It took my crabs a year to be active. I think they just got used to us and realize “these are the people who give us food and don’t mess with us okay! I like them”😂😂😂
I just got one of the coconut huts that hang from the top after watching one of your videos. And already I feel like I need a second one because my two hermit crabs are already competing on who gets inside the hut. 😆
Thankyou so much for your continued education, i have learned so much from you. I currently have a 55 gallon tank with a 2.5 gallon inset fresh water tank and a 1 gallon inset corner salt water tank. Both tanks are filtered, and my 4 crabbies absolutely love them! I would have never known how to make these pools without you girls. Hades, Hermies, Zeus, and Poseidon are thriving because of this channel. I plan on getting coconut hides and making a custom climable background for them soon. All inspired by this channel, so again thankyou for edjucating the public and making life better for hermies every where! ❤️
Thank you for sharing all this useful information!!! I got mine last year February 14 (birthday boy soon) and you guys taught me everything on how to take care of him! He used to eat powder food, 10 gal tank, pale colors, tiny heat pad, only fresh water, barely climbing things, wrong size shells. Now (and for the year I’ve had him) he eats fresh foods/dried insects & proteins, 20 gal long tank, tons of climbing, fresh & salt water, big heating pad, bright colors, tons of shells his size. In 1 year he has grown from 1 3/4” shell to a 3” shell. He’s super active too. Thank you guys for helping me and my crab so much!!!!❤️❤️ (also planning on getting a second)
Great video! I just ordered some stuff off Etsy from a shop you recommended in this video! Got a wheel, a climbing rope, and a puzzle cube! So excited to add these to my hermit crab tank!
What you said about having buddies is a really good point! My hermit crabs love hanging out with each other and having friends definitely helps activity level! Great video 💕
I love love love your channel! You know so much! Everything I know about my journey with hermit crabs has mostly to do with you. My hermit crabs appreciate it too.
Ive been doing the popong food around the tank it works. Ive recently put an exercise wheel and have see casper on it several times. Thanks for all the ideas.
Thank you, Darcy! I am new to the crab life but have been following your channel very closely since November and I'd have to say...I think you'd be impressed! TRUST THE PROCESS rings in my ear every time
I had a hermit crab named timmiataoe but sadly died being well from molting and I did not know anything about them and did not know they need saltwater and I only had eco earth and I had him in one of those small crab carriers bc did not know that that is terrible for them only had a inch of substrate I did not know what I was doing so now I have been reading and searching and watching so much stuff about hermit crabs I have learned so much and have bought lots of more stuff and finally have all I need I am going to get some crabs next week I have learned soo much from you and am amazed by everything you know and how big your tank is and that you can breed them you are very gifted keep up the good work thanks to you I think my crannies are going to like there new home🎉thank you soooo much!!!!’🎉❤
I noticed when it got actual sunlight it was active and so did all the other hermits and they were playing and having a great time! and also because of the humidity which was perfect.
I almost aced it except the other part of enrichment that involves food puzzles. I'm gonna have to be creative and think of a food puzzle today. Thank you so much for these information. 🥰
Thank you for making these videos! I got my hermit crab pebble from a boardwalk shop and IMMEDIATELY did research before i took him to my house, now he is super vibrant and active and has molted!
Hey Darcy, What's the name of the blue exercise wheel over your right shoulder company called and the store you purchased it.I can't seem to find one. Thank You.
I finally moved my guys to a 75 gallon so I'll be looking out for a topper, perfect timing. Most of my crabs are surfaced now & I'm constantly looking for ways to utilize their new space
Two of my crabbies are down at the moment but I heard one moving around the other day! It was pretty cool! There are in my classroom so I think the noise of the kids sometimes keeps them quiet too. But I’ve seen them move around during nap time lol
Very impressed by this video and your tank. I hope to have a super tank someday and my own colony. Ecuadorian Crabs are my favorites. Whenever I have had them in the past, they keep me up at night sometimes with all the chirping and exploring. I love hermit crabs.
Thank you so much! We're glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching and supporting our family! Ecuadorians are my favorite too! Shhhhhhh.... don't tell the other crabs! ☺️
Man this made me feel like an awful owner, i have 2 hermit crabs in a 30 gallon aqarium, i definitely haven't struggled with maintenance yet. But their tank decorations are not good for climbing at all, they don't have their own light (yet) i was going to add more substrate but one went down into the dirt and i havent seen him return yet (its only been a day so im not too worried) Ive bought some more decorations, im gonna make my purple pinchers have the best life possible.
@@CrabCentralStation We would love to get a topper, but that is in the future. We have used the forging items and they seem to love them! It seems the higher the humidity and the stinkier the food the more active they are HAHA 🤣 I'm in Iowa so now that its colder I don't see them but saw them a lot in the summertime!
I'm getting a hermit crab on Friday! I'm very excited. When I was younger I had hermit crabs off and on but I didn't know to like fully and properly take care of them, but I'm older now and I have done alot of research :) temporarily, the hermit crab will have to be in a (I think it's a 5 gallon) plastic tank that u would use to transport them places in, but when I get enough money, I'm gonna a buy a 10 gallon tank for him! Thankfully he won't be in the temporary tank for too long because at my local Walmart they have one for 15 dollars :) And also I have 2 questions, do I absolutely *have* to have a heater? Cause that's something else I have to save up for. And the other question is, can they drink from a sponge? Cause one person said it's not good cause they mold quickly. But that confused me cause something said that they can drown in water dishes, but then someone else said that they need a water dish with saltwater and a dish with freshwater
Welcome to Crab Central Station! We are so glad you have joined ur #CCSCrabCrew! There is a lot of conflicting information out on the web, it is very confusing for sure. That's actually why we started our TH-cam channel. Our goal is to provide the most current recommendations that are backed by years of experience. Please check out our other care videos, they will help answer all of your questions. In short though - Yes, they must have a heater. Sponges are yuck and harbor mold and bacteria. They do need two pools, one salt and one fresh, that they can fully submerge in. They need a easy way in and out of the pool.
We just got 2 crabs a week ago. 1 is pretty active, changed out of his painted shell the very first night. The other disappeared within minutes. We assume it dug down into the substrate, but we haven't seen it since.
Dont have hermit crabs but want to some day. Had them a really long time ago. Im just obsessed with their little eyes 😂 i really want some aquatic Caribbean blue ones too
I have 2 hermit crabs, (Boofhead and Tom) Toms the one that just loves hanging out and taking a dip in the pool. Meanwhile boofhead, whenever I take a look at him he’s hiding inside this little house i have for them. Now, I have the right temperature, sand depth, and humidity. I’ve seen him eat before, seen my two crabs talk before and seen him take one dip in the pool. Haven’t seen him do any of this before. I don’t know his age either so he might just be getting old, or it’s something else.
Thank you! Hermit crabs carry water in their shells, so they don't always have to fully submerge. They probably do most of their water uptake during the night since they are mostly nocturnal animals. I think every hermit crab is different based on size, activity, milt cycle, shell size, ect. I can't really give you a "usual amount of time in the water pools."
First off your crabitat is insanely awesome! I saw some of your videos right after we bought our crabs and I have been adjusting their crabitat as we aquire new items. We got a 25gallon tank immediately for our 2 medium sized hermies. Do you have a video on species? I am afraid we got 2 different species.
Thank you so much for making these helpful videos! My little one wanted hermit crabs durning out beach trip. We did have 3, but now have 2 since Aug. 2021. Is my substrate supposed to be sand castle consistency? I have done as you say in all your videos, but its just not to that consistency! Temp. 75-85 & humidity 80-85.
We are so glad our videos have helped you and your son on your hermit crab journey. Welcome to CCS! try this, use a straw and carefully slide it down into the sand at the very front of the glass.... so that you can see the straw go all the way down. If the sand holds its shape once you remove the sand (although the first inch or two may not hold and that is normal), it is the right consistency. If the sand collapses as soon as you remove the straw, you will need to add a little water to the substrate. Some areas are naturally more dry than others and may need a little help getting the sub to the right consistency. They best way to do that is to add 1 cup (literally 1 measuring cup) of prime treated water to 1 corner of the tank. wait about a week and see if it helped. If it needs more, repeat the process in a different corner of the tank. Let me know if this helps!
@@CrabCentralStationI used to have 2 crabs in a decently large tank and seemed to do everything well. The only thing different I did was have a coconut fiber substrate. They didn’t live that long is coconut fiber not a good substrate?
I used to have hermit crabs when I was younger and I was given the wrong information on how to care for them. Both of them died within about half a year. Told myself I wouldn't get anymore because they're more complex then what pet stores make them out to be. Yeah well I didn't have any until July 4th 2021 where I got two from a carnival in town. It was about 90 degrees, no wind, no water and there was about 30 hermit crabs in a small bird cage. I picked out the largest of the painted shells and my sister got a smaller one. We nicknamed them Yellow (mine) and Grey (my sisters). Sadly, about halfway through their PPDS treatment, Grey passed away quite suddenly. I went out the same day and brought home 3 more hermits for Yellow. Now I'm up to 7 in a 55 gallon exo-terra. Yellow was renamed to Dippin' and he's ridiculously active right now and it's the middle of winter where I am. He's been getting in the fresh and salt water pools and changing shells really often. He's no longer in a painted shell either. He changed out of that thing within 24 hours of him being in a 20 gallon quarantine tank
@@CrabCentralStation you're very welcome. Although I have a question. It's winter where I live right now and only a couple of my crabs have been overly active. Several have come out, gotten in the water, and then dug down again soon afterwards. Could this be because the air temp is too cold? They have a heat mat that does heat up the area it's in, but perhaps they need something more direct? I also have a crab that's been missing for about two months. It was the smallest that I had, and he was actually missing two of his walking legs. I'm not sure if he's dead or molting, but I haven't been smelling any fishy smells in the tank besides their food (they love shrimp). My mother wants to tear everything up to look for him, but I'm hesitant about doing so. Any ideas?
Definitely don't dig up the missing crab! That will make things worse. If he has passed, there is nothing you can do anyway. So it's best to let him/her just be a crab and do crab things. Inactivity can be due to it being too cold in the tank. Try covering the tank with a blanket, especially at night.
Hello! It's so awesome for what you guys do for these amazing little guys, keep up the good work! I have a question: how can I get rid of fruit flies? They keep going in my hermit crabs tank and I don't know how to get rid of them, please help! Thank you!
Fresh food attracts fruit flies the most. Try temporarily giving dry foods only until the fruit flies are gone, and changing out the fresh foods more often :)
❤ Please help!! 😢 for some reason my hermit crabs barely move and barley eat or drink and only stay on one side of the tank and never go in their saltwater! I have everything I need like I have 2 and a heat lamp and lots of plants and climbing things and hiding places but they never use them and I don’t know if they where being abused at the pet store and that did permanent damage but could you please help I don’t know who to ask
After transferring our Hermit Crab to a new 25 gal tank, we were thinking of adding more buddies to the tank, but was trying to figure out what type/species hermit crab it was. The place in TX my family got it from only said it was Caribbean. The hermit crab was orange/red and pink after finally molting in his'her first tank, and then transferred to a new 25 gal exo terra tank. The arms were slightly blue-ish purple close to the body, but legs were mostly orange/red/pink, the big pincher is slightly reddish/purple, and the body is light in color. During transferring him/her, it climbed out a bit before hiding back in the shell, body/abdomen was pinkish/salmon. Must we find the same type/species for the Hermit Crab, or is different unknown Hermit Crabs ok to add to the tank? If there's any resources we can look at or watch to identify it's species/type, would be awsome. He/She definitely is lonely, and needs more friends. I had sensed or had a gut feeling the cage he/she came with was ridiculous and insufficient for the little life form, originally did not came alone, and sadly the other two had passed. I am glad I've found videos like yours, especially what foods to feed them, he/she loved carrots, apples, and mango. Thanks for providing vendors who make quality food made for Hermit Crabs. Wished we found your resource earlier, little kids didn't know how to take care of them, only what was told to them at the store. After the others passed, I took the initiative to look further in the care for hermit crabs.
Welcome to CCS! We are so glad you have joined us on your journey. It sounds like you have a purple pincher. They come in a lot of colors and their cors will change over time with a proper environment and good foods. How cool is that?! If you want a captive bred crab, check out Josh's Frogs. They are the only retailer that carries captive bred hermit crabs.
How did you take care of the condensation issue with having a smaller tank on top of the bigger tank? And aside from being able to get into the tanks is there a difference with humidity and condensation issues with having the front open access tank on top versus a different smaller tank turned upside down?
Good morning and This is a really cool and helpful video Darcy and girls, I am going to have to go back throw video to recap on stuff because I am still having some trouble and problems with flooding in my 20 gallon long tank again and I have to do another tank reset today.
Hello, I have a somewhat urgent question. I have a hermit crab that I’ve had for three years now. He’s a medium sized hermit crab. I moved them into a new tank back in June of 2021 and he’s been dug under since July of 2021. I have not seen him since. I have no idea if he’s dead or just hiding underground. I have two hermit crabs ones smaller. So using the smoothing sand technique doesn’t work as I don’t know which crab moved at night. I’m worried. It’s been about 7 months now since I’ve seen him. The smaller crab is out everyday. What should I do?
It is so hard to wait, especially after 7 long months! we have had some crabs molt for that long. There is really no way to know for sure if he/she has passed. With deep substrate, you won't smell him/her.
Is it OK to put live plants in our hermit crab habitat also, can you explain what you mean by a topper? And last can they eat all human foods or is there a diet list of things they can't have? How will I know if my crabs are getting ready to molt?
Hi! I have one hermit crab named Herb and am really invested in his care now. I got him when I was a lot younger and dint do the proper research so I only got one. I have redone his tank and food and all that I can do to make it better! I want to get another one but am worried since he hasn't been "socialized" with other crabs for so long that they will fight. I asked someone at the place where I was going to buy them from and they said I shouldn't get another because he is territorial. I'm not sure if I should believe the store worker so I was wondering if I could get your opinion :). Love your channel it is full of very helpful tips!
Great question! Hermit crabs are social creatures. It's not that they get territorial, but rather, they will show dominance if they feel their resources are lacking or in danger. Just make sure you have extra resources: space, depth of sub, food (especially protein), calcium, shells.
Do you find that your jumbos traverse over to the other tanks as much as the medium to small crabs? The bigger boys in my colony I noticed are more localized. I rarely even see them in the topper. Do you have any tips for the big guys?
I got 4 hermit crabs about a month ago, and I noticed some black flects like ground black pepper floating on the water surface...I looked at it using my phone Camara and seen them moving...very very tiny
Every time my crabs molt they die. I have one large that just molted. She is under a partial covering of moss. Can you give me advice on how to help her stay alive? I got her from Petco. At Petco she was on crab food. I have had her for more than a year, and have fed her a good diet. My crab and I thank you for any assistance that you can give us.
Hello i was wondering if you could make a video about land hermit crab care as well because i have land hermit crabs and i would really like to know some care ideas for them. Thank you
LOL! We call this "donkey kick" It's usually just a pecking order thing. You can check out our video on Aggressive behavior if you are concerned that it might be something else.
Just got a couple crabs for the grandson. Within about 2 weeks the large one died. Other crab is still fine (it seems). I'm not sure of tank size we have, maybe 20 gallons. We have well water so I assume chlorination not an issue. I bought the water conditioner tablets for a salt water source. I'm really not sure what killed the crab. We gave the crabs various things to eat, egg shell, fruit, some store bought crab food which I see is not recommended. What is your immediate gut instinct as to why the crab died??
For salt water we recommend using insta ocean, not tablets! So sorry for your loss! Lickley a case of PPDS or post purchase depression syndrome. The hermit industry is horrible and often crabs pass once they find a home. We have a video about it on our channel if you are interested in learning more about it.. the best way to combat this is to only adopt or purchase captive bred hermits
Okay so I have 4 Hermie's...they have seemed to have paired off in a strange way..two have brownish shells two have a teal colored shells...I hadn't seen any action from either pair in weeks. No little foot prints, nothing in the water or food dish changed so I assume they are molting..they brown ones have made an appearance..even collapsed the molting caves. I haven't seen the green ones still..and no signs of a cave...also I have given the newly molted and now much bigger crabbies lots of new shell options and they're not interested, dispite the old shells r clearly too small..what to do? I'm afraid for the ( green) crabbies. Maybe they didn't make it through the molt? And what about the shells?
Unfortunately we can't really do anything about molting crabs except create the correct environment and then trust them to be crabs. As for shells, they will change when they are ready. We can't make them change shells. Just make sure they have plenty of choices, and you are doing great!
I teach library classes for PREK, so we are quiet, but not really. Is there anything special I should do with my tank to make them comfortable with so much going on around them?
Can you rearrange your tank with crabs in it... i know the golden rule not to move anything they maybe hiding under 😊 i also use the outside lighting for them is this ok ...
It's going to be different fornevery crab as they endure different amounts of abuse and damage during the capture to purchase cycle. At the least, they need a 30 day acclimation period. We have a video called "how to keep your hermit crab alive, PPS method". Check that out.
So…is there a video about toppers? I have a 12x12x18 Exoterrs that is the cause of me keeping hermit crabs ;) lol sort-of. But I had the empty tank at home & we were at the beach and I read articles about what a perfect crabitat they make…anyway, I could never get heat & humidity right, so We got a 20 gallon long. If I added the Exo as a topper, I feel like I’d need bigger UTH for the topper & deeper water pools with at least a bubbler. Not happening any time soon, just thinking down the road.
@@CrabCentralStation oh, duh. I saw that and just considered the textured background aspect, not the insulation properties 🤣 Can you put the Bean Farm UTH behind that?
I don't think I would put a heat mat behind it. You could put a mat on the side though. Heat rises... so depending on your area and room temperature, you might not need a heat mat on the topper.
We use exoterra tanks as our toppers. They have two front doors that open up and allow access to the bottom tank. We also have access lids everywhere we don't have a topper.
Sorry if you have answered this question before. I am looking to adopt from LHCOS and was wondering if I needed to do the PPDS method since they will be in the same environment from adoptee to adopter? Also is the PPDS method recommended for the captivity bred crab babies too ? Thanks ! :)
Yay for adopting!!! If the crab is coming from good conditions there is no need to do PPDS. Captive bred babies also do not need PPDS. Another great reason to adopt!
I have a question. Our hermit crab died after we cleaned his tank because we found mold in it. He was molting and was dug out then put back in the cleaned tank on top under the lights. He was even washed first. Should we have left the tank alone until he was done and just found a safe way to treat the mold? I'm pretty sure we just stressed him out.
Yes, Im sorry to say, but digging up and washing the molting crab most likely caused the death. Emergency cases are definitely difficult to discern, I know you did what you thought was best for the crab. Next time send us a picture of what's going on in your tank before you dig and we'll try and help you troubleshoot. You can always DM us on Instagram, DM us on Facebook, or email us through our website...... at Crab Central station
We use LED lights in all of our tanks. I do have one UVB light attached to the inside of one of our toppers. However, to be completely honest...the hermit crabs don't seem to care for it.
Do you guys have a drainage layer for your enclosures? if u do or if not do u have any recommendations? I'm wanting to set up a naturalistic 50 gallon long enclosure for my two hermit crabs that transitions from a almost forest edge climbing area to a beach/shoreline to the ocean (aka water basins) so that it replicates areas they may live at in the wild.
We do not recommend drainage layers. If your tank is set up 5:1 and you have the correct heat/humidity, you shouldn't need one. They keep moisture, grow bacteria, and fungus. We have the Forrest side of the tank and sea side of the tank too! I'll tell you, the crabs prefer the Forrest side A LOT MORE than the beach side.
Yes, some are safe and some are not. We have a video on Foraging (pretty recent video). Check it out for what is safe and how to sanitize it for the thank.
Do you have any worries(outside of like disease spread and such) adding new hermit crabs to your enclosure? I have a 50 gallon with two hermit crabs, I would love to get them a couple more friends but I'm kind of worried about how they would adjust to the new company
The biggest things to look for are mites, shell rot, and bacteria/fungal infection. It’s good to do the PPS method so that you can closely monitor your new crabs for these things while slowly acclimating them to a good environment. If you don’t want to chance those things…. Buy captive bred babies! They are 100% healthy! And… not need for PPS!
@@CrabCentralStation how do I buy captive bred? My hermit crab doesn’t move that much - not even at night - so I’m thinking maybe he wants a friend. We have a 29 gallon tank so room for another one and I think the crabitat is set up well with good humidity and temp.
I use the water conditioners from zoo med, pellets and protein from Hermit headquarters, and I bought A box of crab shells for my very small purple crabs that I forgot which company they were from.
You don't want to use water conditioner, just Prime. You don't want to feed any pellets, they have preservatives. Just natural shells, make sure they are the right type and size. We have videos on all three of these topics if you want to learn more about them: From farm to table - food 101 Shells 101 Basic water pools
Hey guys! My new crabby is in his pps tank right now, but I was wondering, when should I introduce him to my current 2 crabs? He is a little bigger. I heard that hermit crabs who are alone can get stressed and die easily, but I also know pps is necessary. How do I make sure I’m introducing him at the right time for both his health and safety of the other crabs?
You just want to make sure you do the PPS protocol for 30 days. If at the end of 30 days, your crab is eating/drinking/exploring normally.... then it is time to add him to the main tank.
Hopefully soon. We've been so busy with school, life, and teaching. I have 199 students this year..... it takes a lot of time to lesson plan and grade that many papers.
We have done live plants several times! Our experience is that they get devoured almost immediately. We use some water plants in our water tanks, but in the actual enclosure if we ever do live plants we usually plant chia seed gardens! They grow quickly and don’t take deep root (as to not mess with any molting crabs.) Other live plants can be quite tricky to maintain.
So I have followed everything you have so far with the four hermit crabs that we got. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear that they are eating much, using their pool and now the log I got is starting to mold. The humidity is at 80 and the heat is also at 80. What am I doing wrong?😭
You will want to have two pools deep enough for your largest crab to fully submerge. If you mean that you want to have one larger than the other, I would go with a larger fresh water pool. We see our crabs in the fresh water more than the saltwater, on average.
I had hermit crabs three years ago but I had to give them to my brother once I moved to a condominium where pets aren’t allowed. I had sent him information from the hermit crab association but he chose not to follow all the guidelines. He lost interest in them after a couple of months because one of them was just sitting in the corner. I had a feeling it was gearing up for a molt and I was very concerned that it would not be able to dig down because he would not add in the extra sand my mom sent home with him because he wanted to see them. I was warned not to confront him about that because he didn’t want to talk about it and there was nothing I could do. He eventually gave them to someone on his fiancé’s side of the family because they were “stinking” too bad.
Yeah, I believe that one day I will be able to get back into hermit crabs and get captive bred crabs like you said. Maybe from you guys since y’all are in my home state of Texas!
Great video! But I have a few things I need help with! I have a spare bedroom but we cannot put a tank in there so the tank must be in my room! And I don’t have room for a bigger tank which mean I don’t have enough room for a wheel, top, etc. if anybody can help please reply! As I’m only turning 13 now I’m having trouble convincing my mother mainly to help get a better environment!
As a youth, you have to adhere to your parents request and be respectful. Just do the best you can. Maybe you can offer to do extra chores to earn money towards a bigger tank?
The hermit crab in the back on the wheel is so cute
Oh my gosh i didn't even notice that. so cute😚
Best advert for this video is that hermit crab using the wheel at the back. I can't see it but I find it cute ❣
Yessssss! The cutest!
@@CrabCentralStationwhere did you get that blue wheel in the back? Thanks in advance! 😊
It took my crabs a year to be active. I think they just got used to us and realize “these are the people who give us food and don’t mess with us okay! I like them”😂😂😂
LOL! Time to heal and time to adjust are definitely factors!
I just got one of the coconut huts that hang from the top after watching one of your videos. And already I feel like I need a second one because my two hermit crabs are already competing on who gets inside the hut. 😆
LOL! Ours live those coco huts too! One time we had at least 6 crabs in one hut!
Yea I have one too and all four of mine hang out in the coconut 😂
Same😂
lmao
Great video
Thankyou so much for your continued education, i have learned so much from you. I currently have a 55 gallon tank with a 2.5 gallon inset fresh water tank and a 1 gallon inset corner salt water tank. Both tanks are filtered, and my 4 crabbies absolutely love them! I would have never known how to make these pools without you girls. Hades, Hermies, Zeus, and Poseidon are thriving because of this channel. I plan on getting coconut hides and making a custom climable background for them soon. All inspired by this channel, so again thankyou for edjucating the public and making life better for hermies every where! ❤️
Omg I love this so much🦀🐚❤️ your names too!
Awesome!!! We are so happy that our channel has helped you on your hermie journey! Thanks for watching and thanks for loving your sweet crab friends!
Oh wow! That's awesome!
Thank you for sharing all this useful information!!! I got mine last year February 14 (birthday boy soon) and you guys taught me everything on how to take care of him! He used to eat powder food, 10 gal tank, pale colors, tiny heat pad, only fresh water, barely climbing things, wrong size shells. Now (and for the year I’ve had him) he eats fresh foods/dried insects & proteins, 20 gal long tank, tons of climbing, fresh & salt water, big heating pad, bright colors, tons of shells his size. In 1 year he has grown from 1 3/4” shell to a 3” shell. He’s super active too. Thank you guys for helping me and my crab so much!!!!❤️❤️ (also planning on getting a second)
Yay! I LOVE stories like this! Thank you so much for sharing with us. Keep up the great work! Maybe look into adopting a captive bred baby?????
@@CrabCentralStation Yes I will definitely look into that!!
Great video! I just ordered some stuff off Etsy from a shop you recommended in this video! Got a wheel, a climbing rope, and a puzzle cube! So excited to add these to my hermit crab tank!
Yay!!! OMG, you will love these fun enrichment items!!!
Thats amazing information about Hermit crab: th-cam.com/video/sOwCah4aymU/w-d-xo.html
What you said about having buddies is a really good point! My hermit crabs love hanging out with each other and having friends definitely helps activity level! Great video 💕
I love watching them together! Thanks for watching!
I love love love your channel! You know so much! Everything I know about my journey with hermit crabs has mostly to do with you. My hermit crabs appreciate it too.
Ive been doing the popong food around the tank it works. Ive recently put an exercise wheel and have see casper on it several times. Thanks for all the ideas.
Great! I'm glad you're seeing some increased activity. Thanks for watching!
Thank you, Darcy! I am new to the crab life but have been following your channel very closely since November and I'd have to say...I think you'd be impressed! TRUST THE PROCESS rings in my ear every time
I love it!!! ❤
I had a hermit crab named timmiataoe but sadly died being well from molting and I did not know anything about them and did not know they need saltwater and I only had eco earth and I had him in one of those small crab carriers bc did not know that that is terrible for them only had a inch of substrate I did not know what I was doing so now I have been reading and searching and watching so much stuff about hermit crabs I have learned so much and have bought lots of more stuff and finally have all I need I am going to get some crabs next week I have learned soo much from you and am amazed by everything you know and how big your tank is and that you can breed them you are very gifted keep up the good work thanks to you I think my crannies are going to like there new home🎉thank you soooo much!!!!’🎉❤
I noticed when it got actual sunlight it was active and so did all the other hermits and they were playing and having a great time! and also because of the humidity which was perfect.
Humidity probably had more to do with increased activity. They definitely need a good amount of humidity to breathe.
Thanks for making your videos! So useful to watch! I have four that I've had two years!! Moving to a bigger tank soon! 🦀 🦀 🦀 🦀
Thank you!! You will not regret that bigger tank!
I agree
I almost aced it except the other part of enrichment that involves food puzzles. I'm gonna have to be creative and think of a food puzzle today. Thank you so much for these information. 🥰
You're doing great! We're always looking for ways to add more enrichment. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for making these videos! I got my hermit crab pebble from a boardwalk shop and IMMEDIATELY did research before i took him to my house, now he is super vibrant and active and has molted!
Yay! Awesome! We’re so glad our videos have helped you on your journey. Thanks for sharing your story with us ☺️
Hey Darcy, What's the name of the blue exercise wheel over your right shoulder company called and the store you purchased it.I can't seem to find one. Thank You.
I finally moved my guys to a 75 gallon so I'll be looking out for a topper, perfect timing. Most of my crabs are surfaced now & I'm constantly looking for ways to utilize their new space
Great! The crabs will LOVE a topper!
Great video!! Wonderful tips. If I were a hermit crab I would want to live in your tanks. 😊
Thanks Gina!
You are so creative , I like the fact that you try to feel how they feel in their environment . I liked your tips :)
my crabbies have been EXTRA active-r than usual because i added more natural items and food 😊
also love your earrings
Yay! It's working than?! Thanks!
Two of my crabbies are down at the moment but I heard one moving around the other day! It was pretty cool! There are in my classroom so I think the noise of the kids sometimes keeps them quiet too. But I’ve seen them move around during nap time lol
Yeah, it took a long time for my classroom crabies to get comfortable with all the noise.
Very impressed by this video and your tank. I hope to have a super tank someday and my own colony. Ecuadorian Crabs are my favorites. Whenever I have had them in the past, they keep me up at night sometimes with all the chirping and exploring. I love hermit crabs.
Thank you so much! We're glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching and supporting our family! Ecuadorians are my favorite too! Shhhhhhh.... don't tell the other crabs! ☺️
Great video! Im upgrading my crab's tank from a 10 gal to 55 and looking for new stuff to include for them!
Exciting!
Awesome! You will not regret it!
I really learn a lot about hermits form you. Keep up the great work.
Thank you! We’re so glad our videos are helping you on your journey!
Amazing job as always! I've been waiting for this video to come out. So excited to have it share.
Thank you so much! Yes, please share!
Man this made me feel like an awful owner, i have 2 hermit crabs in a 30 gallon aqarium, i definitely haven't struggled with maintenance yet.
But their tank decorations are not good for climbing at all, they don't have their own light (yet) i was going to add more substrate but one went down into the dirt and i havent seen him return yet (its only been a day so im not too worried)
Ive bought some more decorations, im gonna make my purple pinchers have the best life possible.
My crabs are very active I have a lizard lounger and a hanging ladder they LOVE climbing on them I would do totally recommend getting one!
Awesome!
I want my hermmies to feel safe! Thank you for this video!
Have you tried any of these tips? I'm curious if you have seen a difference in behavior/activity?
@@CrabCentralStation We would love to get a topper, but that is in the future. We have used the forging items and they seem to love them! It seems the higher the humidity and the stinkier the food the more active they are HAHA 🤣 I'm in Iowa so now that its colder I don't see them but saw them a lot in the summertime!
Yes! They do love stinky foods! I’m sure it reminds them of home 😊
I'm getting a hermit crab on Friday! I'm very excited. When I was younger I had hermit crabs off and on but I didn't know to like fully and properly take care of them, but I'm older now and I have done alot of research :) temporarily, the hermit crab will have to be in a (I think it's a 5 gallon) plastic tank that u would use to transport them places in, but when I get enough money, I'm gonna a buy a 10 gallon tank for him! Thankfully he won't be in the temporary tank for too long because at my local Walmart they have one for 15 dollars :)
And also I have 2 questions, do I absolutely *have* to have a heater? Cause that's something else I have to save up for. And the other question is, can they drink from a sponge? Cause one person said it's not good cause they mold quickly. But that confused me cause something said that they can drown in water dishes, but then someone else said that they need a water dish with saltwater and a dish with freshwater
Welcome to Crab Central Station! We are so glad you have joined ur #CCSCrabCrew! There is a lot of conflicting information out on the web, it is very confusing for sure. That's actually why we started our TH-cam channel. Our goal is to provide the most current recommendations that are backed by years of experience. Please check out our other care videos, they will help answer all of your questions.
In short though - Yes, they must have a heater. Sponges are yuck and harbor mold and bacteria. They do need two pools, one salt and one fresh, that they can fully submerge in. They need a easy way in and out of the pool.
We just got 2 crabs a week ago. 1 is pretty active, changed out of his painted shell the very first night. The other disappeared within minutes. We assume it dug down into the substrate, but we haven't seen it since.
One of mine runs on the wheel every night, and the other one I go months without seeing. Very different personalities haha
They do seem to have different personalities, that's for sure!
It takes time for them to heal and become active.
Dont have hermit crabs but want to some day. Had them a really long time ago. Im just obsessed with their little eyes 😂 i really want some aquatic Caribbean blue ones too
That wheel full of hermies is cracking me up!
They do LOVE the hamster wheel. We see our hermies on there almost 24/7!
We love you Darcy!
Awe, thanks! It warms my heart to know folks enjoy and find our videos helpful. Thank you for supporting me and my girls!
@@CrabCentralStation i hope they are doing well at college ❤️
I have 2 hermit crabs, (Boofhead and Tom) Toms the one that just loves hanging out and taking a dip in the pool. Meanwhile boofhead, whenever I take a look at him he’s hiding inside this little house i have for them. Now, I have the right temperature, sand depth, and humidity. I’ve seen him eat before, seen my two crabs talk before and seen him take one dip in the pool. Haven’t seen him do any of this before. I don’t know his age either so he might just be getting old, or it’s something else.
Meant to say haven’t seen do any of this since a few days ago not before sorry lol!
This was a really helpful video, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You’re so welcome! We’re glad our videos are helping you on your hermie journey!
Awesome video! What kind of leaves do you feed your hermit crabs?
We feed oak leaves, sea grape, burning bush, and catappa leaves
Your videos are very helpful. I never see my hermies in the water. How often do they normally get in the salt and fresh waters?
Thank you! Hermit crabs carry water in their shells, so they don't always have to fully submerge. They probably do most of their water uptake during the night since they are mostly nocturnal animals. I think every hermit crab is different based on size, activity, milt cycle, shell size, ect. I can't really give you a "usual amount of time in the water pools."
First off your crabitat is insanely awesome! I saw some of your videos right after we bought our crabs and I have been adjusting their crabitat as we aquire new items. We got a 25gallon tank immediately for our 2 medium sized hermies. Do you have a video on species? I am afraid we got 2 different species.
that helped a lot!!!❤😁
🐚🦀
Thank you so much for making these helpful videos! My little one wanted hermit crabs durning out beach trip. We did have 3, but now have 2 since Aug. 2021. Is my substrate supposed to be sand castle consistency? I have done as you say in all your videos, but its just not to that consistency! Temp. 75-85 & humidity 80-85.
We are so glad our videos have helped you and your son on your hermit crab journey. Welcome to CCS! try this, use a straw and carefully slide it down into the sand at the very front of the glass.... so that you can see the straw go all the way down. If the sand holds its shape once you remove the sand (although the first inch or two may not hold and that is normal), it is the right consistency. If the sand collapses as soon as you remove the straw, you will need to add a little water to the substrate.
Some areas are naturally more dry than others and may need a little help getting the sub to the right consistency. They best way to do that is to add 1 cup (literally 1 measuring cup) of prime treated water to 1 corner of the tank. wait about a week and see if it helped. If it needs more, repeat the process in a different corner of the tank.
Let me know if this helps!
@@CrabCentralStationI used to have 2 crabs in a decently large tank and seemed to do everything well. The only thing different I did was have a coconut fiber substrate. They didn’t live that long is coconut fiber not a good substrate?
I used to have hermit crabs when I was younger and I was given the wrong information on how to care for them. Both of them died within about half a year. Told myself I wouldn't get anymore because they're more complex then what pet stores make them out to be. Yeah well I didn't have any until July 4th 2021 where I got two from a carnival in town. It was about 90 degrees, no wind, no water and there was about 30 hermit crabs in a small bird cage. I picked out the largest of the painted shells and my sister got a smaller one. We nicknamed them Yellow (mine) and Grey (my sisters). Sadly, about halfway through their PPDS treatment, Grey passed away quite suddenly. I went out the same day and brought home 3 more hermits for Yellow. Now I'm up to 7 in a 55 gallon exo-terra. Yellow was renamed to Dippin' and he's ridiculously active right now and it's the middle of winter where I am. He's been getting in the fresh and salt water pools and changing shells really often. He's no longer in a painted shell either. He changed out of that thing within 24 hours of him being in a 20 gallon quarantine tank
Sounds like you are on the right track now. Thanks for sharing your journey with us! We're glad to have you here with us #CCSCrabCrew
@@CrabCentralStation you're very welcome. Although I have a question. It's winter where I live right now and only a couple of my crabs have been overly active. Several have come out, gotten in the water, and then dug down again soon afterwards. Could this be because the air temp is too cold? They have a heat mat that does heat up the area it's in, but perhaps they need something more direct? I also have a crab that's been missing for about two months. It was the smallest that I had, and he was actually missing two of his walking legs. I'm not sure if he's dead or molting, but I haven't been smelling any fishy smells in the tank besides their food (they love shrimp). My mother wants to tear everything up to look for him, but I'm hesitant about doing so. Any ideas?
Definitely don't dig up the missing crab! That will make things worse. If he has passed, there is nothing you can do anyway. So it's best to let him/her just be a crab and do crab things.
Inactivity can be due to it being too cold in the tank. Try covering the tank with a blanket, especially at night.
@@CrabCentralStation I will try covering the tank then. Thanks for the response!
You're welcome! Sorry for all the typos 😅 (I fixed them this morning. I must have been tired last night when I responded!)
Hello! It's so awesome for what you guys do for these amazing little guys, keep up the good work!
I have a question: how can I get rid of fruit flies? They keep going in my hermit crabs tank and I don't know how to get rid of them, please help! Thank you!
Fresh food attracts fruit flies the most. Try temporarily giving dry foods only until the fruit flies are gone, and changing out the fresh foods more often :)
You can also get a paper plate and put some Vaseline on it and wave it around in the tank to catch the flies!
@@CrabCentralStation I will definitely try that thank you!
❤ Please help!! 😢 for some reason my hermit crabs barely move and barley eat or drink and only stay on one side of the tank and never go in their saltwater! I have everything I need like I have 2 and a heat lamp and lots of plants and climbing things and hiding places but they never use them and I don’t know if they where being abused at the pet store and that did permanent damage but could you please help I don’t know who to ask
And I forgot to say that I also have saltwater and freshwater and a sponge and I got them about a month or two ago
You can't use a heat lamp with hermits. They need heating pads to heat the space with the right humidity.
After transferring our Hermit Crab to a new 25 gal tank, we were thinking of adding more buddies to the tank, but was trying to figure out what type/species hermit crab it was. The place in TX my family got it from only said it was Caribbean. The hermit crab was orange/red and pink after finally molting in his'her first tank, and then transferred to a new 25 gal exo terra tank. The arms were slightly blue-ish purple close to the body, but legs were mostly orange/red/pink, the big pincher is slightly reddish/purple, and the body is light in color. During transferring him/her, it climbed out a bit before hiding back in the shell, body/abdomen was pinkish/salmon.
Must we find the same type/species for the Hermit Crab, or is different unknown Hermit Crabs ok to add to the tank? If there's any resources we can look at or watch to identify it's species/type, would be awsome. He/She definitely is lonely, and needs more friends. I had sensed or had a gut feeling the cage he/she came with was ridiculous and insufficient for the little life form, originally did not came alone, and sadly the other two had passed. I am glad I've found videos like yours, especially what foods to feed them, he/she loved carrots, apples, and mango.
Thanks for providing vendors who make quality food made for Hermit Crabs. Wished we found your resource earlier, little kids didn't know how to take care of them, only what was told to them at the store. After the others passed, I took the initiative to look further in the care for hermit crabs.
Welcome to CCS! We are so glad you have joined us on your journey. It sounds like you have a purple pincher. They come in a lot of colors and their cors will change over time with a proper environment and good foods. How cool is that?!
If you want a captive bred crab, check out Josh's Frogs. They are the only retailer that carries captive bred hermit crabs.
How did you take care of the condensation issue with having a smaller tank on top of the bigger tank? And aside from being able to get into the tanks is there a difference with humidity and condensation issues with having the front open access tank on top versus a different smaller tank turned upside down?
I love the little crab in the wee lol and also I sadly had one of my 3 crabs pass away about one month ago ❤😢
Good morning and This is a really cool and helpful video Darcy and girls, I am going to have to go back throw video to recap on stuff because I am still having some trouble and problems with flooding in my 20 gallon long tank again and I have to do another tank reset today.
Thank you so much!
@@CrabCentralStation You are welcome so much 😊❤
Thank you so much. Much love ❤💗💕 sent your way
Hello, I have a somewhat urgent question.
I have a hermit crab that I’ve had for three years now. He’s a medium sized hermit crab.
I moved them into a new tank back in June of 2021 and he’s been dug under since July of 2021. I have not seen him since. I have no idea if he’s dead or just hiding underground. I have two hermit crabs ones smaller. So using the smoothing sand technique doesn’t work as I don’t know which crab moved at night. I’m worried. It’s been about 7 months now since I’ve seen him. The smaller crab is out everyday.
What should I do?
It is so hard to wait, especially after 7 long months! we have had some crabs molt for that long. There is really no way to know for sure if he/she has passed. With deep substrate, you won't smell him/her.
Is it OK to put live plants in our hermit crab habitat also, can you explain what you mean by a topper? And last can they eat all human foods or is there a diet list of things they can't have? How will I know if my crabs are getting ready to molt?
Hi! I have one hermit crab named Herb and am really invested in his care now. I got him when I was a lot younger and dint do the proper research so I only got one. I have redone his tank and food and all that I can do to make it better! I want to get another one but am worried since he hasn't been "socialized" with other crabs for so long that they will fight. I asked someone at the place where I was going to buy them from and they said I shouldn't get another because he is territorial. I'm not sure if I should believe the store worker so I was wondering if I could get your opinion :). Love your channel it is full of very helpful tips!
Great question! Hermit crabs are social creatures. It's not that they get territorial, but rather, they will show dominance if they feel their resources are lacking or in danger. Just make sure you have extra resources: space, depth of sub, food (especially protein), calcium, shells.
@@CrabCentralStation thank you so much!
Do you find that your jumbos traverse over to the other tanks as much as the medium to small crabs? The bigger boys in my colony I noticed are more localized. I rarely even see them in the topper. Do you have any tips for the big guys?
I got 4 hermit crabs about a month ago, and I noticed some black flects like ground black pepper floating on the water surface...I looked at it using my phone Camara and seen them moving...very very tiny
How do you get the heating pad to stick to the back of the tank?
What size are your large tanks? And which tanks fit nicely on top size wise
Every time my crabs molt they die. I have one large that just molted. She is under a partial covering of moss. Can you give me advice on how to help her stay alive? I got her from Petco. At Petco she was on crab food. I have had her for more than a year, and have fed her a good diet. My crab and I thank you for any assistance that you can give us.
What is your substrate made of and depth? Heat? Humidity? Diet?
My Hermit crabs are tearing the fake decor apart lol especially the aquarium plants. It looks like they maybe eating it! Any suggestions thank you 😊
I have a live sago palm in my 60 gal is that ok
Hello i was wondering if you could make a video about land hermit crab care as well because i have land hermit crabs and i would really like to know some care ideas for them. Thank you
Hi Lisa 👋 All the videos on our channel, all the recommendations and care guides are for land hermit crabs. We cover every aspect of their care.
2:41 is that snake skin?? cool! do they eat it? or just for decorating?
Yep! It's another great foraging item to add to the tank. Just make sure it comes from a healthy snake that hasn't been on any medications.
My crabs are active literally all day! But any idea about them kicking each other? Not with the claws but the longest legs
LOL! We call this "donkey kick" It's usually just a pecking order thing. You can check out our video on Aggressive behavior if you are concerned that it might be something else.
Just got a couple crabs for the grandson. Within about 2 weeks the large one died. Other crab is still fine (it seems). I'm not sure of tank size we have, maybe 20 gallons. We have well water so I assume chlorination not an issue. I bought the water conditioner tablets for a salt water source. I'm really not sure what killed the crab. We gave the crabs various things to eat, egg shell, fruit, some store bought crab food which I see is not recommended. What is your immediate gut instinct as to why the crab died??
For salt water we recommend using insta ocean, not tablets!
So sorry for your loss! Lickley a case of PPDS or post purchase depression syndrome. The hermit industry is horrible and often crabs pass once they find a home. We have a video about it on our channel if you are interested in learning more about it.. the best way to combat this is to only adopt or purchase captive bred hermits
Okay so I have 4 Hermie's...they have seemed to have paired off in a strange way..two have brownish shells two have a teal colored shells...I hadn't seen any action from either pair in weeks. No little foot prints, nothing in the water or food dish changed so I assume they are molting..they brown ones have made an appearance..even collapsed the molting caves. I haven't seen the green ones still..and no signs of a cave...also I have given the newly molted and now much bigger crabbies lots of new shell options and they're not interested, dispite the old shells r clearly too small..what to do? I'm afraid for the ( green) crabbies. Maybe they didn't make it through the molt? And what about the shells?
Unfortunately we can't really do anything about molting crabs except create the correct environment and then trust them to be crabs. As for shells, they will change when they are ready. We can't make them change shells. Just make sure they have plenty of choices, and you are doing great!
@@CrabCentralStation one of the green crabbies finally made an appearance!!!
can you put a few like 2 to 3 ghost shrimp in my water feature maybe as a snack ps the water feature is filtered
I teach library classes for PREK, so we are quiet, but not really. Is there anything special I should do with my tank to make them comfortable with so much going on around them?
I had a tank in my middle school classroom. The crabs seemed to adjust just fine to the noise. The kids loved having them in class.
Can you rearrange your tank with crabs in it... i know the golden rule not to move anything they maybe hiding under 😊 i also use the outside lighting for them is this ok ...
if l have a small hemit crab is a ten gallon tank good enough to have activity going on
How long would you recommend for healing?
It's going to be different fornevery crab as they endure different amounts of abuse and damage during the capture to purchase cycle. At the least, they need a 30 day acclimation period. We have a video called "how to keep your hermit crab alive, PPS method". Check that out.
So…is there a video about toppers? I have a 12x12x18 Exoterrs that is the cause of me keeping hermit crabs ;) lol sort-of. But I had the empty tank at home & we were at the beach and I read articles about what a perfect crabitat they make…anyway, I could never get heat & humidity right, so We got a 20 gallon long. If I added the Exo as a topper, I feel like I’d need bigger UTH for the topper & deeper water pools with at least a bubbler. Not happening any time soon, just thinking down the road.
We have a video on how to create a 3D topper using great stuff foam.
@@CrabCentralStation oh, duh. I saw that and just considered the textured background aspect, not the insulation properties 🤣 Can you put the Bean Farm UTH behind that?
I don't think I would put a heat mat behind it. You could put a mat on the side though. Heat rises... so depending on your area and room temperature, you might not need a heat mat on the topper.
How do you feed them with all the toppers
We use exoterra tanks as our toppers. They have two front doors that open up and allow access to the bottom tank. We also have access lids everywhere we don't have a topper.
Sorry if you have answered this question before. I am looking to adopt from LHCOS and was wondering if I needed to do the PPDS method since they will be in the same environment from adoptee to adopter? Also is the PPDS method recommended for the captivity bred crab babies too ? Thanks ! :)
Yay for adopting!!! If the crab is coming from good conditions there is no need to do PPDS. Captive bred babies also do not need PPDS. Another great reason to adopt!
I have a question. Our hermit crab died after we cleaned his tank because we found mold in it. He was molting and was dug out then put back in the cleaned tank on top under the lights. He was even washed first.
Should we have left the tank alone until he was done and just found a safe way to treat the mold? I'm pretty sure we just stressed him out.
Yes, Im sorry to say, but digging up and washing the molting crab most likely caused the death. Emergency cases are definitely difficult to discern, I know you did what you thought was best for the crab. Next time send us a picture of what's going on in your tank before you dig and we'll try and help you troubleshoot. You can always DM us on Instagram, DM us on Facebook, or email us through our website...... at Crab Central station
Can I give my hermit crabs liquor to enhance their behavior? Jk jk just kidding. Love the channel! “All aboard!”
LOL! 😆 A good sense of humor makes for a happy life! All Aboard!
where is the links for the hermit crab enrichment items
I have a question so I have two freshwater hermit crabs do they still need saltwater?
If they are land hermit crabs they will need both salt and fresh water in pools deep enough for your largest crab to fully submerge.
Thanks I was really confused!
What kind of light do you use with the topper? I want to add one but I have a bar light and don’t know how to adapt with that
We use LED lights in all of our tanks. I do have one UVB light attached to the inside of one of our toppers. However, to be completely honest...the hermit crabs don't seem to care for it.
Do you guys have a drainage layer for your enclosures? if u do or if not do u have any recommendations? I'm wanting to set up a naturalistic 50 gallon long enclosure for my two hermit crabs that transitions from a almost forest edge climbing area to a beach/shoreline to the ocean (aka water basins) so that it replicates areas they may live at in the wild.
We do not recommend drainage layers. If your tank is set up 5:1 and you have the correct heat/humidity, you shouldn't need one. They keep moisture, grow bacteria, and fungus. We have the Forrest side of the tank and sea side of the tank too! I'll tell you, the crabs prefer the Forrest side A LOT MORE than the beach side.
My hermit crabs were so active they liked to escape from their tanks 🤣🤣🤣
Oh dear! A well sealed tank and perhaps setting something on top of the lid will help prevent that.
@@CrabCentralStation yea I ended up getting a clamps for my lid. That was long ago.
Nice!
Can I use the logs and leaves in my back yard for my tank?
Yes, some are safe and some are not. We have a video on Foraging (pretty recent video). Check it out for what is safe and how to sanitize it for the thank.
Do you have any worries(outside of like disease spread and such) adding new hermit crabs to your enclosure? I have a 50 gallon with two hermit crabs, I would love to get them a couple more friends but I'm kind of worried about how they would adjust to the new company
The biggest things to look for are mites, shell rot, and bacteria/fungal infection. It’s good to do the PPS method so that you can closely monitor your new crabs for these things while slowly acclimating them to a good environment. If you don’t want to chance those things…. Buy captive bred babies! They are 100% healthy! And… not need for PPS!
@@CrabCentralStation how do I buy captive bred? My hermit crab doesn’t move that much - not even at night - so I’m thinking maybe he wants a friend. We have a 29 gallon tank so room for another one and I think the crabitat is set up well with good humidity and temp.
What companies would you recommend? I use zoo med and hermit headquarters. Are these good or toxic?
What are you using from these two companies?
I use the water conditioners from zoo med, pellets and protein from Hermit headquarters, and I bought A box of crab shells for my very small purple crabs that I forgot which company they were from.
*the box, not the purple claw crabs
You don't want to use water conditioner, just Prime. You don't want to feed any pellets, they have preservatives. Just natural shells, make sure they are the right type and size. We have videos on all three of these topics if you want to learn more about them:
From farm to table - food 101
Shells 101
Basic water pools
Thanks! This helps A ton
Hey guys! My new crabby is in his pps tank right now, but I was wondering, when should I introduce him to my current 2 crabs? He is a little bigger. I heard that hermit crabs who are alone can get stressed and die easily, but I also know pps is necessary. How do I make sure I’m introducing him at the right time for both his health and safety of the other crabs?
You just want to make sure you do the PPS protocol for 30 days. If at the end of 30 days, your crab is eating/drinking/exploring normally.... then it is time to add him to the main tank.
How soon on till you are going to make a video on how to make your spin wheel and what type of wood did you use for it
Hopefully soon. We've been so busy with school, life, and teaching. I have 199 students this year..... it takes a lot of time to lesson plan and grade that many papers.
@@CrabCentralStation ok, I understand Darcy, how are all the girls doing?
We are pretty good. Thanks for asking asking!
Should I plant life plants in their enclosure if so what kinds or wich specific ones?
We have done live plants several times! Our experience is that they get devoured almost immediately. We use some water plants in our water tanks, but in the actual enclosure if we ever do live plants we usually plant chia seed gardens! They grow quickly and don’t take deep root (as to not mess with any molting crabs.) Other live plants can be quite tricky to maintain.
So I have followed everything you have so far with the four hermit crabs that we got. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear that they are eating much, using their pool and now the log I got is starting to mold. The humidity is at 80 and the heat is also at 80. What am I doing wrong?😭
Please DM us some pictures of your tank on our Instagram so we can try and help you out.
Amazing
Thank you so much!
So you say food challenges. Can hermit crabs rip up nut shells? I have tons of shelled almonds and wall nuts.
I haven't tried that myself, but those are safe nuts! Give it a try!
Sometimes it's never actually good to make the tank bigger it will stresses them out making it die
That has not been our experience or the experience of many hermit crab owners that have kept their hermit crabs over 20 years.
I can only do one deep water pool would it be better to make it the salt or freshwater? Thanks
You will want to have two pools deep enough for your largest crab to fully submerge. If you mean that you want to have one larger than the other, I would go with a larger fresh water pool. We see our crabs in the fresh water more than the saltwater, on average.
how long does it take to molt?
Can you guys do different kinds of crabs, like Vampire Crabs? Also nice baby crabs!
Hi AxJag Films, perhaps some day. For now we are sticking with land hermit crabs until we get all the correct information about them posted 😊
I had hermit crabs three years ago but I had to give them to my brother once I moved to a condominium where pets aren’t allowed. I had sent him information from the hermit crab association but he chose not to follow all the guidelines. He lost interest in them after a couple of months because one of them was just sitting in the corner. I had a feeling it was gearing up for a molt and I was very concerned that it would not be able to dig down because he would not add in the extra sand my mom sent home with him because he wanted to see them. I was warned not to confront him about that because he didn’t want to talk about it and there was nothing I could do. He eventually gave them to someone on his fiancé’s side of the family because they were “stinking” too bad.
Ah man... I'm sorry, that's a sad story. Maybe one day you can get some captive bred crabs!
Yeah, I believe that one day I will be able to get back into hermit crabs and get captive bred crabs like you said. Maybe from you guys since y’all are in my home state of Texas!
WhooHoo! Howdy fellow Texan!
Yep! I’m in Dallas!
I have 5 cabbies, The younger ones are definitely A LOT More active
I like your videos
Thank you so much! We're so glad you are enjoying the content!
Where did that shed snakeskin, come from?
We buy ours from www.crabstreetjournal.org
Do you have to sterilize everything before you put them in the tank?
It is a good idea to clean it all, yes.
website no longer active?
Great video! But I have a few things I need help with! I have a spare bedroom but we cannot put a tank in there so the tank must be in my room! And I don’t have room for a bigger tank which mean I don’t have enough room for a wheel, top, etc. if anybody can help please reply! As I’m only turning 13 now I’m having trouble convincing my mother mainly to help get a better environment!
As a youth, you have to adhere to your parents request and be respectful. Just do the best you can. Maybe you can offer to do extra chores to earn money towards a bigger tank?
I have a 55 with 6 crabs :))
Awesome!
The play sand you recommended in another video was described as wet sand. Is that correct
No, you do not want wet sand
@@CrabCentralStation what is the sand I should buy. I clicked on two of your links and it is showing products other than what you advertise