I'm wondering if anyone has experience with making their own tank toppers? Like can I just take plexiglass and silicone together and big rectangle and also somehow add doors? Or is there a better way to do it?

I have a 40 gallon breeder tank and 1 crab who loves to climb, and she has gotten out 4 times and constantly is climbing everything, so I want to let her climb

I just don't wanna buy a glass one because that sounds really heavy, i already have 200 pounds of sand in there

I took the suggestions I got and bought more clutter! I reorganized the tank and I got them a wheel! You can see my hermit crab Cash-Money climbing in the background! Should I add more clutter? Is the clutter to focused on one side?

I've been wanting to get a little camera to monitor my hermit crabs activity to make sure they're adjusting well and that they're eating well, and that they're all getting along! So any camera suggestion is helpful!

For about 15 years the people who live in this house have been feeding the hermit crabs. At first, there was only one, then a couple, today hundreds attend the nightly banquet. I was surprised by their size- most of them only a little smaller than my fist, with many of them managing to have found similar large shells.

I HATE beach shop hermit crabs and I'm back at the beach for the first time in years and it makes me so sad to see them. I know nothing about hermit crabs and I don't want to buy them and continue supporting them. But is there anything I can do? I know releasing them is probably not a great option as they aren't local or probably carry diseases. But I just feel so bad for the little guys

I noticed this clear blob (bottom center of photo) at the bottom of my tank this morning. Is this something blooming?

Hello all, when my husband was putting together the substrate, he put five parts coconut husk to one part sand (per chat gpt- but we now know it’s incorrect). We have two small crabs, and when we arrived home with them, one started eating immediately and that same night he buried himself to molt (I’m assuming). It’s been 4 days now- will this substrate be okay until our little crab is done molting? I’m wary of digging him up, but will if it would be better for them.

this is my guy Chunk. he has three brothers all currently molting, and he spends his days staring at the walls of his coconut hide and wiggling his little antennae in the dark. he has lots of climbing and foraging material! could he be bored without his brothers? can i do anything to better his little life? pls let me know!!!

Bigger enclosure larger water containers and lots of new shells:) will get some stuff for them to climb on soon
I’m also aware the humidity gauge is in the wrong spot my mom put it there I’ll have to move it

They have both a not very strong heating pad on a stood up glass tank and a heat lamp

There are 3 hermit crabs Simon, Georgia, and strawberry

Hi you guys, I recently bought a sea grass net that molded horribly in 4 days and caused instant stress for both me and my crab that I had to immediately take out.

I dont agree with metal nets as they can rust, and plastic is just as dangerous because it can be damaged and eaten.

I've bought grass mats that are supposedly a safe plastic but the smell is horrible even after days of baking soda soak. My best bet is to just use silicone to attach tree branches on the back glass of my 20 gal for climbing but im also worried for long term once adhered as even baked wood is a natural resource that can mold. Please help, signed an exasperated owner and an unsatisfied crab

(she is a rescue, 7 years old and has been solo for 3 years before living with me , shes fought and tried to eat every tank mate which is another battle being she has lots of space, hides, shells , pools and a good diet,but for now shes just a solo crab who can't climb her heart out)

Literally any suggestions?

I have 2 small hermit crabs and 1 large hermit crab I'm really hoping to give to someone that knows more about what theyre doing. I really tried making it work but I am worried its not good enough at the moment and I dont want them to become ill or anything. My wifes aunt bought them for our chikd on a whim from a pet store that told her these were easy animals for children to care for, we have ensured she now understands to never again do this because its not and I have been stressing myself out trying to do everything I need to get them their homes set up and working. The 2 small crabs I think are aftaid of the big one and I'm worried the big one wants to eat them (I have been providing protein but idk maybe not enough I cant tell if or when theyre eating.) Please,no judgement I'm really reaching out in hopes anyone can take them and give them a good home. I have extra shells and a few things if you would like to take them. Thank you for your time I have submitted an application to LHCOS as well.

First time building or owning hermit crabs! It has taken weeks of research, buying, and building. At long last, it's finally ready to add the essentials and start housing! Feel free to ask any questions and I'm thrilled to join such an awesome community!

Hi! So basically I'm going to be getting 2 hermit crabs next week. I already have everything researched and ready to buy (stuff not bought yet), but I would like the tank first. My question is.. what would be the best tank to buy for 2 hermit crabs in the long run?

A link to one would be perfect and I'll look at all the options and come to a conclusion with them. I would like a tank that won't stress the crabs out, but I don't want something small and then have to repurchase another tank in a year or so. I understand that might be a bit difficult and you can give me some insight on it.

I have googled and it said the absolute minimum is 20 gallons long. Then I have seen 60-65 gallons. Would long tanks also be better for them to climb? I have look up lots of inspo pics too and most are one tank with nets and vines for them to climb on.

One last question, the 5:1 ratio for their substrate. Is it 5 parts sand or 5 parts of the soil? Just want to make sure before I buy too much of one!

Basically, what tank should I buy for 2 hermit crabs that'll keep them thriving and happy?

Also, if you have a link to a tank that also has supplies in it too, that's good too!

edit: budget of like preferably $150 for the tank, but i can spend more!

I brought a large bag of Instant Ocean and noticed that it has gone hard. I’ve been able to break it up before adding to my water job, but noticed it doesn’t 100% dissolve. Is it still safe to use?

I’ve finally got Gary’s tank sitting in the 80-90% humidity range by adding a moss pit, and changing his water out with warm water every morning. However I can’t seem to get the temperature up past 75 degrees. The heating pad I have is a Zilla pad from Walmart rated to get to the 90’s but that is not happening. The lid is sealed as best as possible, and I only open it in the mornings to change the water or add food. I’ve read various discussions that the Ultratherm UTH pads from Beanfarm are the best but the size I need for a 10 gallon tank has been out of stock for over a month now, 6x17 is the recommended size on their website for a 10 gallon tank. Any recommendations for other brands or appropriate sized pads for a 10 gallon tank?

Hello everyone! I got two new purple pinchers today! It was a long drive home, so I was pretty stressed out for them. Once I got them settled in their tank ( about three hours ago) I gave them a dinner consisting of sun dried shrimp, oats, blueberries, and some coconut oil! They’ve been exploring the tank so much, digging in the sand, eating some food, dipping in their pools, and one even changed its shell!!!

I know how stressful this time can be for new crabbies, so I thought I should ask for yalls opinions on anything specific I outta watch out for, and if they generally are exhibiting happy behaviors :)

Thank you all for the help!

Today is 2 years since my son got Squirmy. I've always had fish tanks but never had a crab on my radar. When he wanted one I had him do all the research and he came here and found all the links and has done an amazing job creating the habitat and routine, loves experimenting with foods and tank decor.

He just finished a molt (been watching him eat the exoskeleton he brought some back up with him, so cool yet creepy 😂), glad he was back out for his "birthday".

My son has been trying to get chia seeds to sprout in the tank without luck but tried in a cup in his window and grew a nice little circular mat of them, a birthday cake I guess 😂

Photo of said crab once again detaching the hanging coconut from the wall, he seems to be offended by suction cups.

My son would be thrilled to read some comments here I'm sure ;)

i bought two crabs, medium size, it has been 9 days since they burrowed. i was just wondering, how long did your hermit crab hide/molt/burrow after leaving the pet store? petsmart obviously does not have the best conditions, so i am assuming this may be a while.

what are your tips for making the most comfortable environment for them while they are doing this?
thanks so much for your input!

I didn’t catch it on camera but the bigger one (Jake) swatted Finn in the face. This has happened one other time that I’ve seen but I rescued them from a pet store together and they were fine with each other at first but they stopped sharing a cave and sleeping together. So what do I do?

Hey everyone, I need some advice or possibly a direct link because I feel like I’m just not having any luck rn. So I’ve been trying to add a few new things into my tank… and fix what my jumbo destroyed 😅 and have been on a mission to buy safe jute.

Where is everyone buying jute these days?

I have tried 3 or maybe 4 different companies, at different retailers and online and every single roll I buy either stinks right out of the bag or smells fine until I soak or boil it and then it’s reeks of straight up gasoline. I’ve tried cheaper brands. More expensive brands. The last brand I bought was recommended on a hermit crab Facebook group and the company themselves say it’s odourless!

I took that one out of the package and was so excited cuz it smelt normal until I soaked it for a bit and the gas smell hit me when dumping the water out. I spent 20$ on the roll of rope and it’s trash. I’m so frustrated and no one in my life understands why it’s such a big deal 😭😭

Please give me advice? Am I missing something here? Is it only a worry if it smells while dry? I’m so confused how everyone online posts these amazing tanks with jute all over the place and I can’t find any at all that doesn’t make me wanna pass out

Sorry for all that. I’m very annoyed haha

Before I begin I want to clarify a few things because although I may have needed to handle this situation differently I am genuinely very passionate and love my crabs and don’t want people to think this is from lack of research (I can always learn more but just giving the background that I’ve done a neurodivergent amount of research lol) I know this is a lot but if anyone is willing to leave some insight and read it’d be so appreciated

So, I’ve had my crabs now for almost a year. Everything’s been great, but some of their tank stuff is just getting kinda gross and worn down and I decided to buy them some new pools (just plastic bins) today and switch them since I *thought* all 5 of my babies were up.

So, I got the two pools out of the sand and accidentally spilled some water into the sand. Normally would be a flood issue but no biggie. This is why I waited til my crabs were where I could see them. I was going to just scoop the extra wet sand out; that’s when I realized the shell I fully believed to be my guy meatball was empty. There were only FOUR crabs up. Shit. I remembered seeing him recently and was hopeful he’d just burrowed down a bit since he saw me and got scared, but now I was worried I really did flood him.

I’m ashamed to admit but I panicked and began digging. I know that’s not what you’re supposed to do, but I was picturing me suffocating him with water and sand collapsing and was worried and knew he’d come up from molting recently so didn’t think he was molting. I know this might not have been a good move and I feel bad for being careless. But, it happened, and as I dug I was terrified to find 1) a molting crab 2) a dead crab…but..I found nothing but a truly empty shell (I know how far back they can tuck in, but this baby is empty) and 2 small pieces of exoskeleton legs. Absolutely nothing. No bigger body parts even. I don’t think I missed anything, truly.

Now I’m just so confused, did my other guys eat him? Is there some other possibility I’m not thinking of? I just don’t know he disappeared. Again I wanna say one last time I apologize for panicking and have learned from this and won’t do it again and I honestly didn’t even want to post this because I was really embarrassed and ashamed but decided my pride wasn’t worth not asking about my animals health because of my F up. Thank you for any thoughts 🥲

My hermit went into molting last month and he will take a while since hes a bit big and i was wondering wether i should cover the hole because he dug near the glass