where did you find them? sea hermit crab or land hermit crab?


maybe the size of the shell not suitable for it already. do you have some additional shells with different sizes? if you think that the shell is still suitable, you can try putting the hermit crab and the shell into a cup for a few hours and see if it will go back into the shell.


i tot noone interested in hermit crabs already...hahaha, long time didnt lurk around here already.

good luck finding it. normally the crabs will be in place that are near to walls, curtains, cupboards, under the sofa and place like that.

hopefully you can find it soon.

hahaha.
normal la. it still does not go into its shell?

you can leave some shells that is the correct size with it. if it sees fit, it will try it out. more extreme way would be isolating it in a small space with the new shells to let it notice the new shells. but it might not change the shell.

it might be molting. normally, hermit crab will try to burry itself when it is trying to molt. anyway, you can try to let it be for a couple of days, if no foul smell (like rotten fish) then it's molting. or else, it's gone to heaven.

there aren't much we can do about a crabie that's not moving.
hopefully it's molting.

how cold do you normally set your AC?

hermit crabs are best staying in temperature around 22~27 degree celcius. or else you will need a heating pad.

oh, you're going to get land hermit crabs right? marine hermit crabs temperature depends on the type of marine hermit crabs you get.

have you read up some articles about them?

knowing what you are getting into is good before you start buying them. you will get some rough idea on their habitat and their behaviours.
below are a couple of sites that provides very good information on land hermit crabs.
http://www.crabstreetjournal.com/
http://www.hermit-crabs.com/
http://www.hermitcrabs.com/


well, they will need some dry land some water. putting water saucers would be fine as well, but remember to change them often.
you can refer http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/hermitcrabs/a/feedhc.htm

This post has been edited by LovesReborn: Jul 16 2010, 07:02 PM

you mean free sand? i don't think you can get those for free, even taking sand from beaches doesn't seem to be legal, but im not sure about that.
i think you should be able to get some from pet store, and for land hermit crabs, you do not necessary get sand, you can get other stuff like coconut husk fiber would work pretty well. you can go to nearest pet store and find out more about that. pets wonderland should have quite a number of options.

you can try to ask for coconut fiber or ask them what substrate are good for land hermit crabs. i am not sure if any pet store sell sand for land hermit crabs.

some time has passed, your hermit crabs still alive?
anyway, if they are still alive, you will firstly need to know whether they are land hermits or marine hermits, their habitats and needs are different. if you found them on the beach, probably they are land hermits, to know how to take care of them, go to the first few pages, some good sources and links are there. read up and you should be alright. hermit crabs are not hard to keep, some kindergarten in western countries keep them as school projects for the children.

salt water is natural in their habitat. land hermit crabs live by the seaside, which means, they live near by salt water. note that the salt water is not = the salt that you found in the kitchen + water, it's oceanic salt water. the waters(fresh and salt) are used for them to drink to bathe and to fill their shell water. by providing both, you are letting them decide for themselves what they need at any point of time.

letting them be for 3 days is a bit dangerous due to the food supply. make sure you have enough water for them, put in some food that can last like carrot slices.

as for the water container, you can always find them at jusco or carrefour. go to the section of plates and bowls, find those saucers, im pretty sure you'll find 1 or 2 that suites you.


you should still be able to get them at pets wonderland.

looks like you already have most of the necessity apart from fresh water. they will need fresh water as well, by the way, your hermit crabs are land hermit crab right?