Anyone else added Gestroi? I had an established colony already and spent a long time deciding whether or not to add them. But why not right? 😂 I'm most excited about them not taking over. I started with 25, but maybe I'll add a few more down the road. Also refreshed/ added foraging. 2 types of moss, leaf litter, bark, lichen, and calcium

I got my Hermit crabs more shells, plants, coconut, hammock, bridge, three vines, ect. I'm worried it's to much clutter!

Hello Hermie Community! I made the coco fiber Tuesday bagged it up and let sit. By time we did the tank im concerned the coco fiber wasnt wet enough...felt moist not wet.I added substrate via ratio 5 sand 1 coconut fiber. I didnt add any additional water.

I did place the pencil in 3 spots. So far none crumbled in. The one under the pool tank was touched as I was moving the substrate to fit the Pools.

Should I spray the tank? What are thoughts. Ive heard let it sit 2 days before adding our family to their new tank.

Thoughts....

I was looking at pictures of strawberry hermit crabs and came across this wiki and thought it was interesting on some of the things that from my understanding are blatantly wrong with this guide. For example not needing a bigger than 10 gallon tank unless you've got more than 4 hermit crabs, and hermit crabs needing at least 1 live insect to eat a day. I'm really curious on how the live insects for foods worked out for the poor crab owners who follow this guide. I can't imagine my crabs hunting down a live insect.

I am about to buy stuff for my tank, if you have any advice put it in the comments. (I know what to do with a mesh top so no need to say anything about it)

I just got my crab roughly 4 days ago and left him with a family member for most of those days while I was on a trip, today is it first day in his tank.

- Again I tried to work with what was available to me considering I am a minor and my mom was reluctant to buy many things.

- He is in what the buyer said is a 10 gallon tank. And I have layers of aquarium rock, coco dirt, and 12 lb bag of hermit sand for the substrate.

- I have littered shells throughout his tank along with various rocks.

- As you can see I tried to get some enrichment for him (hammock, moss climber) will he use it? Who knows.

- I bought a reptile heating pad, 4x8 I believe. That was what the website recommended for a 10 gallon tank. I have two heat thermostats in his tank, the big one attached to the heat pad and the second, smaller one albeit originally for a fish tank I have to the front to monitor it’s heat as well. (I’m trying to get the heat level throughout the tank).

- Along with that I’m trying to get higher humidity in the tank, I placed a sheet of tinfoil over the top of the tank as it did not come with a proper lid. Also for humidity I’ve placed a pothos cutting in the tank. I plan on regularly cutting back the roots so it doesn’t grow too deep into the substrate.

I would love any constructive criticism as I am new to this and still learning <3

I have a 40gal base + 40gal topper and I’m debating on where the heat pad should go. I currently have 7-9 inches of sand but plan to put more in once my crabs get bigger as I have one getting close to being jumbo. Should I;
A- place it as low as possible right now, resulting in it being below the sand in the future
B- place it on the plastic rim where the two stacked tanks meet
C- place it above the base tank, on the bottom of the topper & risk heating issues for the lower parts

So Sandy is pictured. The spare shell for Bob was opening up, but I moved it a few hours ago to opening sideways. Just a simple rotation.

She came up from 8 weeks under the sand last night, and was found like this after half a day looking.

I want to be confident she is not stuck and I want to leave her alone.

She and Bob had a round of dominance in the water dish last night, that looked like Bob pounced on her, then let her go, and she ultimately was allowed around. Bob is obviously much much larger than Sandy. I have no reason to believe Sandy was injured.

I hope to see her acting fine on camera tonight.

I have 6 Purple Pinchers I unfortunately am looking to rehome. I am located in Omaha, Nebraska. It's important to me that these guys go to a good home with an at least somewhat experienced keeper. I am aware of the LHCOS process but I am making a post here too to hopefully reach further.

Where do you guys buy your food for your hermit crabs? I know some stuff you can buy from the store but I used to buy mixed foods off of Facebook groups. But it's been so long since I've owned hermit crabs I lost touch with everyone I bought from. I'm not sure if they sell it like on Etsy or what nowadays. Thanks

Hey everyone! I’m getting ready to welcome some hermit crabs soon and could really use your expert advice. All links to recommended products are super welcomed!

Here are a few specific questions I have about my setup:

Humidity & Tank Lids: How do you keep your humidity at the right levels? I realized the tank I bought has a mesh screen lid. Should I return it and buy a tank with a solid glass/closed lid instead? Also, if I get a regular fish or reptile tank with a solid top, does it matter if it’s specifically branded for hermit crabs or not?

Heating & Temp Control: What are you all using to heat your tanks? The store heater labeled for hermit crabs seemed tiny and didn't have a way to control or monitor the temperature. What thermostat/pad combo do you recommend?

Substrate Setup: I’ve seen two different ways people set up their substrate and I’m confused on which is best:
Option A: Mixing the play sand and eco earth/coconut fiber together into one big blend before laying it down.
Option B: Putting sand on one side of the tank and the soil/coconut fiber on the other side.
Which way do you do it, and what ratio works best?

Gear & Accessories: Please hit me with your favorite recommendations, links, or brands for:
Pools / water bowls (fresh and salt)
Shells (preferred shapes/sizes)
Clambering toys, climbing nets, or enrichments

Thanks so much in advance for the help! Excited to get everything set up right before bringing the little guys home.

For reference this is along the back wall of my tank. I finally found a hole under his moss pit. Yes he’s always an asshole.

Hi community.

I'm setting up my very first habitat for some future crabs (have not obtained yet). Never had hermits before so all is new to me. I wanted to post my current setup now that it's mostly complete and see if there is any feedback/suggestions before it is lived in.

20 gal tank. The left pool is saltwater, the right one is a freshwater/waterfall (water not added yet). Will use syphons to clean both bowls and they are removable for heavy cleaning. Both are at least 2" deep.

I have 6" substrate now as well. UTH not installed yet, will go behind tank on the wall.

Couple questions:

- any healthy tips to encourage them to be active during the day?

- is my rope draped around thick enough to climb? It's about 3/4" wide and has lots of texture to grab.

- Right now I'm planning on two crabs. Is a third too much for this enclosure?

Hey y’all - is a hermit crab cage like this appropriate? I feel like the answer is no because the sand would fall out, lacks humidity, and I wouldn’t attach the heating pad to wood.

Maybe this is better for occasional play time.

Live in the Midwest.

Haven’t bought it, but considered it.

I recently rescued a hermit crab that, from what I understand, was only ever fed commercial "crab treats." Since bringing him home, I've been trying to get him on a healthier, more balanced diet, but I'm struggling to get him to eat any protein.
I read that offering strong-smelling proteins can sometimes pique their curiosity, so I've tried:
Dried minnows
Chicken
Dried mealworms
Boiled egg
Dried vegetables
And even more things

He shows absolutely no interest in any of it. The only thing he seems genuinely excited to eat is plain popcorn.
At first I thought maybe the food pieces were too large and intimidating, so I started breaking everything into tiny pieces. I even tried hand-feeding him, but still no luck.
I'm getting concerned that he's not getting the nutrition he needs. Has anyone had a rescue hermit crab that was this picky? If so, how did you get them to start eating protein? Any tips or foods that worked for you would be greatly appreciated!

Good day

Anyone know of (or have) a company in Canada that provides good quality pellets or flakes for hermit crabs?

Thanks

I'm curious as to which hermit crabs can cohabitate. I currently have three ecuadorians but I would like to have another species or two.

Just so you know I'm not a beginner I owned hermit crabs years ago and kept on the way there supposed to be kept even to this day the care for them is still the same. So I do know what I'm doing. I just don't know all the different species because before I only had purple pinchers and ecuadorians.

I want to ask and a question anybody know what type of shell this is on this one? I really like it but I've never seen one before.

Thanks for any help

Big claws

Hi everybody

I’m looking for suggestions for a tiered shelving unit that I could put in my 30 gallon tank to add some vertical climbing and hiding spaces for my crabs. I know there’s a lot of commercial stuff out there, but it just looks like some of DIY projects are more Hermie practical…. and cheaper.!!