My hermit crabs keep eating sand. Why?
maybe it doesnt like the food it has now. try changing the food. if that doesnt work, try using tiny pebbles instead of sand. i dont think its natural. i had two hermit crabs and they never did that.
Hermit crab sand?
My 16 years of experience can offer you this..... You can use it but it must be washed with dechlorinated water, then rinsed with marines salt dechlorinated water and then dried in an over in batches. That is the only way to make found sand hermit crab safe! AND whatever you do.. do NOT ever use BLEACH on anything that your crabs will have contact with!!!!! AND for the supposive vet in the house...LOL The sand will not hurt it's legs etc...that is ridiculous, they live in sand, sandy dirt and some live inland in the jungle type areas with all kind of stuff...LOL Found sand will NOT HURT THEM! You just have to wash it but DO NOT use chemicals of cleaners! I have yet to meet a vet that knows squat about land hermit crabs... they are not even animals!!! DO NOT buy the sand in pet stores!!!!! They are just stealing your money!!! It smells clumps and gets stuck on the crabs. Offer cuttle bone and egg shells for calcium it is better for them anyway then making them eat sand! Go to home depot, Lowe's, Ace Hardware or Wal-Mart and buy PLAY SAND that is for children's sand boxes, is washed and screened and is safe for kids. DO not buy masonry or construction sand. BUT if you are willing to clean the found sand then go for it!!! It will only be safe if you clean it.
My hermit crab is eating sand?
In the wild hermit crabs eat scraps of food from the sand and even the actual sand My hermit crabs eat sand and they lived for 2 years and are still living Hermit crabs are messy eaters that carry tiny pieces of food with their claw and bury it in the sand to eat later which is why your hermit crab eating sand hermit crabs have the ability to digest sand
What do hermit crabs eat?
Baby hermit crabs enjoy feeding on plankton until they mature and feed on the normal hermit crab diet. They are typically hatched in the wild and need oceanic conditions to mature. When the baby hermit crabs are in their larvae stage, they cannot eat large foods and must be fed marine infusoria. This is a single-celled organism that can be found on any type of marine algae. After the baby hermit crabs are over one week old, they are fed tiny brine shrimp coated with Spirulina. Spirulina is a type of algae that is grown in fresh water and the ocean. It can also be found in a variety of health food stores. Once the baby hermit crab has reached maturity, they can be given the same type of food that normal hermit crabs eat. It's important for the baby's to get their nutrients, so you will want to make sure they eat a well-balanced diet before they are given other treats. A pet store can often carry most of the food items your pet hermit crab will need for sustenance. A couple of important items needed for the growth of the hermit crab are to have decayed wood for tannin and leaf litter. They also need a variety of other foods that should be used on a rotating basis. When purchasing commercial food for your hermit crab, check the labels carefully. Refrain from choosing foods that contain ethoxyquin and copper sulfate. These are ingredients that can be found in pesticides and could be harmful. In addition to their commercial food,your hermit crab may also enjoy other treats. Some other foods the hermit crab can't seem to get enough of are peeled grapes, shredded lettuce, cooked potatoes, peanut butter, dried cereal, crackers, coconut, bananas, pears,shredded spinach and apples. When preparing the snacks for your pet hermit crab, make sure to cut the treats into sizes that they can actually pick up with their claws and enjoy. They also have a sweet tooth. You can also try giving them flavored baby food like apple sauce, fruit medley, sweet corn casserole and pears and apples. Try leaving the treats for them to scavenge and find on their own.
Hermit Crab Eating Sponges, Help?
I recently bought a hermit crab and I've been feeding it this mixed food that they had at the pet store. I've noticed that he hasn't been eating it and that is very concerning to me. I also recently noticed that there a large holes in all of his hermit crab sponges that I bought him that look like hes been eating the sponges and one of them is almost all the way gone. Are the sponges ok for him to eat or should I be concerned? Are they normal things for them to eat or is he eating them out of shear desperateness? Is his eating them showing a sign of distress? I do plan on getting him a friend next week. I have been able to keep the humidity where it needs to be. The temperature is a little low though because I have not been able to find him a heater. He has both a fresh water dish and a salt water dish that are both treated with the proper conditioners. I have a natural sand/gravel substrate for him and a couple things to climb around on. I also have 2 extra shells in case he feels to change homes. Can someone help me figure out what is going on and if he is ok? i really like the little guy and I don't want to lose him!!!!
My hermit crabs never come out of hiding?
But I just brought him home from the pet store yesterday! A person I know who has had her pet land hermit crabs for about 15 years tells me that when she brings a new crab home, the crab buries itself in the substrate of the tank for about two weeks to 'acclimate.' So please do not automatically assume that when you bring a brand-new crab home and he buries himself, that he's molting! If you bring him home to an ideal environment, you may have saved his life! Like any animal who has been sick (from a dirty pet store), he will do himself may need some time underground in hermit-crab 'intensive care' to rest and recuperate in darkness and solitude. How do I know exactly what he's up to under there? If your crab completely buries itself, one way to find out whether it's molting or just playing hide-and-seek is to smooth out the sand over and around the 'hidden' crab. Then if the crab 'comes up' at night for a drink or a bite to eat, you'll be able to tell what's going on. Should I mist the spot where he's buried, or do anything else? The best advice for dealing with a buried crab is to leave it alone. Note the date your crab buried itself. If it has not surfaced after about four weeks, you can carefully brush back the sand on the crab and make sure it is still alive. If the crab is still alive and appears to have molted, carefully cover it back up with substrate. On the other hand, if you smell a nauseating odor of rotting fish, it means the crab has died, and you should dig up the corpse and dispose of it. To be sanitary, you may just want to scoop the dead crab up along with the sand it was buried in, and dispose of all of it at once. That way, you won't have the worry of any of your healthy crabs 'catching' whatever was possibly ailing the dead crab.
Hermit crabs?
The pebbles are NOT ok. When they go to molt, they will not be able to dig down. They will have to do a surface molt. Surface molts are really stressful, and hermit crabs often do not make it through them. The reason your hermit crabs aren't eating is probably dislike having the same commercial food fed to them every single day. I recommend http://www.thecrabbagepatch.com/FT202-p-NEW-HERMIT-CRAB-PRODUCTS.htm . It is high in all the vitamins your hermit crab needs. You may also want to feed fresh, organic foods. There is a food list of safe foods at http://www.epicureanhermit.com For hermit crab care, I recommend: http://www.hermitcrabs.tk http://www.crabstreetjournal.com http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com
Can you use calcium sand for a hermit crab ?
I would strongly suggest against using the calsi sand. Many have had problems with the calsi sand. It does need to be used damp because it pulls moisture, (something which is written on the bag too) When it begins to dry it starts to harden almost like a rock. This happens even when mixed with another substrate and has also been known to make it so the hermit crab cannot get out of their shells because of it. It will also get an odor when damp, and is very expensive. I would suggest using CaribSea either the select or sugar grains which are oolitic. This sand will also provide calcium, less expensive than calsi sand, and can be washed and baked many, many times for reuse. Not all substrates need to be used damp, but cocofiber and calsi sand due need to be kept damp if used. A hermit crab is quite capable of dampening their sand to the consistency they want, if they want it damp. (they do not live in dampness 24/7 in the wild) Since you already have the calsi sand, if you opened it you can put a little in a food dish for them to eat if you cannot return the sand.