from.. at least 4-5 for each hermit. They shop for their shells like we do for clothes, they are very picky with their shells, so the more you have for them to choose from, the happier and healthier they will be.
4.DO NOT feed any of the commercial stuff they sell in pet shops. There are ingredients in these foods that harm the hermies, feed them fresh fruits, vegetables, tinned fish like tuna and sardines, chicken, bits of cooked meat, popcorn as a treat, peanut butter as a treat and honey! There are heaps and heaps of foods you can feed them.
5. They MUST have a salt water dish AND a fresh water dish available to them 24/7. DO NOT bath the hermies, put a salt water dish in there cage that is deep enough for them to submerge in if they want to. You can put some pebbles or sea sponges in the dish so the small hermies can crawl out if they fall in or if its too deep for them. Taking them out and bathing them yourself causes them alot of STRESS, if you supply them with a dish they will have a bath when they want to.
6. You must use a water conditioner in all the water you put in there cage. Any aquarium water conditioner that removes chlorine and chloramine from the water is fine.
7. DO NOT ever dig up a crab, every so often the crab buries down underneath the sand and sheds his exoskeleton. This takes anywhere from a week upto 3 months depending on the size of the hermie! If you dig them up or disturb them they will die. This is very very important!
8. Do not use Painted shells!
There is so much more information on hermit crabs, the crab street journal forum and the hermit crab association forum are excellent and will give you the best advice you can find
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