Find Live Listings for Reptile Terrarium Kit on eBay Below
 |
Scroll Down to Find Even More Reptile Terrarium Kit Below
Can i use Reptile Sand with my hermit crabs?
I forgot to buy some when i got the Starter Kit (it didn't come with sand) and i have to wait until my parents go back to Petsmart because i don't drive. We do however have sand thats for our leopard geckos terrarium. Would that be safe?I'm thinking its pretty much the same as Hermit Crab sand. Also how often should i mist out their habitat?I've been doing it once every 2 days or so is that too much?Thanks!
Starter kits are not really good because the tank does not provide enough surface space for two water bowls, a food bowl , climbing stick as well as a place to hide, it does not allow you top provide a deep enough substrate for which the hermit crab needs to burrow to molt in, sand is meant to be used dry,a compressed Coconut fiber product will allow burrowing, it provides a second food source as they will pick through it looking for food particles and it will hold in moisture making misting unnecessary(in the wild hermits do no get misted) as there will be enough humidity in the air, You need a hygrometer to show you how much humidity that you have in your air, enclosed is a couple shortened parts on substrates, humidity and water from my research paper on land hermit crabs, try to find a bigger tank or tub to use, be sure they cannot escape from it as they are very good escape artists.
4..The Importance of Clean Dechlorinated Water
The water needs to be dechlorinated. The chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals in most tap water can kill hermit crabs by causing the gills to blister. Aging water will remove the chlorine, but not chloramines, a dechlorinator is a mustYou can use spring water instead but make sure nothing has been added .While the Purple Pincher does perfectly fine with only fresh water it is nice to have a bowl of salt water too..Salt for aquariums does not contain harmful Iodine in table salt bowls must be non metallic, plastic or ceramic is best.Hermit Crab adults will drown if left submerged. Allow enough water so the hermits can fill their shells with water.Only but rinse dishes out with dechlorinated water.
2..Proper Humidity levels
The Ideal humidity level is 65% to 80%, but can do ok with a level of 55% to 60%, proper humidity keeps their gills from drying out and other important soft body parts like the abdomen, this is essential for adequate oxygen exchange. It is important to not completely enclose a tank so that the humidity level is too high causing shell rot from fungus, for each of these ailments there is no known cure. .Hermit crabs are tropical animals and need warm temperatures in the 75-85°F range. Heat damage is irreversible, and temperatures that are too low slow down a crab's metabolism. An improper environment can cause your crab to become lethargic and inactive, lose limbs and ultimately, die.Crab's gills being exposed to low humidity is like us holding our breath too long.
6.Various Substrates
Which substrate to use is what makes the hermit crabs happy. Many owners use coconut fiber it can be found in most pet stores coconut fiber seems to be their first choice.Coconut Fiber comes in blocks reconstituted with hot dechlorinated water, hermits love to dig through it for bits of food and molting time hermits will burrow into it to hide and for darkness, the ideal substrate is moist for burrowing making sand not a good choice in most cases.Course gravel can scratch their exoskeletons or injure soft body parts .pine or cedar type are not a good choice because the sap is toxic.Coconut fiber aka Forest Bedding®, Bed-A-Beast®, and Eco-Earth®
13.Books
Hermit Crab CareTFHPublications,
Land Hermit Crabs Phillip de Vosjoli,
Hermit Crabs ( Sue Fox ),
Hermit Crab ( Audrey Pavia ),
Hermit Crabs for Dummies (Kelli A. Wilkins)
14.Materials
Books (see above),Compressed Coconut Fiber
Cuttlebone
Humidity Gauge or hygrometer and thermometer
,Specific Gravity meter to measure salt content in water,
Tetra Fauna Hermit Crab Meal and Hermit Crab cakes,
HBH Hermit Crab Variety Bites,
Stress Coat water conditioner (helps when they are molting),
A Water Dechlorinater product for marine aquarium water,
Marine aquarium sea salt (No Iodine)
Non Metallic water and food dishes,
Tank with Mesh lid,
Choya climbing stick
A small quarantine tank for Molting Crabs. Written By Cheryl Millard (c) 2009
|
 Exo Terra Reptile Terrarium Desert Habitat Kit 12x12x12  US $129.99
|
 Exo Terra Reptile Terrarium Invertebrate Habitat Kit US $132.99
|
 Naturalistic Terrarium Waterfall Kit Reptile Tank WK 10 US $29.49
|
