In: Caresheets, Crabitat

by Stacy Griffith Contributor Stacey May – My Hungry Hermit Why should I use a thermostat with my heat mat? Hermit crabs need a consistent temperature range of 75-85°F (24-29.4°C) in their habitat (crabitat). A reptile heat mat provides gentle warmth, while a thermostat with a probe prevents overheating by regulating the output of the heat mat. Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up a Heat Mat with a Thermostat 1. Choosing the Right Heat Mat 🔥 Recommended Heat Mat: Ultratherm at Bean Farm If you have issues finding an Ultratherm, I recommend this heat mat: Kabasi’s Heat Mat for Reptiles (Amazon) 2. Attaching the Heat MatRead More →

In: Biology, Crabitat, FAQ

There seems to be some controversy and confusion regarding the need for UV-B lighting with hermit crabs. Due to the esoteric nature of our chosen pets, few studies are available to draw from which explicitly study hermit crabs. There is however a considerable volume of research regarding crustaceans, and more specifically decapod biology available to study.Read More →

In: Crabitat, General, Product Reviews

To successfully keep land hermit crabs as pets owners must provide a tropical environment that is both warm and humid. In order to maintain the proper heat and humidity gauges are required. The most popular product among hermit crab owners is the Acurite Temperature and Humidity Digital Monitor. This unit has proven to be reliable and a great value for the money. Most gauges don’t last long in the high humidity of a hermit crab tank but the Acurite out performs other more expensive gauges. Your Acurite Temperature and Humidity Monitor should be located inside of the tank but not touching the substrate or directlyRead More →

In: Caresheets, Crabitat

Welcome to Hermit Crab Pool Boy Training 101!  We hope the following information will cover hermit crab water pools from a-z. If we didn’t cover something here please feel free to comment or contact us. Let’s dive right in, the water is fine! Your tank should have two types of water bowls or pools: ocean water made from marine-grade salt and freshwater. Tap water contains beneficial minerals and metals so we discourage the use of distilled or otherwise purified water. Tap water must be treated with a product like Seachem Prime to make it safe for use. Prime also binds ammonia. In our testing, ammoniaRead More →

In: Crabitat, FAQ

Written by Anne Grady Food mites, more properly called grain mites are something that can be found in any tank at any time. The first thing to understand is that they did not come from the crabs, having hermit crabs does not cause you to have food mites. Food mites come into your home through the everyday things you buy at the grocery store. Anything that contains grain can have food mites. Oatmeal, grits, breakfast cereal, noodles, flour and rice are a few examples. In general you won’t see them and they are harmless, but that box of corn meal or pancake mix that getsRead More →

In: Caresheets, Crabitat

Land hermit crabs breathe through a modified gill. It is important to protect the gills from strong fragrances, essential oils, candles, household cleaners, chemicals, smoke insecticides and other airborne irritants. Be mindful of what you spray or use near the crabitat even if your tank is fully sealed. Residual product may still be in the air when you open your tank. If you are forced to have your home sprayed for insects ensure your tank is fully sealed with saran wrap or something similar. Allow the house to air out at least 24 hours before unsealing your tank.Read More →

In: Crabitat

The list of critters that can safely exist with hermit crabs is fairly short. Yes Not Safe for Co-habitation https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/import-information/permits/regulated-organism-and-soil-permits?fbclid=IwAR0lauj-504Gh1dBJMMcsPJfLOTkyCwVGD1S-LDc4IbfE8iwOYzkr5JLrRkRead More →

In: Caresheets, Crabitat

Please note: As we do not have the necessary information to determine how land hermit crabs are affected by ammonia build up in the water and to what degree we err on the side of caution and treat our water as we would for fish. All information regarding Prime is based on the assumption it is being used in a stable fish tank. Our use is much different. Our primary reason for using Prime is to remove Chlorine and Chloramines and heavy metals from the water and Prime does that well with no recurrence that requires retreatment. Ammonia build up is only an issue whenRead More →

In: Crabitat

You finally scored that awesome tank at a killer price but now how do you clean it?? If the tank is simply dirty but no actual build up on the glass, the cleaning process is pretty straight forward. A mild detergent can be used with hot water to wash away dirt and grime. Use a mild bleach solution 1:10 ratio to sanitize the tank in case of parasites or disease. Follow up with a thorough rinse with water and then white vinegar. Allow to air dry 24 hours. Dealing with stubborn build up on the glass is more challenging. Some stains may never come off.Read More →

In: Crabitat, General

A couple years ago when we created our Facebook group to go along with our website I was shocked to find so many people with flooding issues and bacterial blooms in their crabitats. The response to this was a false bottoms.  In 14 years of crab keeping I’ve never encountered this, so it’s on my mind all the time…where is all the water coming from? I think I may be on the path to the root cause – overly wet substrate at the beginning. When you take sandcastle wet sand, add wet ecoearth, add bubbler pools and heat and it’s no wonder the humidity inRead More →

In: Crabitat

We are amending our recommendation regarding moss. While moss is safe and should be offered in your crabitat we no longer believe it is safe to MIX the moss into your substrate or to layer it under your substrate. In the video below you will see a newly set up crabitat (not the owners first crabitat, she was upgrading) with moss layered under the substrate to test a natural false bottom, as was previously done on All Things Crabby. It rapidly developed an out break of Trichoderma that went all the way through the moss to the other side of the tank in one week.Read More →

In: Crabitat

by Pam Liberatore This is my little diy on a 3D crabitat background.  Please remember this is how I did mine and in no way the only way or the correct way.  I really don’t know if there is a right or wrong way.  I think it comes down to what works for you and good planning of the whole process.   I used the instructions at NEherp and studied them over and over again.   Here is the link: Custom Backgrounds That being said let’s get started. Step 1: First, you need a tank, mine is a 40 gallon breeder tank.  Now I only did oneRead More →

In: Crabitat

If you’ve ever dealt with ants in your home you know what a challenge it can be to get rid of them. Ants in your home may be a nuisance to you but ants in your hermit crabs’s home can be dangerous. Ants can and will attack molting crabs, and this could kill the hermit crab. If you find ants in your crabitat it is an emergency situation that must be dealt with immediately.   Your approach will depend on the answers to a few questions: Where are they coming from? Are they coming into the crabitat from outside or are they living in theRead More →

In: Caresheets, Crabitat, FAQ, General

Let’s look at how to set up a proper hermit crab habitat, which we refer to as a crabitat. Basing your tank set up on what you saw at the pet store or mall cart where you may have purchased your hermit crabs is a recipe for disaster. Kritter Keepers and wire cages are death boxes and should never be used. Listed below are the primary components of a proper set up and we will discuss them in detail. If you are not willing to equip the tank properly you should return your hermit crabs or rehome them, they will not thrive without a properlyRead More →

In: Crabitat

Land hermit crabs require a properly set up crabitat to survive and thrive in captivity. Sometimes we may not be able to provide that right away or we need a temporary housing set up because we are moving to a new home or we are faced with evacuating our current home. Perhaps you just bought your first hermit crabs and have discovered that the Kritter Keeper you were sold is NOT a sufficient home but can’t afford or don’t have immediate access the proper supplies. In these circumstances you can set up a temporary crabitat. The MacGyver crabitat (ideal for emergency short term housing whenRead More →

In: Crabitat

COMMON AQUARIUM SIZES & WEIGHTS 5 GALLON L x W x H 16″ x 8″ x 10″ Weight (empty) 7 lbs Weight (water-filled) 62 lbs 10 GALLON LEADER L x W x H 20″ x 10″ x 12″ Weight (empty) 11 lbs Weight (water-filled) 111 lbs 10 GALLON LONG L x W x H 24″ x 8″ x 12″ Weight (empty) 16 lbs Weight (water-filled) 116 lbs 10 GALLON HEXAGON L x W x H 14″ x 12″ x 18″ Weight (empty) 12 lbs Weight (water-filled) 110 lbs 15 GALLON L x W x H 24″ x 12″ x 12″ Weight (empty) 21 lbs WeightRead More →

In: Crabitat, FAQ

Question:Craboza asked:I want them to eat the bad things.Will they eat aphids and other bad bugs in there?Or anything that is not the crabs?I want them to keep all possible parasites out. If I can use ladybugs, how many can I put in? Where do I get them? Thank you.   Answer:Bugboy (aka King Arthur-Pod) answered:Don’t…..lady bugs are toxic, that’s the reason for the orange and black coloring.If one should die and the crabs eat it, could be harmful.Put one on the tip of your tongue, you’ll know how nasty they really are (OK so I’m an entomologist and only we do crazy stuff likeRead More →

In: Crabitat

Hermit crabs are tree climbers by nature so maximizing all the vertical space in your tank will provide them with a more enriching and stimulating environment. Making use of all four walls of the tank will give your hermit crabs more room to roam and explore. Also if you use overhead lights you can provide your hermit crabs a way to get closer to the lights and warm themselves as needed. You can get very creative in making second levels with a variety of materials. Just be sure the materials are safe before placing them in your tank. Avoid metal that can rust, paint thatRead More →

In: Crabitat, FAQ

What’s a micro hermit crab? What’s a jumbo hermit crab? Size can be subjective and hard to define but we are trying anyway!  Our friends in Indonesia have developed two more realistic size charts based on leg length or leg span. Indonesia is home to many of different species including the large C. brevimanus. With much more data to work with the group created these new sizing charts which are more accurate. (Mary Akers, Hermit House raised this adorable, nearly microscopic, captive bred baby hermit crab.) Why does size matter? When determining how much space is needed per hermit crab we need to know howRead More →

In: Crabitat

A total tank tear down for cleaning is no longer considered necessary. If set up properly from the beginning your tank will become bioactive over time and can be kept up with minimal effort. The information below can be applied when purchasing used items that you wish to clean before set up or if you have an emergency (flood, bacteria, insect invasion) situation and need to do a tear down to deal with it. When adopting hermit crabs you may also receive their tank. It is a good idea to fully santize the tank and all the decor items. Throw away the substrate and startRead More →

In: Crabitat, General

written by Kerie Campbell 2005 Two months ago, during deep clean, I took my largest compressus,Houdini, out of the tank, turned him over to have a look, and a red…thing fell out of his shell. I couldn’t believe it! Mites!Huge, red mites. Houdini had a few, Fifi had some, and poor Ghidra,a pre-molt rugosus, was covered with them. I was appalled. I inspect new crabs when I get them for mites, and have never seen any. The only explanation I have is that these mites, being a bright red color, must have snuck in on some of the perlatus – they are the same colorRead More →

In: Crabitat

written by Rai Ahmes Relative humidity (RH) is measured as a percentage–absolute and specific humidity are NOT. If it reads in % it’s a relative gauge. RH gauges are fairly inexpensive and commonly available. Gauges measuring absolute or specific humidity are hard to find and expensive; they also read in either g/kg or g/cubic meter (or the non-metric equivalent) not %. “Actual humidity” and “exact humidity” are not measurements. Dial RH gauges are rarely calibrated properly by the time they reach your home. This is NOT the fault of the manufacturer. It is simply the way it is with this type of hygrometer whether it’sRead More →

In: Crabitat, General

Written by Vanessa Pike-Russell Hermit crabs are advertised as cheap and easy to maintain, which is not necessarily true. To keep your hermit crabs happy and healthy, you will need to provide a lot more than food and water. In this article we will give you a list of essential and optional items you need. Also you will find some info on basic care and upkeep of the tank, considerations when purchasing. 1. ESSENTIALS Glass tank with lid: A glass tank is preferred over plastic tanks, which will scratch and will not be able to hold the humidity within the ventilated lids. A glass lidRead More →

In: Crabitat, FAQ

The LHCOS official stance on PVC is: Use at your own risk The safety of PVC is a hotly debated topic and without research on its effect on crustaceans we are not able to make a determination.  Below are some arguments against and for PVC. CrabbyAbbey answered: PVC isn’t a safe product to be used in a closed environment or with land hermits that tend to taste sample their surroundings, or really anywhere for that matter. It’s production includes chlorine and lead and it leaches chemical gases into the air, especially in heated areas. In closed areas like crabitats these dangers are even more harmful.Read More →

In: Caresheets, Crabitat

Compilation of information by Vanessa Pike-Russell and Stacy Griffith To keep your hermit crabs healthy and happy their environment should be kept in optimum temperature and humidity levels. If you are not able to keep the environment stable then your crabs will weaken and become stressed which will lead to death. Hermit crabs are ectothermic creatures and must have a warmish and cooler side to their substrate. If your temperature falls below 75F on a frequent basis you need a reliable and safe method for heating your crabitat. Whatever type of under tank heater or other heating method you use, it is STRONGLY recommended thatRead More →