ive got two crabs, one bigger than the other. they actually get along really well! i caught them talking to each other a couple weeks ago and they had what seemed to be a VERY long conversation! at least i know they wont hurt each other-
I acquired 2 hermit crabs a few weeks ago that were from separate tanks. On my ride home I heard chirping like crazy and the small one was pinching the big one. Separated them, got home and supplied shells and they both switched right away and get along fine now 🙂 love the videos
Oh my goddess! Your a life saver, put my two little crabs in a little box while I was cleaning they tank, I look over and there punching each other with their claws! I didn’t quite know what was happening at the moment, but I screamed so they would go back in their shells and I could separate them! 🦀
Thank you so much for this video. It helped me identify all the stages. So very well explained. With out your shell rocking leads to shell jacking explanation and subsequent instruction my crabitat would have been in trouble. Thanks to your advice, a week after the violence, serenity has returned to my tank.
Yay! We love to hear success stories! Thank you for sharing with us! We are glad our content is helping you on your hermie journey and we are happy that peace has returned to your tank 😊
Thank you for such educational videos. You have probably saved my hermit crabs lives!😁. Just put my bean farm heating pad on the back and I cleaned the old coconut fiber out. I mixed play sand with the new coconut fiber like you said and I got the thermostat also.
Thank u so much. My New hermit crab made a noise and I never knew they could make a noise then I realize my older hermit crabs was beating him up and being aggressive. Your video helped me so much.
Thank you 😍😊 just saying you help me and plenty in my group everyday ❤️❤️ i use your videos as reference because its easier than typing a whole thesis just for people to not read but these videos help so many, im a Facebook Mod from HCO I appreciate your experienceand teachings 🤩👍
Question for y'all- What would cause one of my hermit crabs to be aggressive/territorial to my other crab over/about the fresh water bubbling pool? I have never, ever heard of a crab being territorial over a water pool before. My poor crab being bullied has refused to come down to eat for over a month now because of Her aggression towards Him. He will only quickly come down to drink every few days. I have had hermit crabs for almost 3 years now and am just at a total loss at what to do to help them work it out. ☹️ I have added even more protein to their diet, made sure to split their shells so 1/2 are down on the substrate and the other 1/2 are in the shell shop so they are easier to access/see, and put Violet (the aggressor) in an "Time out tank" overnight with new, different shells to change into. She did change but is still being aggressive to only Him. I have 6 other crabs that She gets along with just fine. I'd love Y'all's advice please! Thanks! -Katie
How do I tell if my crabbie is a male or female and im gonna go beck to the pet store Monday and get another crabbie they are small under a inch maybe a inch is it ok to keep 2 or 3 in a ten gallon tank until I can find a 20 or 30 gallon (if I get 3) they are purple pincers
We have a video that will teach you how to tell if your crabs are girls or boys. I would hold off on getting a 3rd crab until you can get a bigger tank for them. Too small of a tank can lead to aggression and problems when molting.
Have you ever played ocean scape sounds for them? Or even put a video with sound on for them to see if they like it?notice it? I know they like quiet but nature itself isn't quiet. The ocean roars at night as the wave slam onto the shore (it used to keep me up at night when I was younger) and creatures in trees calling out. I was mostly curious if we tried to mimic the noises of their old home instead of just silence, would they notice and or appreciate it.
I've been having an issue with my crabs, but it doesn't fit any of those things. It looks the closest to guarding, but it can't be that because they're both different species and both male. They're also completely different sizes and like different types of shells, so I don't think he's trying to take the shell. The other weird thing is that it's the smaller E being the creep while my poor jumbo PP just seems freaked out and keeps his claws open as a threat or something. It happens when my PP is either trying to come back up from underground or just has a cave in because he got too close to the surface and his tunnels are big. So I just come in to find them in a big hole with the E grabbing on (with his feet, not claws) onto this huge PP he's usually afraid of. There was chirping once. after I got the E off, but it seemed to be because I accidentally moved the light into his face or something. There was one point where they both went underground (on separate days and in separate places) and they mush have bumped into each other because my E lost the "thumb" on his big claw. It looked like it was crushed off. I think he also lost a toe too, but he was already missing one, so I'm not sure. I'm worried my E's going to get himself hurt worse or my PP's going to get hurt while molting. It's been happening for a couple of years now. My PP molts once a year and I'd find my E on top of while he's coming back up. But this time my PP is trying to go down to either molt or explore (he shouldn't molt for another month really) and keeps having cave-ins or whatever and my E's on him. A couple of times, while my PP was cleaning himself off, my E would go down and follow where the tunnels went or something. It's creepy. And they have plenty of calcium and protein, so I don't think he's trying to eat him. My E's also never really interested in shells. There's some in the tank for him, but I've been having trouble finding the right container for their shells since my PP needs such big ones. Thankfully, my third crab just ignores the insanity. She doesn't care about any of them because they aren't the wheel. Although me E does bully her, but it's just normal pecking order pushing. They're about the same size. Sorry for the info dump. I just don't know what to do. I feel bad for my PP, but I don't want my E getting hurt either. Oh, and these bozos have been living together for 5 years.
After reading your situation, a question came to mine. Do you have more than one Ecuadorian crab? Crabs need species buddies. Each species has a different language. Maybe your E is lonely?
@@CrabCentralStation I was thinking that too, but no one else has suggested it when I ask. And my friend who also has crabs and knows more about marine biology feels that the species buddy isn't really that important. I mean, Jonathan was alone for like 10 years. I was also worried that if I got another E they'd by high-strung like James and then I'd just make the problem worse. I'll try to look for an E at petco though. I don't know if there are any around to be adopted. He did use to have a girlfriend and he was more normal back then, but I wasn't sure if all of this was because he was lonely or if he was just getting more anxious as he got older.
@@CrabCentralStation Update: My E and PP got into another tussle the yesterday and now my E's missing a little more of his big claw and now also an entire leg. It looks cleanly cut off, so I think he dropped it or it just got ripped off. I'm preparing a 20 long I have for him so he can stay there for a bit because I can't let this keep going on. I haven't been able to find another E at the Petcos near me. There's one Petsmart I'm going to check Monday. I asked a nearby reptile store that gets a couple hermits if they have one or know where I can get one. I've also asked to contact some people nearby about adopting, but none of them actually say they have Es, they just didn't say what species they have, so I don't know if that will go anywhere. You guys don't happen to have an E you can spare, right? Hah. If I can't find him someone I'm going to have to give him up for adoption. I really don't want to because he's the one I've had the longest and the only E that hasn't met a horrible end.
You found an Ecuadorian crab yet? In Kuna, Idaho, USA; there is a wannabe adoptee #1564 who has an Ecuadorian hermit crab that she wants to surrender to an adopter. Do you live near Boise or Nampa, Idaho? S/he writes that s/he's willing to deliver her crabs to a reasonable distance. If you don't live within a reasonable distance, maybe you could ask her/him to just ship the Ecuadorian hermit crab to you? There's also a hermit crab rescue that rehabilitates and rescues and rehomes hermit crabs in Titusville, Florida, USA. In Randolph, New Jersey, USA, there is the Scales and Tails Exotic Pet Rescue that has two hermit crabs available for adoption named Shelley and Shelbie on the PetFinder website. Doesn't mention the species, though. I've noticed that most people who want to adopt out their hermit crab say they are purple pinchers or don't mention the species at all, except for the "Halloween Crab", which isn't a hermit crab. What country do you live in? What city? There is an adoption map on the website of LHCOS. It has the title "CSJ Adopters Map". You have to scroll down to nearly the bottom of the page to see the map. The map also starts off with an extreme close-up, which is weird, because most other non-pet related maps I see online start out showing the entire earth or they just have a close-up of the continental USA. If you zoom out multiple times, you can start to make out different countries. I can see on the map that there are people wanting to adopt out their hermit crabs in various countries. Mostly USA and Canada, and fewer in other countries. It's true that most of them don't bother to fill out the species question, although someone in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada was kind enough to answer "unknown" to that question. Someone in Ellenville, New York, USA wrote "N/A" (which stands for Not Available) to that same question. Someone in the Kitsilano neighbourhood of the west side of the city of Vancouver of the province of British Columbia in the country of Canada did mention that s/he has purple pinchers she wants to rehome: "Four medium - large PP's needing rehomed, owner is willing to travel within reason for the adoption." In the area of Vancouver that is NOT Kitsilano, but is home to Canada Place and Granville Island Public Market, there's another person who has 8 purple pinchers needing a home. Maybe you could find an owner of an unwanted Ecuadorian who doesn't live near you but is willing to ship to you and it is legal to do so (you'd have to find that info out yourself), and how to properly pack it well so that the package doesn't leak and the hermit crabs stay alive during the trip and don't get injured in accordance with local law and regulations of whatever shipping company s/he decides to choose. I noticed that "No" is what the Vernon involuntary hermie mom wrote on the LHCOS map: "Willing to overnight ship? No willing to pay for shipping? No", but the fact that that question even appeared on the form that involuntary moms could fill out tells me that it is an option.
@@moondog7694 Yeah, I'm still looking for one. I've already looked into all the people near me in the LA area, but none have had an E. I think I saw that rescue in Florida and I was planning on asking them, but yeah, it's hard to find people who are willing to ship and have an E. I've also been looking on Craigslist and Offerup. I haven't been in as much of a hurry lately because all of my crabs are molting right now. Petco should be getting some crabs this week I think, so I'm going to try calling them again too. Thanks for trying to help!
@@CrabCentralStation Glad you think so haha! 😊 keep up the good work! For now I just took away their little coconut house they seemed to be fighting over and watched them for a bit for more fighting. Maybe they'll be less cranky tomorrow and I can put it back. Plus one of them is checking out the shells more now, so maybe he was inside the coconut playing video games and didn't even notice the pretty shells outside, so I got him out of the house. #analogies
sorry to comment unrelated, I love your content and had a question about my tank that I haven't found in your videos yet. I have relatively large pools for my crabs in a 65 G or so tank. But I've noticed that half the substrate (closest to the pools) is a lot damper than on the other half. I wipe the glass like you say in your video, however I worry about a flood or tunnels collapsing. I'm also unsure if I should add more sand and substrate to the tank as it looks as though it has begun to shrink down somehow, but I don't know how to do this without disturbing the items in the tank that they've been burrowing under. I really appreciate any help from anyone with experience. Thank you again for all your videos, I really appreciate it!
Hello 👋 it is normal for the substrate around the pools to be more damp. However, too damp will lead to flooding. Try adding some dry sphagnum moss around the pools. When the moss gets damp, pull it out and replace with more dry moss. You don't have to throw the damp moss away, simply put it in a dish to dry out and you can use it again. Sand will settle over time. You can safely add an inch of substrate every week. Just sprinkle it across the tank lightly, do not pack it down. You also do not want to dump a big pile in once spot as the weight of that can collapse tunnels. I hope this helps!
I have a mix of different rocks and sticks for my crabbies to climb. I was really surprised how much the actually liked playing on and under the rocks. The usually sorta pirch on the highest sticks and take turns lol.
My partner and I are adopting their parents' hermit crab. She's 13, and she's lived her whole life by herself. I don't want her to be lonely, but we're concerned she might have an adverse or aggresive reaction to suddenly living with another hermit crab. What's the likelihood of that happening?
I have a small question. My larger crab is somewhat on my smaller one the smaller one I just got, I don’t hear chirping and they both have one claw open the smaller on is also being flipped over I know my larger is a male I’m not sure about the new one.
Without seeing what is going on, it sounds like possible mating behavior. You can try separating them, offering separate food dishes… the ideas in this video, and see if it helps.
Love y’all’s videos very informative wish I would have found your Channel years ago been thinking I might want to get hermies again and now I know I have the right information for optimal care to help my friends live happy and healthy lives 🥰
I got 4 hermit crabs last year one bigger than the rest and they got along. This year I got two more which are almost kind of smaller. The big one grabs and tips the new ones over and his claw is open. They are separated now but the big one is in a small cage right now and I feel bad even tho he is being mean. What should I do pls answer
Hi I just got two new painted purple pinchers and I just got a 18x18 tank but I don’t have bedding or eco earth yet I ordered it in the mean time I need help with getting salt water in their lungs she didn’t have them in any thing but that small hermit cage they look ok but a little slow I don’t know how long they have been on that little cage she said she got them on 8 of July on vacation I have taken them in hopefully I can help get them back to good health but I need a lot of help thanks
I found 2 little hermit crabs put them in a jar they started to get on to eachother like they are trying to get out of the jar or mating idk but one of them started to drag other non stoply they did it for a while and stoped I found 3 more and put them in the same jar when I got home I found that two crab's shells empty.
Mine where doing the matting thing last week, but I am not sure witch tank it was coming from and I looked in all 3 of my tanks could not see anything going on.
Thank you for this video. We have had one for 8 months his is Big I went and get a baby one and the big one doesn't like the little on at all I had to move the little out !
Very helpful! I noticed Jeremy grabbing Eleanor (who is female) and jeremys claw was open. There were no noises from eleanor, but he did appear to be trying to get away. Definitely no rocking either...i have heard they can change sex after a molt (Eleanor came up from a mold on March 14) so could it have been guarding /mating?
So I have 2 hermit crabs 1 female other one im pretty sure is male and the male is rocking the shell but she's staying inside idk if this is she'll jacking or if he is guarding I took a vid of what I'm seeing but im confused I don't hear any noises or anything she just came out from molting and has a new shell but he keeps finding her and like latching on to her shell, rocking and circling (?) almost
I heard chirping in my tank, so I added some more shells, protein and a new climbing log. I don’t know which crab was chirping and why but I am keeping a look out
So I am going to keep and eye out for these things but I have a big crab then a small one and the big one is always rocking the small one so I don’t think it would be because the shell could you help my find reasons? I have also found the small one pinching the big one arm and the big one will chirp can you please help me? I also just got them on vacation and I don’t have anything to keep it heated so maybe that’s a reason???
I used 2 inches worth of Flukers hermit crab sand as my base substrate. Then another 2-3 inches of Coconut Fiber that looks similar to garden mulch. When I’m seeing TH-camrs hermit crab setups it looks like most only use sand. Should I replace the Coconut Fiber bedding with more Flukers sand?
help! my crabs have been in the mating position, but two hours later i found the crab that was on top naked with the other crab sitting on the shell. I followed the steps and got the crab back in the shell, but they followed the other crab to a hut but was kicked out and i moved them to another place to hide where they are just sitting there.
This is not mating behavior but shell jacking. Make sure you are providing at least 3 shells in the correct size and shape for each crab in your tank at all times. We have a video called Shells 101 that can help you out with this.
Helppppp!!!!! We got a 2 hermit crabs about a month ago(sandy & turbo) & just picked up one more yesterday (scratch) & introduced him to sandy & turbo. Wellllll… turbo & scratch didn’t get along so well. They kept standing really tall against eachother, grabbing eachother, & we heard chirping at one point (claws open) so we moved them onto opposite sides.. they found eachother again; but things seemed to be fine after that. Almost a dominance thing since he was new coming in their space. Wrong. We woke up this morning to them swapped in eachothers shells… so I’m assuming turbo harassed scratch & shell jacked him. I’m so sad; I don’t know what to do at this point. I have more shells coming on top of the ones In their shell shop but I can’t help but think how stressed scratch is from his day yesterday. Any tips or advice is appreciated! 💕
Mine were chirping all last night and idk what to do I opened the tank more but also made more hiding spots there in a pps tank rn before I move them to a 40g so rn there in a 10g 3 crabs one is just hiding and all 3 haven't eaten yet but 2 of them are extremely active and one was closed in its shell with a claw on the others leg that was stepping on him or her. I put them on 2 sides if the tank I kept seeing reactions and hearing the squeaking but they never had claws out and I didnt see rocking just a lot of chirping and face to face almost on each other one is trying to hide when the other does this so idk what to do
It sounds like pecking order to me. More hides is a good addition. Feed more protein and make sure you have a lot of shells in the right kind/shape/size. (We have a video Shells 101 that can help you with this)
Omg I got a new crab, while my other one was molting and he came out about a month later, which was earlier tonight, after he came out from molting and the second the new one saw my other one, he started shell rocking (even thought he has a shell that’s a good size for him, so I separated them and hopefully ur method works 😅
Check out our basic water pool video and/or our advanced water pool video. We teach you all different ways to make and keep your pools. Links to the products are in the description of the videos. th-cam.com/video/g828cdCYaPo/w-d-xo.html
We have crabs at school and our teacher didn’t do any research on what they need. They have dirt in the bottom of their tank, no humidity, tiny water bowls, and not enough or the right kind of substrate. She said this is what the pet store said to do but me and my friends have been watching your videos, we ask her can we do this or that. But she always says this is what the pet store said to do. We had 2 carbs die within 4 mounted of each other. And now we have 2 baby crabs, and we asked about a PPS tank and said that the other crabs did this and they were fine. One crab died because he didn’t change shells. And the other one died because the other kids in our class were learning about crabs and they were digging in the tank, and we think they disturbed the crab molting. We tried sending and showing her your videos, but she won’t listen. What do we do?? Great and very informative videos!!
The Crab Street Journal has a program for teachers called, "Claws in the Classroom". She can get all the things she needs for free. I don't mind doing a zoom meeting with her or your class if that would help. Thanks for doing what you can to make a difference!
We just introduced 4 new crabs to our tank, bringing our population to 6 (75gal tank) and our original crab Bigboi was being a pretty big bully upon meeting them. All 4 newbies swapped their fancy shells for the same one as Bigboi so we're hoping not looking as out of place will help with the aggression.
It is typical for there to be some aggression as the new colony finds a pecking order. Be sure there is no dangerous aggression where crabs need to be separated, but some will be normal.
@@CrabCentralStation Mostly posturing it seems. A few aggressive lunges and shoves or cornering a newbie and poking at their shell but 4 days later it seems to have settled down. We set up 2 food stations in the tank to minimize fights over food.
We do not currently sell captive bred hermit crabs, but plan to soon 🥰. For 3 crabs you will want a minimum of 30 gallons. The topper does not add to the total tank space as far as how many crabs can safely be housed. The 10 gallons per crab is for safety in molting space. Stay tuned on when we will start offering captive bred babies!
I found my older hermit crab standing on top of the other croaking. The other crab was in his shell on his back and has now buried himself in the sand all the way to the bottom of the tank. Any advice?
I inherited a hermit crab (loving it!) And I want to bring another one in to keep it company but it has been on its own for quite a while before I got it. Is it too risky to introduce a new one?
Yes, always provide shells. If hermit crabs do not see the resources they need available to them, they will jack someone else's resource. Then you have an emergency on your hands.
Hi I just rescued 2 hermit crabs and I have a 20 gallon tank they are fairly small and I was wondering if it would be ok to but one more (they are about an “average size” about 1inch) in the tank because I have really enjoyed healing and giving good homes to my crabs and w at to get one more anyone who knows pls answer I’m looking for multiple opinions
It's really tempting to get more but I wouldn't until you have a larger enclosure. When they go underground to molt, they often make tunnels. Having too many crabs travelling underground can cause the tunnels to collapse, and then your hermie may become trapped- When mine molt, they tend to be a little more slow/ lethargic for the first day or so. Congrats on your new crabs, they're a lot of fun!
@@localartwitch Tysm maybe I’ll get one in a year or so when I’m ready to upgrade and my crabs get bigger. I Actually have been rely worried lately my crabs won’t eat. I give them there food and they just won’t eat it and I have worcasting and different foregoing items in there as well so I can’t tell if they are eating that. I follow the ccs food guide. Any tips or suggestions
Year ago my 2 crabs who were getting along for YEARS before this. Had a shell fight. One onto of the other (who was hiding in his shell) both chipping hissing growling just freaky noises. Looked up quickly what was happening n sperated them. Gave them both shells n waited. Bout n hr later the one i removed (the victim) changed shells. So i took the old shell n gave it to the attacker (as he wanted) he changed into it. Gave it hr hour for them to settle down n reunited them. Vicitm changed into attackers shell almost immediately. N both seemed happy. 🤦♀️grumbled at them for fussing over what was a very easy solution! Wake up next day n they swapped back! XD scolded them for having a full on FIT for nothing. Since then they LOVE swapping shells n confusing us on who's who
I have hermit crab fight night at my house! Everyone brings a crab and we take bets on the fights! Sometimes we'll use a new shell for them to fight over. Not sure why anyone wouldn't wanna watch them fight it's great
Well, since this is a channel oldie hermit crab care…. Those here are mostly against behavior that is detrimental to their health and safety. Perhaps you are on the wrong channel?
Help me please, my two crabs in the past week have de shelled and molted I save 1 his fine The other I isolated like you said to get into a shell and he did then later tonight he de shelled again, the pet shop told me not to touch him( should have listened to my stomach) I left him and now his been attacked by another crab. A pincher gone. And his hardly moving please what do I do?????)
If he is still alive and re-shelled, he will recover slowly. If he is still out of a shell, isolate him and follow the video to get him back in a shell.
My smaller hermit crab was doing the “guarding” behavior to my bigger one and was making the chirping noise, but it didn’t look aggressive. The next morning I looked and my crab only had a couple legs, because the other on pulled them off. I ended up separating them and trying to help Zipper (the hurt crab) but he died shortly after :( Then the other crab Rocky took the shell. Right now I only have one big crab named Hermit but I just upgraded his tank from a 10 gal to a 20 gal long, and I wanna get a small hermit crab so they don’t end up fighting for shells like my other one.
Hey! I just recently received my second hermit crab for my new set up and I have found that my first crab is grabbing at the other crab and flipping the new one onto its back. I'm worried he's being too mean and will stress my new crab out more. I feed them a high protein diet with fresh fruits and veggies daily. I also have 2 hamster wheels in my tank as well as a series of ropes that my first crab is always climbing on. I also have about 3 shells for each crab to move around into. What else can I do to limit this "mean" behaviour?
It sounds like pecking order. Hopefully after a few days the order will be decided and the crabs will become buddies. Just keep a close eye on them and follow the tips from this video if needed.
Is it typical after molting for a crab to constantly be eating. I only have 2 crabs, one just went thru molting and now the other is molting it's really crazy watching them
Well... there isn't a whole lot we can do about what happens while we are not watching them. However, what we can do, is make sure we are doing our very best to provide everything they need and to prepare ourselves and educate ourselves to be prepared in case of an emergency.
I got a new tank...I think I'm doing well as a crabby parent and would love ur feedback..is there a place I can send pics or other way I could ur opinion?
So we had two hermit crabs for 6 months and then one died. I went bought a new crab and he immediately went inside a half coconut house thing in the tank and stayed there. The next day our other crab was also inside the coconut house and it looked like he was poking around the new guy with his claws while new guy stayed on his shell. A few hours later our original crab went back to his favorite spot on the opposite side of the tank. This was last week. Today I noticed both crabs were in the coconut house. Original crab’s shell was inside coconut house but was empty. It looks like he forced new crab out of his shell and took it for himself. New crab was partially burrowed and without a shell. I dropped my kids at school and when I returned 20 minutes later..Original crab was back in his favorite spot on opposite side but still using the new guys shell. The new crab and original crabs original shell were both gone/burrowed. So now I’m wondering/hoping new crab crawled into original crab’s shell and burrowed. Is it possible my original crab dragged his old shell under the substrate and new crab is under substrate somewhere without a shell.
It’s possible, but it’s too dangerous to dig up the crab that is under. To keep shell jacking at bay, you need to offer 3-5 extra shells per crab. We have a video called “Shells 101” that can help you measure, find the right type of shell, and links in the bio to good shops.
A spray bottle with water in it works, not being mean at all. But if I have to give them a time out, I have a 5 gallon tank set up for them to be separated and I have a good bit of shell's and still need more shell's and having trouble finding shell's
A few things to consider: 1. Is your water pool big enough to house fish? Most fish need a minimum of 10 gallons. 2. Is your pool filtered appropriately for fish? 3. Adding fish will mean more frequent water changes. Are you up for that? 4. We have tried 2 types of fish... our crabs caught both. Which wouldn't bother me if they ate them. However, it seems they just liked the hunt. They killed the fish and left them. That food the water very quickly, cost a lot of money, AND THE POIR FISH! So, for us, we say no to fish being combined with hermit crabs.
Thank you. I have mollys and they have so many baby’s. I give them to local stores all the time and just wanted to see if one or two here and there would make them happy.
@@ashleegardner2980 it will make them happy, the crabs seem to enjoy the hunt. I just feel it's not right since they are living creatures and are dying needlessly.
My Hermies don’t seem to be eating their (fresh) protein foods that I put in the tank! Maybe they are just eating so little that it doesn’t seem like they are eating the food. 🤷🏽♀️ They are possibly eating some of the dry food protein maybe I am just not using the right food!
It is really hard to tell how much they are eating, especially when you only have a few crabs. Keep offering a variety of foods and then trust them to be crabs and do their thing. 😁
I was real worried when one of my guys had a lil antennae fight and one "slapped" the other.(right before both of them proceeded to make the biggest mess of food and shells on earth haha. Little shits!)
I got my 2 hermit crabs 15 days ago and a couple minutes ago I saw my very active crazy hermit crab which may I add is a lot bigger than my female hermit crab which is usually pretty active but at this time she was kind of up side down. I say my male hermit crab try to climb on top of my hermit crab. May I add I also have never had hermit crabs before I put my hands into my tank and tilted my male crab the opposite way not trying to hurt him. I tried this about 5 times each time him turning back and soon tried to go on top of her again. After that I ran it to my moms room waking her up telling her what was happening. May I add it was 2:30am. My mom soon moves my male hermit crab to the other side of the tank. Then I move my girl into a place in the tank where my male is to big to get to. They are fine and happy now witch is about 20 minutes later. What should I do if this happens again because my dad says we can’t keep them if the mate alot. 🦀😳😱😬😰
First, I love that you are watching these videos and educating yourself on how to best take care of your new pets! Secondly, it is very rare for hermit crabs to mate in captivity... very very very rare. This sounds like more of a pecking order situation. It could also be that they need more protein in their diet, more space, or more shell options. Try those things first and see if it helps. You could also add a second feeding dish to try and keep them more separate while they settle in to their new home.Welcome to CCS, we are glad you are here!
In our tank of 8, the largest one is the most aggressive and is a female. She attacks everyone trying to show dominance. The most shy one is a male. The seller mishandled him and he lost a leg. It took him a long time to start warming up to us and be less afraid of handling. Poor thing.
It's best not to handle the hermit crabs, it causes them a lot of stress. Think of them more like a pet fish....something beautiful to care for and watch as they live and explore their habitat.
I know my question has nothing to do with this video 😂 but, how are you able to get so many different species of hermit crabs? I only come a cross purple pinchers lol.
Well... innovation comes as a result of necessity and opportunity. If Flukers and other companies are producing garbage supplies and foods, leverage your ~38k subscribers to demand good alternatives. If their food and supplies are killing crabs instead of nurturing them, that's irresponsible. We're dealing with similar issues with chameleon supplies. Sadly, change takes time.
Hermit crab diets are very complex. They are scavengers by nature and eat a lot of different vegetation, bugs, dead animals, carcus, ect. Check out our farm to table video for a full breakdown of what to feed hermit crabs
One of my crabs got she'll jacked at some point during the last day or two, it was naked hidden in a damp log, the big crab out the shell of the other one on and then left the other one to die in the log, I smelled the one that was naked, he smelled fishy, I tried keeping him on my hand to see if my warmth would make him move at all, he never came into it, couldn't get a single wiggle he looked like he may have been starting to mokt and got jacked at that point. Hopefully I didn't send him down the toilet alive but I'm convinced he was dead!
ive got two crabs, one bigger than the other. they actually get along really well! i caught them talking to each other a couple weeks ago and they had what seemed to be a VERY long conversation! at least i know they wont hurt each other-
I acquired 2 hermit crabs a few weeks ago that were from separate tanks. On my ride home I heard chirping like crazy and the small one was pinching the big one. Separated them, got home and supplied shells and they both switched right away and get along fine now 🙂 love the videos
Yeah! I'm so glad our video was able to help you out. Thanks for adopting!
Oh my goddess! Your a life saver, put my two little crabs in a little box while I was cleaning they tank, I look over and there punching each other with their claws! I didn’t quite know what was happening at the moment, but I screamed so they would go back in their shells and I could separate them! 🦀
We're so glad our video could help you and your crabs! Good job keeping educated and acting fast.
Thank you so much for this video. It helped me identify all the stages. So very well explained. With out your shell rocking leads to shell jacking explanation and subsequent instruction my crabitat would have been in trouble. Thanks to your advice, a week after the violence, serenity has returned to my tank.
Yay! We love to hear success stories! Thank you for sharing with us! We are glad our content is helping you on your hermie journey and we are happy that peace has returned to your tank 😊
It is so good to see a video from you all, I have missed you all.
Hello 👋 Thanks for watching!
@@CrabCentralStation You are all welcome
Thank you for such educational videos. You have probably saved my hermit crabs lives!😁. Just put my bean farm heating pad on the back and I cleaned the old coconut fiber out. I mixed play sand with the new coconut fiber like you said and I got the thermostat also.
Yay! I’m so glad we were able to help you out. Thanks for watching!
Thank u so much. My New hermit crab made a noise and I never knew they could make a noise then I realize my older hermit crabs was beating him up and being aggressive. Your video helped me so much.
Glad we could help! Hope all oyur crabbies are ok!
Love you guys and you videos! Always a go to for any need that may arise. Can’t wait for the next one already ❤️
Thank you for your support!
Thank you 😍😊 just saying you help me and plenty in my group everyday ❤️❤️ i use your videos as reference because its easier than typing a whole thesis just for people to not read but these videos help so many, im a Facebook Mod from HCO I appreciate your experienceand teachings 🤩👍
I LOVE this AC visuals ASMR! We're saving hermit crabs together!
Great info!! 🦀 Love your videos! I've kept four crabs alive for two years!
Yay! Thats's awesome, Linda! Thanks for watching.
Thanks, very helpful. Definitely subscribing
Question for y'all- What would cause one of my hermit crabs to be aggressive/territorial to my other crab over/about the fresh water bubbling pool? I have never, ever heard of a crab being territorial over a water pool before. My poor crab being bullied has refused to come down to eat for over a month now because of Her aggression towards Him. He will only quickly come down to drink every few days. I have had hermit crabs for almost 3 years now and am just at a total loss at what to do to help them work it out. ☹️ I have added even more protein to their diet, made sure to split their shells so 1/2 are down on the substrate and the other 1/2 are in the shell shop so they are easier to access/see, and put Violet (the aggressor) in an "Time out tank" overnight with new, different shells to change into. She did change but is still being aggressive to only Him. I have 6 other crabs that She gets along with just fine. I'd love Y'all's advice please! Thanks! -Katie
How do I tell if my crabbie is a male or female and im gonna go beck to the pet store Monday and get another crabbie they are small under a inch maybe a inch is it ok to keep 2 or 3 in a ten gallon tank until I can find a 20 or 30 gallon (if I get 3) they are purple pincers
We have a video that will teach you how to tell if your crabs are girls or boys. I would hold off on getting a 3rd crab until you can get a bigger tank for them. Too small of a tank can lead to aggression and problems when molting.
Have you ever played ocean scape sounds for them? Or even put a video with sound on for them to see if they like it?notice it? I know they like quiet but nature itself isn't quiet. The ocean roars at night as the wave slam onto the shore (it used to keep me up at night when I was younger) and creatures in trees calling out. I was mostly curious if we tried to mimic the noises of their old home instead of just silence, would they notice and or appreciate it.
We have played ocean sounds for them. I'm not sure ifnthey liked it, but it sounded nice to me 🥰
I've been having an issue with my crabs, but it doesn't fit any of those things. It looks the closest to guarding, but it can't be that because they're both different species and both male. They're also completely different sizes and like different types of shells, so I don't think he's trying to take the shell. The other weird thing is that it's the smaller E being the creep while my poor jumbo PP just seems freaked out and keeps his claws open as a threat or something. It happens when my PP is either trying to come back up from underground or just has a cave in because he got too close to the surface and his tunnels are big. So I just come in to find them in a big hole with the E grabbing on (with his feet, not claws) onto this huge PP he's usually afraid of. There was chirping once. after I got the E off, but it seemed to be because I accidentally moved the light into his face or something.
There was one point where they both went underground (on separate days and in separate places) and they mush have bumped into each other because my E lost the "thumb" on his big claw. It looked like it was crushed off. I think he also lost a toe too, but he was already missing one, so I'm not sure. I'm worried my E's going to get himself hurt worse or my PP's going to get hurt while molting.
It's been happening for a couple of years now. My PP molts once a year and I'd find my E on top of while he's coming back up. But this time my PP is trying to go down to either molt or explore (he shouldn't molt for another month really) and keeps having cave-ins or whatever and my E's on him. A couple of times, while my PP was cleaning himself off, my E would go down and follow where the tunnels went or something. It's creepy. And they have plenty of calcium and protein, so I don't think he's trying to eat him. My E's also never really interested in shells. There's some in the tank for him, but I've been having trouble finding the right container for their shells since my PP needs such big ones.
Thankfully, my third crab just ignores the insanity. She doesn't care about any of them because they aren't the wheel. Although me E does bully her, but it's just normal pecking order pushing. They're about the same size.
Sorry for the info dump. I just don't know what to do. I feel bad for my PP, but I don't want my E getting hurt either. Oh, and these bozos have been living together for 5 years.
After reading your situation, a question came to mine. Do you have more than one Ecuadorian crab? Crabs need species buddies. Each species has a different language. Maybe your E is lonely?
@@CrabCentralStation I was thinking that too, but no one else has suggested it when I ask. And my friend who also has crabs and knows more about marine biology feels that the species buddy isn't really that important. I mean, Jonathan was alone for like 10 years.
I was also worried that if I got another E they'd by high-strung like James and then I'd just make the problem worse. I'll try to look for an E at petco though. I don't know if there are any around to be adopted.
He did use to have a girlfriend and he was more normal back then, but I wasn't sure if all of this was because he was lonely or if he was just getting more anxious as he got older.
@@CrabCentralStation Update: My E and PP got into another tussle the yesterday and now my E's missing a little more of his big claw and now also an entire leg. It looks cleanly cut off, so I think he dropped it or it just got ripped off.
I'm preparing a 20 long I have for him so he can stay there for a bit because I can't let this keep going on. I haven't been able to find another E at the Petcos near me. There's one Petsmart I'm going to check Monday. I asked a nearby reptile store that gets a couple hermits if they have one or know where I can get one. I've also asked to contact some people nearby about adopting, but none of them actually say they have Es, they just didn't say what species they have, so I don't know if that will go anywhere. You guys don't happen to have an E you can spare, right? Hah.
If I can't find him someone I'm going to have to give him up for adoption. I really don't want to because he's the one I've had the longest and the only E that hasn't met a horrible end.
You found an Ecuadorian crab yet? In Kuna, Idaho, USA; there is a wannabe adoptee #1564 who has an Ecuadorian hermit crab that she wants to surrender to an adopter. Do you live near Boise or Nampa, Idaho? S/he writes that s/he's willing to deliver her crabs to a reasonable distance. If you don't live within a reasonable distance, maybe you could ask her/him to just ship the Ecuadorian hermit crab to you? There's also a hermit crab rescue that rehabilitates and rescues and rehomes hermit crabs in Titusville, Florida, USA. In Randolph, New Jersey, USA, there is the Scales and Tails Exotic Pet Rescue that has two hermit crabs available for adoption named Shelley and Shelbie on the PetFinder website. Doesn't mention the species, though. I've noticed that most people who want to adopt out their hermit crab say they are purple pinchers or don't mention the species at all, except for the "Halloween Crab", which isn't a hermit crab. What country do you live in? What city? There is an adoption map on the website of LHCOS. It has the title "CSJ Adopters Map". You have to scroll down to nearly the bottom of the page to see the map. The map also starts off with an extreme close-up, which is weird, because most other non-pet related maps I see online start out showing the entire earth or they just have a close-up of the continental USA. If you zoom out multiple times, you can start to make out different countries. I can see on the map that there are people wanting to adopt out their hermit crabs in various countries. Mostly USA and Canada, and fewer in other countries. It's true that most of them don't bother to fill out the species question, although someone in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada was kind enough to answer "unknown" to that question. Someone in Ellenville, New York, USA wrote "N/A" (which stands for Not Available) to that same question. Someone in the Kitsilano neighbourhood of the west side of the city of Vancouver of the province of British Columbia in the country of Canada did mention that s/he has purple pinchers she wants to rehome: "Four medium - large PP's needing rehomed, owner is willing to travel within reason for the adoption." In the area of Vancouver that is NOT Kitsilano, but is home to Canada Place and Granville Island Public Market, there's another person who has 8 purple pinchers needing a home. Maybe you could find an owner of an unwanted Ecuadorian who doesn't live near you but is willing to ship to you and it is legal to do so (you'd have to find that info out yourself), and how to properly pack it well so that the package doesn't leak and the hermit crabs stay alive during the trip and don't get injured in accordance with local law and regulations of whatever shipping company s/he decides to choose. I noticed that "No" is what the Vernon involuntary hermie mom wrote on the LHCOS map: "Willing to overnight ship? No
willing to pay for shipping? No", but the fact that that question even appeared on the form that involuntary moms could fill out tells me that it is an option.
@@moondog7694 Yeah, I'm still looking for one. I've already looked into all the people near me in the LA area, but none have had an E. I think I saw that rescue in Florida and I was planning on asking them, but yeah, it's hard to find people who are willing to ship and have an E. I've also been looking on Craigslist and Offerup.
I haven't been in as much of a hurry lately because all of my crabs are molting right now. Petco should be getting some crabs this week I think, so I'm going to try calling them again too.
Thanks for trying to help!
AWESOME video❤ So much needed EXCELLENT information. Thank you for sharing your expertise 😊❤cat xxx
Glad you enjoyed!
Great info ladies! Thanks for a new video! Multiple dishes spread throughout works wonders in my colony.
Yep! Works great for us too. We have 7 dishes in our big build plus all the separate foraging dishes.
“For hours” 🤣
Seriously... no joke there.
This helps so much! Thanks a million! My hermit crabs are being grumps! 🦀 🦀 I think they are a couple, so probably arguing over who left the seat up 🙄
BwHahahaha!!! LOL 😄 that is so funny!
@@CrabCentralStation Glad you think so haha! 😊 keep up the good work!
For now I just took away their little coconut house they seemed to be fighting over and watched them for a bit for more fighting. Maybe they'll be less cranky tomorrow and I can put it back. Plus one of them is checking out the shells more now, so maybe he was inside the coconut playing video games and didn't even notice the pretty shells outside, so I got him out of the house.
#analogies
sorry to comment unrelated, I love your content and had a question about my tank that I haven't found in your videos yet. I have relatively large pools for my crabs in a 65 G or so tank. But I've noticed that half the substrate (closest to the pools) is a lot damper than on the other half. I wipe the glass like you say in your video, however I worry about a flood or tunnels collapsing. I'm also unsure if I should add more sand and substrate to the tank as it looks as though it has begun to shrink down somehow, but I don't know how to do this without disturbing the items in the tank that they've been burrowing under. I really appreciate any help from anyone with experience. Thank you again for all your videos, I really appreciate it!
Hello 👋 it is normal for the substrate around the pools to be more damp. However, too damp will lead to flooding. Try adding some dry sphagnum moss around the pools. When the moss gets damp, pull it out and replace with more dry moss. You don't have to throw the damp moss away, simply put it in a dish to dry out and you can use it again.
Sand will settle over time. You can safely add an inch of substrate every week. Just sprinkle it across the tank lightly, do not pack it down. You also do not want to dump a big pile in once spot as the weight of that can collapse tunnels.
I hope this helps!
I have a mix of different rocks and sticks for my crabbies to climb. I was really surprised how much the actually liked playing on and under the rocks. The usually sorta pirch on the highest sticks and take turns lol.
Yes! Crabs LOVE to climb! It is their favorite pastime.
I have 3 crabs I hear a lot of chirping at night and just for hours just conversations they get along super well too👍
My partner and I are adopting their parents' hermit crab. She's 13, and she's lived her whole life by herself. I don't want her to be lonely, but we're concerned she might have an adverse or aggresive reaction to suddenly living with another hermit crab. What's the likelihood of that happening?
I have a small question. My larger crab is somewhat on my smaller one the smaller one I just got, I don’t hear chirping and they both have one claw open the smaller on is also being flipped over I know my larger is a male I’m not sure about the new one.
Without seeing what is going on, it sounds like possible mating behavior. You can try separating them, offering separate food dishes… the ideas in this video, and see if it helps.
Love y’all’s videos very informative wish I would have found your Channel years ago been thinking I might want to get hermies again and now I know I have the right information for optimal care to help my friends live happy and healthy lives 🥰
Wonderful! If you do decide to get back into the hobby. Please consider adopting rather than shopping!
@@CrabCentralStation that’s a lovely idea I have no idea where I would even go to adopt though. any ideas?
I haven't had this issue but now I know what to do.
Perfect! Preventative education is the best!
Do you have to keep the same size crabs together or can you get a baby and have a medium size as well
I got 4 hermit crabs last year one bigger than the rest and they got along. This year I got two more which are almost kind of smaller. The big one grabs and tips the new ones over and his claw is open. They are separated now but the big one is in a small cage right now and I feel bad even tho he is being mean. What should I do pls answer
Hi I just got two new painted purple pinchers and I just got a 18x18 tank but I don’t have bedding or eco earth yet I ordered it in the mean time I need help with getting salt water in their lungs she didn’t have them in any thing but that small hermit cage they look ok but a little slow I don’t know how long they have been on that little cage she said she got them on 8 of July on vacation I have taken them in hopefully I can help get them back to good health but I need a lot of help thanks
Will y’all ever do another tank review because I’m redoing my tank the beginning of next year🐚🦀
Yes we will!
I found 2 little hermit crabs put them in a jar they started to get on to eachother like they are trying to get out of the jar or mating idk but one of them started to drag other non stoply they did it for a while and stoped I found 3 more and put them in the same jar when I got home I found that two crab's shells empty.
Oh dear. That is too small of a space for them. Chances are good you found marine hermit crabs that have to stay underwater.
perfect timing! thank you so much
Thanks for watching! Glad we could help!
Mine where doing the matting thing last week, but I am not sure witch tank it was coming from and I looked in all 3 of my tanks could not see anything going on.
Sometimes they can hide behind wood pieces or coconuts
@@CrabCentralStation That is where I think they where at in there different hiding places doing that
Thank you for this video. We have had one for 8 months his is Big I went and get a baby one and the big one doesn't like the little on at all I had to move the little out !
Oh dear! That is unusual. Are any of these tips helping you out?
Very helpful! I noticed Jeremy grabbing Eleanor (who is female) and jeremys claw was open. There were no noises from eleanor, but he did appear to be trying to get away. Definitely no rocking either...i have heard they can change sex after a molt (Eleanor came up from a mold on March 14) so could it have been guarding /mating?
So I have 2 hermit crabs 1 female other one im pretty sure is male and the male is rocking the shell but she's staying inside idk if this is she'll jacking or if he is guarding I took a vid of what I'm seeing but im confused I don't hear any noises or anything she just came out from molting and has a new shell but he keeps finding her and like latching on to her shell, rocking and circling (?) almost
I'm sorry that I missed this message! How are things going now?
I heard chirping in my tank, so I added some more shells, protein and a new climbing log. I don’t know which crab was chirping and why but I am keeping a look out
Great work! You found the right video and you are doing the right things! Way to go!
So I am going to keep and eye out for these things but I have a big crab then a small one and the big one is always rocking the small one so I don’t think it would be because the shell could you help my find reasons? I have also found the small one pinching the big one arm and the big one will chirp can you please help me? I also just got them on vacation and I don’t have anything to keep it heated so maybe that’s a reason???
Can equdorians and purple pinchers mix or will they fight eachother
You can mix them. We have 6 species living happily together.
I used 2 inches worth of Flukers hermit crab sand as my base substrate. Then another 2-3 inches of Coconut Fiber that looks similar to garden mulch. When I’m seeing TH-camrs hermit crab setups it looks like most only use sand. Should I replace the Coconut Fiber bedding with more Flukers sand?
Hello. We have a video all about Substrate. We talk about what to use, how to mix it, and why it’s important.
help! my crabs have been in the mating position, but two hours later i found the crab that was on top naked with the other crab sitting on the shell. I followed the steps and got the crab back in the shell, but they followed the other crab to a hut but was kicked out and i moved them to another place to hide where they are just sitting there.
This is not mating behavior but shell jacking. Make sure you are providing at least 3 shells in the correct size and shape for each crab in your tank at all times. We have a video called Shells 101 that can help you out with this.
@@CrabCentralStation gary died
Oh dear. I am so sorry for your loss.
Helppppp!!!!!
We got a 2 hermit crabs about a month ago(sandy & turbo) & just picked up one more yesterday (scratch) & introduced him to sandy & turbo. Wellllll… turbo & scratch didn’t get along so well. They kept standing really tall against eachother, grabbing eachother, & we heard chirping at one point (claws open) so we moved them onto opposite sides.. they found eachother again; but things seemed to be fine after that. Almost a dominance thing since he was new coming in their space. Wrong. We woke up this morning to them swapped in eachothers shells… so I’m assuming turbo harassed scratch & shell jacked him. I’m so sad; I don’t know what to do at this point. I have more shells coming on top of the ones In their shell shop but I can’t help but think how stressed scratch is from his day yesterday. Any tips or advice is appreciated! 💕
Oh goodness, what a story. I am so sorry you experienced this. It's been awhile (I'm so sorry that I missed this comment!). How are things going now?
Josh’s frog has a bioactive hermit crab video… review video?
That’s a good idea! React to their video?
Mine were chirping all last night and idk what to do I opened the tank more but also made more hiding spots there in a pps tank rn before I move them to a 40g so rn there in a 10g 3 crabs one is just hiding and all 3 haven't eaten yet but 2 of them are extremely active and one was closed in its shell with a claw on the others leg that was stepping on him or her. I put them on 2 sides if the tank I kept seeing reactions and hearing the squeaking but they never had claws out and I didnt see rocking just a lot of chirping and face to face almost on each other one is trying to hide when the other does this so idk what to do
It sounds like pecking order to me. More hides is a good addition. Feed more protein and make sure you have a lot of shells in the right kind/shape/size. (We have a video Shells 101 that can help you with this)
@CrabCentralStation thank you!
Omg I got a new crab, while my other one was molting and he came out about a month later, which was earlier tonight, after he came out from molting and the second the new one saw my other one, he started shell rocking (even thought he has a shell that’s a good size for him, so I separated them and hopefully ur method works 😅
Great choice of song, chaple of love
LOL.... it's the first thing that came to mind! Then I couldn't get the song out of my head 🤣
@@CrabCentralStation Awwwwwww how cute, I sent you a Facebook message by the way
What are those things you have in your water tanks to circulate the water?? Can you post the link
Check out our basic water pool video and/or our advanced water pool video. We teach you all different ways to make and keep your pools. Links to the products are in the description of the videos.
th-cam.com/video/g828cdCYaPo/w-d-xo.html
We have crabs at school and our teacher didn’t do any research on what they need. They have dirt in the bottom of their tank, no humidity, tiny water bowls, and not enough or the right kind of substrate. She said this is what the pet store said to do but me and my friends have been watching your videos, we ask her can we do this or that. But she always says this is what the pet store said to do. We had 2 carbs die within 4 mounted of each other. And now we have 2 baby crabs, and we asked about a PPS tank and said that the other crabs did this and they were fine. One crab died because he didn’t change shells. And the other one died because the other kids in our class were learning about crabs and they were digging in the tank, and we think they disturbed the crab molting. We tried sending and showing her your videos, but she won’t listen. What do we do?? Great and very informative videos!!
The Crab Street Journal has a program for teachers called, "Claws in the Classroom". She can get all the things she needs for free. I don't mind doing a zoom meeting with her or your class if that would help. Thanks for doing what you can to make a difference!
i believe i’ve seen my crabs do the pecking order. my hermit crab, Patrick is top crab of the tank!
We just introduced 4 new crabs to our tank, bringing our population to 6 (75gal tank) and our original crab Bigboi was being a pretty big bully upon meeting them. All 4 newbies swapped their fancy shells for the same one as Bigboi so we're hoping not looking as out of place will help with the aggression.
It is typical for there to be some aggression as the new colony finds a pecking order. Be sure there is no dangerous aggression where crabs need to be separated, but some will be normal.
@@CrabCentralStation Mostly posturing it seems. A few aggressive lunges and shoves or cornering a newbie and poking at their shell but 4 days later it seems to have settled down. We set up 2 food stations in the tank to minimize fights over food.
Good job!
Do you guy sell humit crabs also? Im looking for a breeder. My thinking is 2 females 1 male. A 20gal tank with a 10gal on top to add climbing space.
We do not currently sell captive bred hermit crabs, but plan to soon 🥰. For 3 crabs you will want a minimum of 30 gallons. The topper does not add to the total tank space as far as how many crabs can safely be housed. The 10 gallons per crab is for safety in molting space. Stay tuned on when we will start offering captive bred babies!
I found my older hermit crab standing on top of the other croaking. The other crab was in his shell on his back and has now buried himself in the sand all the way to the bottom of the tank. Any advice?
Hi Andy, we talk about this type of behavior here in this video and give you some tips to try.
@@CrabCentralStation thank you so much it was extremely helpful!!!!!
Awesome! I’m so glad we could help you on your journey! Thanks for watching 😊
@@CrabCentralStation of course! Thank you for putting this info out here! I'd be really lost without the dedication you put into caring for the crabs
🥰😊🥰
I inherited a hermit crab (loving it!) And I want to bring another one in to keep it company but it has been on its own for quite a while before I got it. Is it too risky to introduce a new one?
Nope! He will love some company :)
So when going through the P.P.S. Method should we provide shells?
Yes, always provide shells. If hermit crabs do not see the resources they need available to them, they will jack someone else's resource. Then you have an emergency on your hands.
Hi I just rescued 2 hermit crabs and I have a 20 gallon tank they are fairly small and I was wondering if it would be ok to but one more (they are about an “average size” about 1inch) in the tank because I have really enjoyed healing and giving good homes to my crabs and w at to get one more anyone who knows pls answer I’m looking for multiple opinions
It's really tempting to get more but I wouldn't until you have a larger enclosure. When they go underground to molt, they often make tunnels. Having too many crabs travelling underground can cause the tunnels to collapse, and then your hermie may become trapped- When mine molt, they tend to be a little more slow/ lethargic for the first day or so. Congrats on your new crabs, they're a lot of fun!
@@localartwitch Tysm maybe I’ll get one in a year or so when I’m ready to upgrade and my crabs get bigger. I Actually have been rely worried lately my crabs won’t eat. I give them there food and they just won’t eat it and I have worcasting and different foregoing items in there as well so I can’t tell if they are eating that. I follow the ccs food guide. Any tips or suggestions
We agree with the stated above! We know it is tempting, but its best to have ample space for our cabbie friends! You're doing great!
You guys should do a tank setup vid if u don’t already have one ❤️🔥
Absolutely!
Do you have to feed them at night
This doesn’t really have anything to do with the topic. But I was wondering if it was safe to put a heating pad over a cling background?
Yes, we have done that in several of our tanks.
Year ago my 2 crabs who were getting along for YEARS before this. Had a shell fight. One onto of the other (who was hiding in his shell) both chipping hissing growling just freaky noises.
Looked up quickly what was happening n sperated them. Gave them both shells n waited. Bout n hr later the one i removed (the victim) changed shells. So i took the old shell n gave it to the attacker (as he wanted) he changed into it. Gave it hr hour for them to settle down n reunited them. Vicitm changed into attackers shell almost immediately. N both seemed happy. 🤦♀️grumbled at them for fussing over what was a very easy solution!
Wake up next day n they swapped back! XD scolded them for having a full on FIT for nothing.
Since then they LOVE swapping shells n confusing us on who's who
LOL! What a story! Thanks for sharing and I am so glad everyone is okay!
@@CrabCentralStation happy to share it looking back on it i laugh xD animals can have such vastly different personalities even small crabs :)
Yes! Even small creatures like hermit crabs!
I have hermit crab fight night at my house! Everyone brings a crab and we take bets on the fights! Sometimes we'll use a new shell for them to fight over. Not sure why anyone wouldn't wanna watch them fight it's great
Wow, what a queef.
Well, since this is a channel oldie hermit crab care…. Those here are mostly against behavior that is detrimental to their health and safety. Perhaps you are on the wrong channel?
Help me please, my two crabs in the past week have de shelled and molted I save 1 his fine
The other I isolated like you said to get into a shell and he did then later tonight he de shelled again, the pet shop told me not to touch him( should have listened to my stomach) I left him and now his been attacked by another crab. A pincher gone. And his hardly moving please what do I do?????)
If he is still alive and re-shelled, he will recover slowly. If he is still out of a shell, isolate him and follow the video to get him back in a shell.
Do you sell downloads of your framed feeding schedule? That's brilliant! I'd love one for my colony.
We are working on a little something like that 🥰
@@CrabCentralStation please announce in a video when that's available. I'd love to have that for reference.
I got a new little crab and when she tried to go into the cave my other crab started chasing her out😢
My smaller hermit crab was doing the “guarding” behavior to my bigger one and was making the chirping noise, but it didn’t look aggressive. The next morning I looked and my crab only had a couple legs, because the other on pulled them off. I ended up separating them and trying to help Zipper (the hurt crab) but he died shortly after :( Then the other crab Rocky took the shell. Right now I only have one big crab named Hermit but I just upgraded his tank from a 10 gal to a 20 gal long, and I wanna get a small hermit crab so they don’t end up fighting for shells like my other one.
I'm sorry for your loss. To keep shell jacking at bay you need to have 3-5 shells that are the correct type and size for each hermit crab.
Hey! I just recently received my second hermit crab for my new set up and I have found that my first crab is grabbing at the other crab and flipping the new one onto its back. I'm worried he's being too mean and will stress my new crab out more. I feed them a high protein diet with fresh fruits and veggies daily. I also have 2 hamster wheels in my tank as well as a series of ropes that my first crab is always climbing on. I also have about 3 shells for each crab to move around into. What else can I do to limit this "mean" behaviour?
It sounds like pecking order. Hopefully after a few days the order will be decided and the crabs will become buddies. Just keep a close eye on them and follow the tips from this video if needed.
What do if I witness my big hermit crab chase after my small crab and the little one is running 😭😭😭
Is it typical after molting for a crab to constantly be eating. I only have 2 crabs, one just went thru molting and now the other is molting it's really crazy watching them
Yes, absolutely 💯 %! They are replacing all the nutrients and gaining energy from completing their molt. Totally normal.
I have a question. Do you have any captive bred hermit crabs and are they for sale?
Watch our new video!
If a hermit crab killed another one, is he more likely to kill again?
what if they are fighting wile we are sleeping
Well... there isn't a whole lot we can do about what happens while we are not watching them. However, what we can do, is make sure we are doing our very best to provide everything they need and to prepare ourselves and educate ourselves to be prepared in case of an emergency.
I got a new tank...I think I'm doing well as a crabby parent and would love ur feedback..is there a place I can send pics or other way I could ur opinion?
There Sure is! You can Dm us on instagram with pictures @crab central station
So we had two hermit crabs for 6 months and then one died. I went bought a new crab and he immediately went inside a half coconut house thing in the tank and stayed there. The next day our other crab was also inside the coconut house and it looked like he was poking around the new guy with his claws while new guy stayed on his shell. A few hours later our original crab went back to his favorite spot on the opposite side of the tank. This was last week. Today I noticed both crabs were in the coconut house. Original crab’s shell was inside coconut house but was empty. It looks like he forced new crab out of his shell and took it for himself. New crab was partially burrowed and without a shell. I dropped my kids at school and when I returned 20 minutes later..Original crab was back in his favorite spot on opposite side but still using the new guys shell. The new crab and original crabs original shell were both gone/burrowed. So now I’m wondering/hoping new crab crawled into original crab’s shell and burrowed. Is it possible my original crab dragged his old shell under the substrate and new crab is under substrate somewhere without a shell.
It’s possible, but it’s too dangerous to dig up the crab that is under. To keep shell jacking at bay, you need to offer 3-5 extra shells per crab. We have a video called “Shells 101” that can help you measure, find the right type of shell, and links in the bio to good shops.
A spray bottle with water in it works, not being mean at all. But if I have to give them a time out, I have a 5 gallon tank set up for them to be separated and I have a good bit of shell's and still need more shell's and having trouble finding shell's
it's good to have a good iso ready! Try www.theshellstore.org for shells. Sometimes you can even find some at Goodwill in old lamps and and things!
@@CrabCentralStation Thank you, that helps out alot, I will have to check it out.
@@CrabCentralStation I tried going to the website you typed in on the reply back to me, and the website did not work at all, I clicked on it
Very informative
So glad you liked the video! Thanks for watching!
Hey, I appreciate the videos you guys post!! I have a question. Should I put the green sand directly on the substrate? Or put it in the food saucer???
You definitely want to put it in a separate dish.
Can you put fish in the tank?
A few things to consider:
1. Is your water pool big enough to house fish? Most fish need a minimum of 10 gallons.
2. Is your pool filtered appropriately for fish?
3. Adding fish will mean more frequent water changes. Are you up for that?
4. We have tried 2 types of fish... our crabs caught both. Which wouldn't bother me if they ate them. However, it seems they just liked the hunt. They killed the fish and left them. That food the water very quickly, cost a lot of money, AND THE POIR FISH!
So, for us, we say no to fish being combined with hermit crabs.
Thank you. I have mollys and they have so many baby’s. I give them to local stores all the time and just wanted to see if one or two here and there would make them happy.
@@ashleegardner2980 it will make them happy, the crabs seem to enjoy the hunt. I just feel it's not right since they are living creatures and are dying needlessly.
My Hermies don’t seem to be eating their (fresh) protein foods that I put in the tank! Maybe they are just eating so little that it doesn’t seem like they are eating the food. 🤷🏽♀️ They are possibly eating some of the dry food protein maybe I am just not using the right food!
It is really hard to tell how much they are eating, especially when you only have a few crabs. Keep offering a variety of foods and then trust them to be crabs and do their thing. 😁
I was real worried when one of my guys had a lil antennae fight and one "slapped" the other.(right before both of them proceeded to make the biggest mess of food and shells on earth haha. Little shits!)
Now you know who the "boss" in the tank is!
I got my 2 hermit crabs 15 days ago and a couple minutes ago I saw my very active crazy hermit crab which may I add is a lot bigger than my female hermit crab which is usually pretty active but at this time she was kind of up side down. I say my male hermit crab try to climb on top of my hermit crab. May I add I also have never had hermit crabs before I put my hands into my tank and tilted my male crab the opposite way not trying to hurt him. I tried this about 5 times each time him turning back and soon tried to go on top of her again. After that I ran it to my moms room waking her up telling her what was happening. May I add it was 2:30am. My mom soon moves my male hermit crab to the other side of the tank. Then I move my girl into a place in the tank where my male is to big to get to.
They are fine and happy now witch is about 20 minutes later.
What should I do if this happens again because my dad says we can’t keep them if the mate alot. 🦀😳😱😬😰
First, I love that you are watching these videos and educating yourself on how to best take care of your new pets! Secondly, it is very rare for hermit crabs to mate in captivity... very very very rare. This sounds like more of a pecking order situation. It could also be that they need more protein in their diet, more space, or more shell options. Try those things first and see if it helps. You could also add a second feeding dish to try and keep them more separate while they settle in to their new home.Welcome to CCS, we are glad you are here!
I was wateing for you to play the song, I would walk 500 miles for the hermit crabs.
LOL that is a good one! We have used that song in one of our other videos... I can't remember which one though.
@@CrabCentralStation How cool. When are you going to make a video on how you made the walking wheel with the oak half logs in it.
Hopefully very soon. We have a lot of interest in that one.
@@CrabCentralStation ok cool and thank you 😊.
In our tank of 8, the largest one is the most aggressive and is a female. She attacks everyone trying to show dominance. The most shy one is a male. The seller mishandled him and he lost a leg. It took him a long time to start warming up to us and be less afraid of handling. Poor thing.
It's best not to handle the hermit crabs, it causes them a lot of stress. Think of them more like a pet fish....something beautiful to care for and watch as they live and explore their habitat.
I think you guys should do a Christmas give away. Something like a 20 gallon tank and simple supplies for a beginner!
Hmmmm.... we will think about this!
I know my question has nothing to do with this video 😂 but, how are you able to get so many different species of hermit crabs? I only come a cross purple pinchers lol.
We got very blessed to adopt them from someone who needed to give theirs to a new home.
I haven't heard from you in a while
I'm sorry, Kathy! There is a good reason for that.... big announcement coming up this New Year's!
My crab loves watching your videos
Have ya'll considered working with a pet food makers to produce a high end and healthy crab food?
Man! That would be so awesome!!! Unfortunately, I just don’t know how to make these kinds of connections.
Well... innovation comes as a result of necessity and opportunity. If Flukers and other companies are producing garbage supplies and foods, leverage your ~38k subscribers to demand good alternatives.
If their food and supplies are killing crabs instead of nurturing them, that's irresponsible.
We're dealing with similar issues with chameleon supplies. Sadly, change takes time.
Change does take time…. But we are seeing some good things happening!
So a meat and a veggie everyday?
Hermit crab diets are very complex. They are scavengers by nature and eat a lot of different vegetation, bugs, dead animals, carcus, ect. Check out our farm to table video for a full breakdown of what to feed hermit crabs
@@CrabCentralStation I've just been using different variations of veggies & meat on a rotation. I'm new to this. I'll check out the video, thanks
One of my crabs got she'll jacked at some point during the last day or two, it was naked hidden in a damp log, the big crab out the shell of the other one on and then left the other one to die in the log, I smelled the one that was naked, he smelled fishy, I tried keeping him on my hand to see if my warmth would make him move at all, he never came into it, couldn't get a single wiggle he looked like he may have been starting to mokt and got jacked at that point. Hopefully I didn't send him down the toilet alive but I'm convinced he was dead!
Oh, I am so sorry this happened and I am sorry for your loss.
Our Big Crab pushed Small Crab off the top of a hut
I put in unsalted peanuts and they have not really ate them at all, I might as well throw them out to the squirrels
try crushing them up... they might like them better that way.
@@CrabCentralStation would putting the peanuts in a food processor work to crush them up?
Yes, perfect!
@@CrabCentralStation I did do that at work and it worked great, thank you for your help
My hermit crabs do the pecking order from time to time.
It’s in their nature!
@@CrabCentralStation ok thank you
But with only having one income, I have been having trouble getting stuff that I need for myself and my hermit crabs
Hang in there Doctor Death!
@@CrabCentralStation I am trying to
🥰
Thanks for watching!
3:40 y’all watching hermit crabs MATE 😟😭🤮🤮🤮🤮
Well.... we want to
#1 - make sure it isn't aggression
#2 - gather data to educate others
@@CrabCentralStation but the way you worded it, “have fun watching your crabs” I don’t wanna have fun watching them mate 😭
I'm sorry, we didn't mean to upset anyone. We are breeders, so this is just part of nature.
@@CrabCentralStation lol No don’t be sorry it’s okay I understand
Thank you for understanding 😊
I also have a video that shows this behavior perfectly if you are interested...
Thank you for the offer, that is really sweet of you. We have enough footage for now.
To bad we can't translate what their saying with their antennas. Probably trash talking us.
LOL! Hahaha..... it would be nice to know what they are saying!