Humidity Issues

While I was away at College, my mother (who was crab-sitting) informed me that my tank was getting very wet, and that the sand looked damp and condensation was forming on the glass.  At first I told her not to worry about it, as I doubted the crabs knocked over any of the water dishes, and the seasons were changing so I had a feeling that that had something to do with it.  However, when I got home, I noticed that this wasn’t simply a .  I tried to figure out what the problem was, but to no avail.  So I did the only other thing that I knew–I did a deep clean and started all over again.

This post is all about humidity issues, how they might start and how you can fix it.

 

DIY Thermometer/Hygrometer hanger

Cross-posted with HCA

Hermie owners with a thermometer/hygrometer will typically at one point come across a time where hermies will bury or tackle or otherwise screw up your thermometer/hygrometer, as you have to keep it low enough to accurately read the temperature/humidity, but not so accessible that the hermies can have their way with it.  I believe this is a clever little hack that is incredibly easy to do and more importantly effective.  I can’t take credit for this one, my mother actually came up with it while she was hermie sitting.  However, I think it’s a great idea and I’d like to share it all with you.

You Will Need:
– “Invisible” Thread
– Suction Cup
– Thermometer/Hygrometer (I think this will only work with this cheap Wal-Mart Digital Thermometer/Hygrometer, but I’m pretty sure anything with some hole in the back will work)

1. (Skip this step if you already have a hole in the back of your thermometer/hygrometer) If you’re using the Wal-mart one, then you’ll have to get rid of that back piece that’s used to either stick to a fridge or stand up straight.  Metal isn’t good for the tank anyway.  On my first thermometer/hygrometer, I thought there was a small screw that was between me and that back piece.  However this time it was just a small piece of metal.  I poked at it until the back piece broke off, then slid out the metal rod and took out the other metal pieces.

2. Take the invisible thread (which is just a sturdy clear piece of plastic) and thread it through the two holes that are left in the wake of the back pieces removal.  Tie the two ends together and manipulate it so that the thermometer/hygrometer hangs an inch or so off the ground.

3. Take the suction cup and on the outside of the tank, stick it on.  You can put the suction cup in either direction (with the hook facing up or down).  It’s actually easier if the hook is facing down, but I forgot this until I was done and I was far too lazy to fix it, but it still works, you just have to put the piece of thread up higher so it rests just beyond the hook.

4. Take the thread and hang the knot on the hook.  It will hang in place.  If you’re having difficulties with the string staying, don’t use the hook itself, use the base of the hook (where the hook meets the suction cup).

5. Optional. Adjust the length of string to fit your tastes.

Here’s what it looks like:

The final product

Close-up of thermometer/hygrometer

 

Happy New Year!

Happy new year to everyone who happens to stumble upon this blog, as well as their hermies.  I hope that everyone has a happy and healthy year.

My new years resolution: To update this blog more often!  I’m sorry it’s been so dead lately, but the hermies aren’t with me while I’m at school, so there hasn’t been too much to write about.  Also, school has left me very busy.  But no excuses!  If I find something to post about, I will post it!  I will also finally get around to posting the how-to’s I’ve been working on forever.

Again, happy new year!

 

How to: Clean Shells

In today’s how-to, I’m going to talk about cleaning shells.  Shells are your hermit crab’s home, and having a variety of shells in your tank is vital for healthy hermit crabs.  When you first purchase shells, you should always boil them first before placing them into the tank.  And although not entirely necessary, you can clean them again during a deep clean, or if they look like they might need it.  Here’s how you do it.

 

How To: Prepare Salt Water

Over the next couple of days, I’m going to do a series of How-To’s, giving step-by-step instructions on how to do various crabbing activities.  If you have any questions, or would like me to make a specific how-to, please comment and let me know.

Today, I’m going to start with something simple.  How to prepare salt water.  It’s relatively easy, and is necessary for proper hermit crab care.  Hermit crab salt, or anything catering to hermit crabs in the salt water department usually do not have enough salinity for proper hermit crab care.  Instead, go to the fish section and pick up something like Oceanic or Doc Wellfish’s Aquarium Salt.  I personally use Instant Ocean, and I think it works great.

 

Deep Clean

Today I performed a much needed deep clean for my hermit crab tank.  It took me practically all day, but that’s only because I took about a bazillion pictures to provide a detailed how-to for this blog.  Anyway, that’s going to take a while to compose, so in the meantime I’m going to post a series of smaller how-to’s leading up to it while I work on the big one. My next post is going to be a how-to on how to prepare salt water.

Before I go, I’ll leave you with the before and after pictures of the deep clean:

Before:

After:

 

New Additions

So today I decided to just do everything I’ve been wanting to do since I got home, and one of them involved going to the mom and pop pet store by me where I got my E’s in December. They haven’t changed much since December, except this time they seemed to be less helpful than last time (I think it was because the girls had to *gasp* enter the reptile room more than bad customer service). So they all look pretty bad, with a couple spry ones mixed in. There was this one large hermie that was this nice deep purple color (it looked like the picture second to the right on the HCA banner) that I almost bought, and the only reason I didn’t is because there isn’t enough room in my 10 gallon. Instead I got a micro and a small. I believe they’re both E’s (bad pictures at the end–they were taken on my cell phone). Anyway, once I get the lady to come back to the reptile room, I picked out my guys and she gave me… A paper bag. I looked at it, trying to figure out what she wanted me to do with it. When I realized she wanted me to put the crabs in there I asked her for a cup. She then gave me two condiment cups and a cover. I’m fighting yelling at her because she’s clearly that oblivious, and kind of stare at the covers for a while. Finally after she charges me (she had no idea what the price was–neither did almost anyone in the place) I ask for a scissor. She stares at me for a minute like I had stared at her when she gave me the bag, then said “oh, you want to make air holes?” Yes, yes I do. Stop looking at me like I’m crazy. Is it so wrong that I want them to breathe? Apparently. Anyway, so she covers the condiment cups and proceeds to cut holes in them with a razor–with the crabs in the cups. Thank god one was itty-bitty and the other was hiding in his shell (which is way too small for him, btw). So I carefully put the little cups in the little paper bag and leave before I seriously do something stupid.

But anyway, I have my two little guys. I didn’t check the bigger one, but I’m pretty sure the little one’s a girl (she moved too fast before I could confirm I saw gonopores). The little one, who I realized had two broken legs (the first knuckle on each are missing), and as I’ve said before, the bigger one has a really small shell on. The little guy hid behind my big guy, Talon, and I believe he has since dug down. I put the bigger guy in with the shells if he wants to change.

The Little One

The Little One (again)

The Little One (Shell)

The Big one (in the cup)

The Big One (in the cup from above)

The Paper Bag

The Little One hiding behind Talon

The Little One hiding behind Talon (2)

 

The Great Sponge Debate

Ah, the sponge.  One of the largest causes of misinformation in all of hermit crab care.  Most pet stores will insist that you need it.  Most crabbers insist that you don’t.  Today, I’ll look into this small yet influential piece of hermit crab care equipment. A sponge, properly used, can be used in a hermit crab habitat.  It’s a matter of personal preference.  However, most unsuspecting beginning crabbers are told that sponges are mandatory, and then proceed to teach improper sponge usage.  So before I go any further, I’m going to dispel some persisting myths surrounding the sea sponge.

(Forgive the bad quality, it's a cell photo. Better photo coming soon.)

1. Hermit crabs need a sponge to drink from!

No.  They don’t.  This is a matter of common sense.  Hermit crabs, each and every one of them, are caught from the wild.  Meaning that prior to becoming pets they lived in the wild and used resources from the wild.  They drank from fresh water sources near the beach.  Last time I checked, there are no floating sponges anywhere in the wild that aren’t deep underwater.  Therefore, before coming into captivity, they drank just fine without a sponge.

2. Hermit Crabs will drown if you don’t put in a sponge!

If you believe this, then you are underestimating your little guy (or gal).  However, that isn’t to say that there is a 100% guarantee your Hermit Crab won’t drown either.  I’m just saying that a sponge isn’t the only option available to prevent drowning, and that leaving out a sponge will not lead to immediate drowning.  I will talk more about your other options later.

3. Sponges help improve the humidity of your tank!

No, they don’t.  Really.  I swear.  Okay, they might raise it like 3%, but that’s it.  Not enough to make that big of a difference.  Again, there are much better options out there for raising humidity.  Like moss.

4. Sponges can replace the water bowl, as they have the same water-storing capacity as bowls!

No, no, no, no, no!  I cannot stress how false this is.  They in no way, shape, or form a sponge can replace a water bowl.

All right, now that I’ve gotten that rant out of the way…

When I first started crabbing, I was sucked in by the misinformation, primarily the “they need sponges to drink from” myth.  Here’s proof.

Jack drinking from a Sponge

It was included in my starter kit (see the picture–that was my original tank), and the somewhat accurate instructions told me to use it.  And that was before I did my proper research, and just assumed that seeing as the stores sold then, they knew what the hell they were talking about. However, I quickly learned about the myths involving sponges, and I quickly removed it from my tank.  And although I’ve moved away from the usage of sponges, I have since learned that, when used properly, sponges can actually be useful.

Sponges are just one of the things you can consider when working on your water bowl.  Depending on what type of bowl you use, you may need to use something to help your hermit crab get out, especially if you have a lot of small, micro, or tiny crabs and very deep water bowls.  This is to prevent drowning.  If they can’t get out and they can’t keep their gills out of the water for long periods of time, then they can drown.  Remember, hermit crabs do have gills, but they’ve been modified to breathe moist air.  They can’t  breathe underwater. In this situation, a sponge can be a viable option, but only if used correctly.

Sponges should only take up about half the bowl (If you look at the above picture, you’ll see further proof that I did it wrong).  The less it takes up, the better.  This is because hermit crabs need to be able to fully submerge in the water should they so choose.  Not only does this keep their gills healthy, it also enables them to fill their shells with water, which keep their soft, sensitive abdomens moist and can be used to drink from if there is ever a shortage of water  (or you hermie is too lazy to move to the water bowl).  And if a sponge takes up more than half of the bowl, then they are unable to do this.  And that’s bad (for the reason’s I’ve stated above).  Besides, if your using the sponge is for emergency evacuation, there’s no need for it to take up the entire bowl anyway.  Even if the crab is drowning, it can still swim/wade it’s way over to the one thing that can save it.  Hermit crabs have amazing instincts.

And if you do choose to use a sponge, you cannot have just one sponge.  You need to continually switch them out for new/clean ones.    Sponges must be changed daily or at the very most every 48 hours. Any longer than that and the chances of the sponges getting bacteria skyrockets (lots of water plus lots of heat and humidity equals bacteria).  Once you’ve swapped the sponges, take the old one, thoroughly rinse it out with warm/hot water, ring it out, let it dry completely (preferably in the sun), then zap it in the microwave to sterilize it, then repeat.  THE SPONGE MUST BE COMPLTELY DRY BEFORE PLACING INTO THE MICROWAVE. The sponge will shrink otherwise.  And that’s bad.

Finally, not just any sponge will work.  It cannot be a dish sponge or anything like that.  It MUST be a sea sponge.  They can be purchased online or pretty much at any pet store.   Tip – Once you get a sponge, cut it in half (because most are made to fit the entire bowl) and now you have 2 sponges for the price of one.  Be sure to sterilize before use!!

All this being said, I’m not personally a fan of the sponge.  I just feel like it’s too much work for something that can be easily replaced by something else.  That isn’t to say that it shouldn’t be used (why would I write this entire post if I didn’t?), but rather this is just my own personal preference.

And what are these alternatives, you might ask?  Well, there are lots of alternate methods you can use to aid them getting in and out of the water without involving sponges.  I’ve used shells in the past (I have since

Fluker's Groovy Jacuzzi (with shells at the bottom just in case)

switched to a smaller bowl b/c the hermies had trouble getting in, and now I use nothing), and I’ve also heard of people using unpolished, clean rocks, rope, fake plants, and various other things.

Also, I’ve recently fallen in love with Fluker’s Groovy Jacuzzi (which, despite its name, is just a fancy bowl and not a jacuzzi.  I do find it rather “groovy” though).  It’s an item you can purchase online or at Petco, and comes in three sizes: small, medium, and large.  I currently only have one small one, and it doesn’t take up too much of my 10 gallon.  It’s pictured at right.  Why do I love it you ask?  Well, I’ll tell you.  For one, it has steps. What better way to prevent drowning then providing steps.  The hermit crabs can now go in as deep as they dare, and should they go in too deep there’s a lot.  This is great if you have crabs of varying sizes like I do.  It also has a wide lip which makes it hard for them to drag in substrate (although it is possible if they dig by it).  Finally, it holds a lot of water, so it doesn’t need to be constantly refilled.

In the end, though, it doesn’t matter what you use.  It’s really up to the realm of possibility and imagination.

 

Dealing with the hermie blah’s

Seeing as this is a blog about hermit crabs, and not just my personal journal on crabbing, I figured I would from time to time actually write posts that deal with hermit crab care in general, to try to spread the knowledge I’ve accumulated in a very short time to others.  And what better post to start off with than what I’ve dubbed “the hermie blah’s,” something I’ve been dealing with for about a month now.  Without further ado…

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When I first started crabbing, back in August, someone on the HCA, I think Joel, warned of the hermie blah’s.  I don’t think it was aimed at me directly, but it was a general warning that he tends to give to the newbies, so I might have personally received that warning.  But back when I first started crabbing, when everything was new and fascinating and I was learning all that there was to being a good hermie owner, and what the best equipment to buy was and what food they can and can’t have, and experimenting with what foods they liked best, I couldn’t imagine, for the life of me, why anyone would get tired of these marvelous little things.

Well, fastforward a few months.  I had gotten more into it–I got more crabs, a bigger tank, more stuff.  And then when I had to come back to school, everything changed.  I don’t know if it was because it was colder in my dorm room than in my house (which I can’t imagine would be possible, at one point we had the heat on at close to 90 because the heater was slightly busted), or the trip rattled them, or what it was.  But my hermies disappeared.  Even the one’s I knew had recently molted over the winter break.  So now the 10 gallon tank I had so meticulously put together for happy hermies was empty.  The sand and eco-earth that I had so loved seperate was now one, thanks to the drive down to school that had rather effectively mixed the two together.  The salt water pool was constantly getting substrate in it thanks to the crabs always digging around there.  The hemp net against the back started drooping.  The half log threatened to start molding.  And then school started again, and the stress of schoolwork and friends kicked in.  Everytime I looked at the tank that I once viewed with pride left me with extreme indifference.  I had officially hit the hermie blah’s.

Now, I believe the hermie blah’s can happen to everyone.  It happens in every hobby.  The hermie blah’s occur at the second the magic of crabbing wears off.  This is the point in time where little kids who “had to have” a hermie are now more than willing to get rid of them.  But the hermie blah’s don’t have to be the end of your crabbing experience.  To determine what you should do, you should first answer some simple yes or no questions first.  These will help you to figure out which course of action you want to take next.

Hermie Blah’s Questionairre:

1. Have you been crabbing for several months before hitting the hermie blah’s?
2. Regardless of why you initially purchased your hermies, did you continue crabbing due to passion?
3. Or did you continue crabbing out of responsibility (either to the hermies or your children or the like)?
4. After the initial misinformation, did you take the proper care of your hermie prior to getting the hermie blah’s?
5. Do you see yourself crabbing in a few months/years (taking a break is fine, but do you see yourself continuing to do so at a later point)?
6. Do you still care for your little guys?
7. Can you see yourself giving your little guys away to someone?

If you answered primarily “yes”:

If you’ve answered yes to most of the questionnaire, you find yourself where I was once I was hit by the hermie blah’s.  Although I didn’t want to crab, I knew that the little guys were relying on me.  I also couldn’t bear the thought of giving them up, even though I knew I could .  They were my little guys, and even though I was feeling indifferent, I couldn’t bear to give them up.  So I started to combat the blah’s head on.

It’s quite hard, but by developing a schedule and keeping to it, much like doing chores as a child, you’ll find things get done.  Try to incorporate crabbing techniques you once took for granted into your daily or weekly to-do list.  Remind yourself on the refrigerator to prepare a meal for the hermies while you or a loved one prepares dinner.  If you live with someone else, have them remind you to care for the hermit crabs.  Even if you don’t want to, try to visit the tank at least once a day and just watch, even if there’s no activity.  Remind yourself that even though you might not want to do it because of the blah’s, the hermies that you don’t want to give up are living, breathing creatures and rely on you to at the bare minimum change their food and water daily or whenever it starts to go bad or run low.

Also, during this time, support is absolutely necessary.  Without support, the hermie blah’s become 100x more difficult.  If you happen to have any RL (real life) crabbing friends, talk to them about it.  Perhaps they’ve underwent the hermie blah’s and have some sort of advice for you.  And if you don’t have RL crabbing friends, there’s always the internet.  If you haven’t already, try joining a crabbing community like the HCA or Crabstreet Journal.  There are so many friendly and supportive people there thateven if they haven’t undergone the hermie blah’s like you have, their support will be crucial during this critical time.  And remember, no question is to stupid.  They’re there to support you.

The blah’s will not go immediately, so if you find crabbing becoming less of a hobby and more of a chore, that’s normal.  I certainly felt that way for a while.  But I thought of my hermies and and kept going.  Do this for at least a month and a half before considering your other option (see “if you answered primarily ‘no'”).  Hopefully, something that either you do or the hermies do in that month and a half reminds you why you fell in love with these little guys in the first place, and, even if the fervor you once had for crabbing doesn’t come back, there’s a spark of it within you.  This is just the start.  Grab at that spark and pull yourself out of the hermie blah’s.

If you answered primarily “no”:

If you answered no to most of the questionnaire, then you’ve most likely reached the end of your crabbing journey.   The novelty has worn off, and you realize that it was just a phase for you, or that there is some other reason keeping you from continuing on.  This is okay. I can’t emphasize this enough.  Crabbing is a hobby or lifestyle that isn’t for everyone.  If you’ve realized that crabbing isn’t your thing, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it even though you really liked it in the beginning.  With all the misinformation floating around about hermit crabs, most people come in with the wrong expectations of what crabbing will be like, and that can potentially lead to the hermie blah’s being the end of their crabbing journey.

If you do decide that crabbing is no longer for you, then please, please, please re-home your hermies into good homes.  The HCA is a great place to place hermie’s up for adoption, as is the hermit crab classifieds from the crabstreet journal.   If you choose either of these routes, you can be sure that the hermies you took good care of are going to good homes, because the members there already know the in’s and out’s of crabbing.

Craigslist can be a  good place to go to rehome, but on CL people tend to only know the misinformation.  Offer as much or as little of the equipment to them as you want, but most importantly, please, please, please try to teach them the proper ways of crabbing before handing them over.  You’ve taken such good care of them prior to this point, and even though you no longer want to or can no longer care for them doesn’t mean that they should go to the first responder.  Think of it like you were giving away a beloved family pet, like a dog or a cat due to circumstances beyond your control.  Would you really want to give fido or fluffy up to the first person, even if they look like they might take terrible care of them?  Then don’t do it to your hermies.  People tend ot be more receptive to learn the right way then you might think, especially if you give them all the right tools.

And once you’ve re-homed your hermies and given away or sold your equipment, sit down and pat yourself on the back.  Your journey with crabbing might be over, but you did a great job before the hermie blah’s got the better of you.  And don’t forget–don’t feel guilty.  It happens to the best of us.

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I’m hoping this wasn’t too terrible, and can actually be of help to someone.  Till next time.

 

A long-coming update

So apparently I haven’t posted since the end of February, which I can’t say is all that surprising.  Around the time I posted Sookie’s story, I started feeling rather apathetic about crabbing.  I don’t know if it was due to stress (my dog was dying around that time, and has since passed on, my roommate was trying to find herself, schoolwotk started piling up, and the like), or because my hermies weren’t doing anything.  I would hear them at night, but never see them for weeks on end, or on the off chance I did see them, they would hide from me if I so much as flinched 12 feet away.  Perhaps it was a combination of the two.  No matter what the reason, the result was the same.

I became neglectful of my duties.  Although I often checked the thermometer and hygrometer to make sure that everything was all right, but I stopped cleaning the sand, I let the water levels drop lower than I normally would (I NEVER let them run out of water), and I left the food sit there longer than I normally would (I would take it out when it molded).  I didn’t want to deal with them, but at the same time I didn’t want to give them up or completely forsake them.  It was some weird point where I reached a stalemate in crabbing.

All that changed earlier last week when Talon finished his molt.  He started shortly after my last post.  He’s most definitely molted, as he’s now a very nice apple color and quite hairy.  He’s also become very active.  And as he’s my jumbo, I can see him almost anywhere in my dorm.  So watching Talon do everything that Jack used to before he became severely withdrawn made some of my passion come back.  It isn’t completly back (I’m still trying to figure out why only one or two other crabs other than Talon seem to be out–I have 8), but it’s slowly returning.  I’ve cleaned the tank and I’m more diligently watching the water levels and food decay.  I’ve also realized that I want to get a digital gauge and possibly upgrade to a 20g when I get home.

Talon emerging has also reminded me that his shell is far, far too small for him.  Back when I first got him, he barely moved around, and often dug, so he didn’t really seem interested in anything.  But now that he’s all freshly molted and running all over the place, I see just how small it is.  And despite its small size, he seems to be getting along fine (that’s just an observation).  However the trouble is that I have no idea what size to get him.  He is a very large jumbo crab, and his shell is so small I cannot accurately measure the shell or correctly gauge how large the current shell is.  And seeing as retail stores don’t typically carry jumbo (or at least Talon)-sized shells, I have to order them online.  And in order to order them online, I have to know the size.  He’s much, much larger than any of my other crabs, so I really don’t want to buy a whole bunch of various sizes to find the right one (nor do I really have the funds to use trial and error).

I’ve also come to realize that my tank is in desperate need of a deep cleaning.  The sand and eco-earth are soggy, and the parts around where the food were are kind of honey-soaked, the moss is on its way out,  and I could use some new hideys.  However, I cannot do anything until I go home–which, luckily, I will be doing in about three weeks.  So a deep-cleaning will definitely be in my future.  It’s my first deep clean, and I’m a little anxious, especially since I don’t know where most of my hermies are.  But by god everything needs to be changed.

Finally, a sad update to Sookie’s story.  Shortly after posting my hopeful message, Sookie took a turn for the worst.  First she started streaking, and despite my best efforts to reshell, she refused to do so.  But even then she was resilient.  It wasn’t until she started to foam at the gills did I realize it was a hopeless case.  I had to look up exactly what caused such a condition.  Apparently it’s brought about when it’s too hot or too dry.  It was neither, so I’m not sure what.  And from what I learned about the foaming, it’s pretty much a precursor to death.  I held out for her, but in the end she sadly passed on.  I wish I had happier news for her, but there it is.