land hermit crabs

mellowvision said:
I've always been curious about just how much they can climb. specifically, can they climb a vertical-ish piece of wood out of the water? I'd like to have hermit crabs in a tank with a deep end.
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As long as there's no damage to their legs, yes they should be able to climb that. They have nice sharp little nails at the end of their walking legs. They can actually hurt a little. As long as an item has a rough texture to it (and it's crabby safe), they should be able to climb it.
 
I tried bark when I had them, it got mold on it and killed them all. Can you find some playsand at a hardware store? Mostly all of them have some. Or look for a pool specializing store for pool filter sand.
 
Look for something called Eco Earth. It's shredded coconut husk. If you moisten it with salt water, it will retard mold growth. I use Instant Ocean salt and mix it as directed for salt water fish. Use 80 oz. per brick, and it should be perfect. It will retain moisture and keep the inside of the crabitat humid. If you still like sand, use play sand (also moistened with salt water). You can do half of the tank in sand, and half in EE.
 
sinner41265 said:
Look for something called Eco Earth. It's shredded coconut husk. If you moisten it with salt water, it will retard mold growth. I use Instant Ocean salt and mix it as directed for salt water fish. Use 80 oz. per brick, and it should be perfect. It will retain moisture and keep the inside of the crabitat humid. If you still like sand, use play sand (also moistened with salt water). You can do half of the tank in sand, and half in EE.
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What he said.

They need substrate that they can tunnel in. This is important for molting. They also just enjoy digging and sometimes do it as a means to regulate their temp or to de-stress. Moist substrate is important so their tunnels and caves don't collapse on them.
 
the stuff im using is called exo terra bark substrate will it work? its really deep in mine and the crabs should be able to move it with out a problem. if its not good for crabs im just gonna ctah some bugs in my backyard come summer and make it a backyard biotope
 
I'm about to try plantation soil, supposedly like the plantable version of eco-earth. I'll let you know what I think. I won't have hermits, but will be able to tell you if they'd be able to burrow.

it does sound like wet sand with some buried driftwood for support here and there would be better.
 
I don't think I've ever seen exo terra bark but it doesn't sound like it would be good for making tunnels or caves. (assuming it's like tree bark?) I think sand and/or coconut fiber would be your best bet. If you try anything else just be sure there is nothing in it that could be harmful to the hermit crabs (pesticide free for example) and of course that they can dig down in it.
 
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