we bought 6 hermits in panama city Florida 6 golf ball size ones and 2 jumbo ones, there are two separate crabitats , they are in 10 gallon reptile tanks with a single under substrate heater , the substrate itself is just beach sand that was screened and baked. there are two separate levels of the substrate, one 6 inch and on 3 inch with a reptile log between the two, there are plenty of things for them to climb on suck as a climbing wood and coconut mat on the back wall and other things, we keep food in one dish and water in another, we do use the distiled drinking water for all their waterings and misting, we are trying to do everything we can but we are beginner crabbers and have now lost two crabs or so we think, yesterday one crab was very slow moving igf moving at all, no antenna movement, this morning she (pearl) was dead, i figured she was because she wouldn't move at all and just kinda drooped out of her shell, not all the way but wasn't holding on, so we buried her in the yard, we want to prevent any future crab deaths s could someone please help us out,
Any suggestions on crabs that keep dying , please hep, tell us if there is something we are doing is wrong
How long have you had the crab(s) in question? 1 month to 1 1/2 months
Do you know what species they are? land hermits
Did you/Do you isolate new crabs? no
Tank Size: 10 gallon
Lid Type: sliding screen
Placement of tank in your home: sisters bedroom on dresser
Substrate Used (moist or dry & depth): moist beach sand baked and filtered 3-6 inches
Type of Gauges: Strip/Analog/Digital thermo anologe
Did you test your humidity gauge for accuracy?no dont have one
Placement of Gauges: on top of crabitat
Temperature and Humidity levels in your tank: Degrees % 70 - 80 degrees
Heating Source (if UTH how much of the tank does it cover and how much substrate is over it): under sand heater, abrok 1/4
Lighting Source (type bulbs & wattage): outside room lamp
Do you have at least one area for each crab to hide? no but have large hiding places
Is there any metal in your tank? no
What types of climbing things/toys do you have in your tank? coconut back wall , climbing log, log lean2, log level separator,
What type of water do you use (dechlorinated tap/spring water)?
dechlorinated drinking water from botle
If you use dechlorination drops-which kind? no
Do your provide fresh and salt water? If yes, what type of salt mix do you use? only fresh drinking water, but every other day dip in salt water
Do you provide dishes for water or just sponges? dishes
How many extra shells do you have for each crab? 1
Did you boil the shells prior to putting them in the tank? no but just did
Do you bathe your crabs? If yes, how often and what do you use to bathe them in? daily, fresh and or salt water
Do you only handle your crabs with clean hands? sometimes
How often do you handle them?daily
Have they been exposed to toxins such as chemical/cleaning fumes, perfume, spray deodorant, etc? not that i know of?
Do you allow your crabs to exercise outside the tank? yes
What types of foods do you feed? crab chow, banana, papaya, apple, cheesits,
What do you use as a calcium supplement? cuttle bone shaved with cheese grater.