Christmas Present?

[JessicaReed]

My brother has wanted a hermit crab for a long time and his girlfriend wanted to get him one. He is great with his plants and is twenty-one, so he is quite responsible. Not like a six-year-old, you know. So, since I have done some research and showed it to his girlfriend, we have decided to maybe get him one. Is this a wise decision?

[Daethian]

Only if you intend to give him a proper set up and a care sheet to go with the crabbie. Don't give him a pet that he's not prepared to properly care for when you deliver it. Better to bring it with all the necessities and get him off on the right foot.

That would be cute under the tree, a 10 gallon tank with a few crabbie friends.

[JessicaReed]

Yeah, I made a hand out for his g/f and had her read it. She was kind of surprised they live to be thirty in captivity, but I think she really thought that that was cool and it wouldn't just be a year old pet or anything. He does great with his plants and has actually stayed home from work a couple times when he was having trouble with one of his plants to take special care of it.

What I'm gonna do is get a ten gallon tank with a mesh top, child's sterilized play sand, a pan of water level with the sand, about ten different shells, two or three crabs, and a caresheet. It would of course have a bow on the side of the tank or something, though. LOL! And the one thing I can't find is food. What kinds of food do they eat?

[Daethian]

Don't forget the lid for the tank!

If you can't find commercial food they eat all sorts of fruits, carrots, peanut butter, crushed dog food, brine shrimp, fish food. They aren't picky. NO dairy or anything high in acid.

[JessicaReed]

<<ten gallon tank with a mesh top>>

Nope, I said I was going to get a mesh top (lid). So like...

Fish Food
Crushed Dog Food
PB
Carrots

...would be okay? I have never seen any commercial foods, plus I never feed my animals that. Except my cat and bun. I mean, how can you get a special alfalfa food mix? LOL!

[hermiesareneat]

<<ten gallon tank with a mesh top>>


Hey Jessica, hope you don't mind me jumping in here.. You'll want to get either a glass lid or cover 3/4 of the 'mesh' lid with cardboard wrapped in plastic wrap. This is to keep in humidity, which is the most important key in crab care. (In my opinion at least.) :rolleyes: Good luck with crabbies!

[Daethian]

<<ten gallon tank with a mesh top>>

Nope, I said I was going to get a mesh top (lid). So like...

Fish Food
Crushed Dog Food
PB
Carrots

...would be okay? I have never seen any commercial foods, plus I never feed my animals that. Except my cat and bun. I mean, how can you get a special alfalfa food mix? LOL!

Mesh lid won't work. You need a glass lid, plexiglass lid or some plastic wrap. The humidity is the single most important thing to keeping a crab alive and healthy. That's how they breathe.

Offer some apples, some crushed egg shells or cuttlebone, some algae flakes, dried seaweed and that should cover most of their needs.

[JessicaReed]

Wow! Okay, thanks! :D

[JessicaReed]

LOL, I've been doing so much resarch lately on hermit crabs and have decided that maybe I would like one or two. They seem so cool! Look at the stuff I picked out for them if I do get some. Is it alright if they are alone or do they do best in pairs/groups? And how does this stuff look to you? Anything wrong with it? I really want and need your help on this, so thanks ahead of time! :D

Kritter Keeper
http://www.leesaqpet.com/art/19985-30.jpg
3 of these - One for drinking, one for food, one for cooling down
http://www.petdiscounters.com/files/images/d_2360.jpg
Anti-chlorine stuff
http://www.petdiscounters.com/files/images/d_2368.jpg
Cuttlebone for calcium
http://www.petdiscounters.com/files/images/d_836.jpg
Sand
http://www.petdiscounters.com/files/images/d_4060.jpg
Coral for decoration
http://www.petdiscounters.com/files/images/d_129.jpg
Instant seasalt
http://www.petdiscounters.com/files/images/d_601.jpg
Food
http://www.petdiscounters.com/files/images/d_4047.jpg
Coconut
http://www.petdiscounters.com/files/images/d_4102.jpg
Sea Sponge
http://www.petdiscounters.com/files/images/d_4101.jpg
Mister
http://www.petdiscounters.com/files/images/d_4679.jpg

[Daethian]

Kritter keepers are considered death boxes. You've come this far in learning about them so you might as well get a 10 gal tank. They are 10 bucks and those KK's can cost about that.

The Repti safe dechlor has had some questions raised about the stresscoat in it. That's not considered safe for drinking by most. I bought it, and then after reading it stopped using it. Get a dechlor that is dechlor only. I bought some that is called aqua something its a teal bottle with orange on it.

Calci sand it very very expensive and a huge waste of money. It gets clumpy when wet and then starts to stink. Play sand is 2.50 for 25lbs at your local hardware store and its completely safe.

I've never seen the coconut treats so I honestly can't say about them.

[Daethian]

I can't find the stuff I have online.
Ammo Lock is very popular among crabbers. It removes chlorine, chloramines and ammonia. This is what you want your water conditioner to do, nothing else.

If you want to get a seperate bottle of stresscoat for using in bath water , that is fine. Stresscoat is a dechlorinator also but its not for drinking.

[JessicaReed]

They need saltwater, don't they?

[JessicaReed]

Would it be okay for a crab in a 5.5 tank with a glass lid? Is it alright if they are alone? Why are KK's deathboxes? J/W, but I WILL take your word for it since you seem so experienced. :) Any other comments?

[JessicaReed]

Oooh! Can they be in water ALL the time? Wait, umm, what about this...

*10 Gallon Tank w/ Glass Top
*Sterilized Children's Play Sand
*Only Anti-Chlorine Liquid
*Two Small Hollow Shell/Rocks
*One Large Holow Rock w/ Sponge
*Two Natural Shells
*Food
*Mister

...?

[Pantamallion]

To answer your question about them being alone.....NOOOOOO!!!! Hermit crabs are very social animals, and would be together in groups of thousands in teh wild. Also did you find something like a below teh tank heater, a humidity gauge, and a thermometer. These are must haves, and are essential and a hermie envoriment. I'm going to get some hermies for either x-mas or my b-day too, and so therefore I've been doing ALOT of research. If you want to find out more, go to google and you can find lots of info. But be sure to run it through the people here just to be sure your not reading falso info. Hope all goes well! :D

[JessicaReed]

Thanks a lot, Pantamallion. Wanna be on mu buddy list? :D :p

[Daethian]

Deathboxes: They can't be properly heated, are hard to maintain humidity and are too small.

Caribbean's or Purple Pinchers (PP's) don't NEED salt water but they do enjoy it. All other species NEED salt water. Don't rely on the store to know they difference, most have no idea there is any thing but one species.

No they can't be in water all the time.

Add:
heater
gauges

are the hollow items large enough to hide in?

You will find yourself buying lots more empty shells ;)

There are lots of items that can be used from your house instead of buying them.

For instance a flower pot turned on its side will make a great hidey cave.

I bought condiment dishes for 50 cents at Walgreens and use them for food dishes.

Shells can sometimes be purchased cheaper at Wal Mart in the craft section or Dollar Tree.

If you want some more ideas let me know.


Oooh! Can they be in water ALL the time? Wait, umm, what about this...

*10 Gallon Tank w/ Glass Top
*Sterilized Children's Play Sand
*Only Anti-Chlorine Liquid
*Two Small Hollow Shell/Rocks
*One Large Holow Rock w/ Sponge
*Two Natural Shells
*Food
*Mister

...?

[JessicaReed]

They don't know the difference? Coolio! The two hollow shells/rocks would be for food/water. The large hollow rock and sponge would be for the saltwater. So, okay, good, I got it all together. A water dish, food dish, a pool with sponge, instant sea salt, food, mister, ten gallon tank with glass top, play sand, anti-chlorine for water, and two shells for hiding. Cool! :D Does the saltwater need anti-chlorine?

[Pantamallion]

Yeah sure I'd like to be on your buddy list... Anyway lol, I would recomend maybe adopting a hermit crab becuase pet stores don't take care of their hermies AT ALL. But Daethian, since you have a lot of hermies I'm just wondering, I'm sure that you've bought some of your hermies from teh pet store, do you think that they will live??? Becuase just today I went into a pet shop and peeked at the hermies and flamed up at the person behind teh counter becuase there was absoloutly NO humidity in the tank and the sponge in the dish had like a drop of water and that was it, and the ISO had one inch of GRAVEL in it, not nearly enough for teh jumbo crab up in the regualar tank. But anyway just wondering, I odn't want my hermies to die instantly of course

[Daethian]

They don't know the difference? Coolio! The two hollow shells/rocks would be for food/water. The large hollow rock and sponge would be for the saltwater. So, okay, good, I got it all together. A water dish, food dish, a pool with sponge, instant sea salt, food, mister, ten gallon tank with glass top, play sand, anti-chlorine for water, and two shells for hiding. Cool! :D Does the saltwater need anti-chlorine?


Yes the saltwater will need the dechlor.

I make a gallon jug of each and then use them throughout the week to do water changes.

Crabs don't know if you are using a store bought bowl over a rubbermaid bowl...honest ;)

[JessicaReed]

k, thx. g2g.