Crab Claws

Crab Alert!

2007-02-17T18:50:00.000-05:00

The crabs have been crazy today! And I'm trying to pull all of my experience together so that they will make it through.
First of all, Daki, my boyfriend's crab, is molting. I was fluffing up the sand and adding saltwater when I pulled up a crab hanging out of his shell. I felt so bad because he his my boyfriend's. I am pretty sure it moved some, and it smelled fresh. So I put it in a 2-Liter ISO for now. He should pull through in a few weeks. Keep Daki in your hopeful thoughts! =-)
And second, just a moment ago, I saw Titan examining a shell... Igantius' shell! (Ignatius changed into a new white whale eye shell). Quickly I opened the cage and there was Ignatius, obliviously climbing some cholla wood naked! I took Titan and put her in the moss pit by herself. I looked into the shell to see if anything was the matter, and I saw something white and somewhat big so I dunked it in the saltwater to get it out. Immediatly, Ignatius was back in his shell. I put him in the opposite side where the shells are. I can't really call this a shellfight. Ignatius probably would have chirped if someone was going to take his shell.

I'll hopefully have better updates. Wish my 'lil babes luck!

Before a herm's eyes!

2007-02-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

Albeit! I've redone my tank again! But I was certain to not dig up any molters/buriers that are in the EE. I rearranged the second levels a bit, changed dishes, and I bought this new fake log. It looks great and the hermies really enjoy it. I also added the fake plant and some netting into the mix. Hopefully all this decor will encourage the crab's natural activity. I'm very happy with it now and will not be redecorating for another month when it is cleaned.

And that isn't all! Guess who got two new Ecuadorians!? ME! The one below was in the shell to the right when we got him, and changed today into the pretty Babylon shell! I still think he is rather cramped in it, so maybe he'll change again. Both are he's.
The other crab was in a Magpie turbo and is an E too. He was digging at the store and immediatly dug down in the EE. I think he's going to molt. But this little guy (I've named Ignatius) can't seem to sit still! I caught him eating a few times too. I hope my four crabs resurface soon. I've vowed to stop digging them up. I'll keep up the good work and post more soon!

Of Mice and Molts!

2007-02-03T20:02:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah! I am back. I hadn't really gave much attention to my hermies since last post but I'm back in the groove in the things and I plan on getting some more in a few days or so. I've found that a few have molted or are molting. I always was fearing this day! The crab below was the one I found that had molted and I can't tell if it is Coral or Lucky! (Speaking of, Crab Files #3 will be posted once my crabs resurface). I think Onyx may have molted as well, she looks huge compared to her prior size. And I found Titan molting and ISOed him, sadly he lost his left walking leg during and still won't change shells!
My boyfriend gave me his last crab (all of his died :-( *tear*) It is an E and I've named it Daki. I've yet to be able to sex it because it has buried as well as Onyx and the other teeny PP.

I'm very pleased with this 'tat. It works well and looks nice. I'm still trying to add in a plant somewhere. And I have added two second levels! These are my best yet! Both have moss in them.
I bought some new Babylons too, no changes recently. Wish me luck, I will post very soon!

Under a Rock?

2006-10-05T16:41:00.000-04:00

I'm afraid so. It seems my hermit obsession was dead, non? But it recently was sparked again when I cleaned out the cage! It is now all playsand with a little bit off coconut bedding in the deep side. When I received my grand package for free from a kind someone it was chock-full of goodies. The two cholla woods, green twist ladder, and suction plant are from her. They make a nice jungle feel and they love to climb and nibble the cholla. This is really more sleek and I hate the EE stuff. It is super messy, gets pretty compacted, and just looks bleak. My crabs really like this new setup and I hope everyone else does too. I am happy to let my blog regain life. I implore you to keep returning! In other news, My good friend's sister's crab died so he gave the mate to me. It was named John, but upon finding it's gender, I named her Jade. Picture of her soon! And I recently won a crab contest at CSJ, I won the four corals, a keychain, and the crab hat! Yay for me. Keep returning, byebye! Crab out!

Crabitat to the Max!

2006-07-18T17:38:00.000-04:00

I recently received a box full of crab related goodies from a very kind woman on Crab Street Journal. Thank you for giving me such nice things. I haven't been able to put them ALL to use though. Here are the most recent pictures of my crabitat. It is 20L and now has a 2nd floor along with a side of FB that the crabs love to burrow in! I have a lot more shells and they seem super happy. I have one question though, is the half-log hermit-safe? Just wondering. Thanks everyone, good bye for now.

Crab Files #2

2006-07-14T21:39:00.000-04:00

Titan
Date: 7/1/06
Sex: F
Size: Small
Species: Ecudorian

Coral
Date: 6/22/06
Sex: F
Size: Teeny
Species: Purple Pincher

Onyx
Date: 6/15/06
Sex: F
Size: Small
Species: Ecudorian

Lucky
Date: 7/13/06
Sex: F
Size: Teeny
Species: Purple Pincher

Lilac
Date: 7/11/06
Sex: F
Size: Medium
Species: Purple Pincher

Crabby Cuisine

2006-07-10T15:13:00.000-04:00

You are probably wondering what gourmet foods crabs eat. They eat, and need, a large variety of foods and vitamins. Crabs need calcium for their exo's, protein to deminish crab fights, and many other necessary nutrients. You should offer fresh foods to your crabs at least every other day. To view lists of foods good and bad for crabs, visit the Epicurean Hermit.

One of the best parts of being a crab owner is designing your very own crab dishes! I have created two of my own, and I decided to share my tips with everyone!

Coconut Shells

This dish was designed when we had a lot of leftover coconut meat from making two cocohuts. After cleaning the meat several times, it was chopped into small chunks. Later, eggshells were added for extra calcium. I stored it all in a bag with a paper towel in the freezer.

Salty Shrimp and Celery Leaves

This is the new dish I have created! After dining at a china buffet, I snuck some shrimp home with me! Today I chopped it up and pulled it all apart the best I could. Next I added the ends (leaves) of some celery and chopped it all up. I added LOTS of uniodized sea salt to the dish. After everything was mixed, I cleaned it and added dechlorinated water to it and then filled an ice tray with the dish! Now when they need a shrimp cube, I'll just pop one out! These shown are not yet frozen.

I always add powdered cuttlebone to my crabs dishes, it provides mega calcium.

I currently use this commercial food with fresh foods, or by itself.

Shell Swap

2006-07-09T10:41:00.000-04:00

I recently purchased a little bag of shells at WalMart. And then I got some different kind, larger, for free at a yard sale. I boiled them, too. When I awoke this morning, guess what!!!?

Onyx is a new crab in his shell! I am so happy, now I can discard that disgusting thing in the back!

Yay! I am getting even more shells to make my crabs even happier!

WOAH! I've done it again!

2006-07-06T21:26:00.000-04:00

I have lots of things to talk about. I have been told that I have two Ecudorian crabs, Titan and Onyx. I also saw Onyx drinking some salt water, it was so cute!
Another thing, Titan was on top of the pink rock. I pulled her off to try and measure her opening and she chirped 4 times! I was so amazed! It was by far the greatest thing in my crab life.
But the big news is the new 20 gallon long tank we purchased today! I also got a PetCo Pals card!

What does everyone think? I hope they like it... and I also hope it was an investment not a waste! Please comment and give me some ideas!

Stampede!!!

2006-07-04T18:25:00.000-04:00

Hello. Titan has been dying to get out of the cage and it is making crazy x.x
Titan and Coral below.

Titan in the 10gallon, climbing a pink rock formation.

This is a closeup of Titan.

All three of my crabs.

So leave a comment and let me know what you think. I powdered up some cuttlebone today for them.

Crab Files #1

2006-07-02T01:17:00.000-04:00

The crab files are a series of files posted from time-to-time to update on the crabs.

Onyx
Sex: ?
Date: 6/15/06

My first crab. He is probably the least friendly and doesn't like being held. If you do hold him long enough he will twist over and pinch! Onyx is very shy but enjoys trying to get away. He rarely will stay in his shell, but runs when someone moves. After bathing them today, Onyx has seemed a little lazy. He was digging two days ago. I also managed to catch him eat.

Coral
Sex: F
Date: 6/22/06
Our second crab. She is most friendly and least shy. She is also easy to hold. I managed to see her eating three times. After the bath today, she has retreated to the CoCoHut and hasn't done much. I just hope she isn't planning on molting. We sexed her today. Coral has the brightest coloring of all the crabs. Enjoys climbing.

Titan
Sex: F
Date: 7/1/06

Our third crab. She is largest, hence the name Titan. She was out looking around since we put her in the container for PetCo. She almost gave me a pinch. Titan made a mess of my cage trying to escape. But she is settling in well. I don't think she will dig or die. I seem to get very nice crabs from PetCo. I also sexed her.

Yeah, hi there...

2006-07-02T00:50:00.002-04:00

From Thursday at other blog:

Nothing much today. I am sleepy. I had to change servers for the website. Bleh. Tripod is no good, too many ads. Sorry everyone! In crab news: Nothing new today. Onyx was walking around some today. I noticed that the sand was really warm so I turned the heater to low. Onyx and Coral seem to enjoy their company now. They sat atop the pink formation all day. Onyx somehow managed to cling onto the towel draping their cage. I miss my boyfriend a lot and I bet he misses his little crabbies. Hmm, I may go to Petsmart this weekend and if I do expect a new addition to the crab family! Yay! Please check out our new forums. OH! I will be able to put some crappy pics up with my cell phone, I could do video but I was unable to find a converter. So here is a taste of the future. Actually, it is the 10 gallon crabitat!

Look good for a cell phone pic? Better than nothing I guess. I'll keep you posted on any new happenings. But, they both seem to enjoy the new food I purchased. Crab Island Fruit and Flower Food. I tasted it and it wasn't that bad. I replaced the large fish dish with a smaller plastic tuppaware lid and put a sponge in it. The cage is close to bare right now, but tomorrow I will be adding some bamboo (unlike the old kind), and a flower pot hide spot. I hope they like them. Till tomorrow then. BYE!

Hermit

2006-06-25T16:53:00.000-04:00

Hi there! Last night I was checking up on my crabs when I found Coral casually resting on Onyx's shell! I took a picture but my computer is having problems. Matt and I watched them. Coral was holding on to Onyx shell by having his little legs on the inside part. I tried to seperate them but no use. Coral was being quite aggressive later so I spritzed him with water till he let go. I can only imagine they were playing (although Onyx wasn't to enthused) or Coral was wanting that shell. I haven't seen anymore disputes between them since though. I plan on redoing their crabitat once I save up enough for a 15-20 gallon tank. I may have to keep them in another room though. I haven't checked on them a lot today. I tried to give them celery last night but I don't think they touched it. I've been looking at some of the crabitats and crab websites online and I am quite envious. I hope to gain more crabs and I may try to have a yard sale next weekend to earn some money. OH! Please leave some comments, I am certain you won't have to sign up.

Crabs, Pinchers, and Shells-Oh My!

2006-06-23T11:42:00.000-04:00

Ok, I recently bought a hermit crab with my boyfriend, Matt. We got our first one on June 15th alond with a hermit crab kit that came with: sand, palm tree, dish, mister, and a sponge. I soon realized that wasn't going to be adequate for our little guy. I had some extra money so I went to walmart and bought a plastic storage container for about 8$ and I also got some shells in a basket for about 6$. My mama had a big bag of sand so that helped a lot. The basket of shells had a lot of shells to make good dishes. So I got his cage all set up and found a heating pad to use (even though you shouldn't use them...) but it barely warms it up in there. So things were going well, and yesterday we bought another crab! Ok... there is the story so here are pictures! I don't know any of there genders so they are called males.

This is there home as of now. It doesn't look to snazzy right now though. I recently picked that bamboo from my yard and put it in there for climbing. The fish shaped dish holds there water and it is surrounded by shells. To the right it a pink rock for climbing or hiding under. There are 3 sponges in there. And the dish of food is near the bottom. There are also shells to change into scattered about.

Above: That is Coral our 2nd crab. We took him home yesterday and bathed him. Then we let them play together. Later that night Coral was helping himself to the food!

This is Onyx our first crab. Onyx is very active and won't ever stay in his shell! I wish he would change shells though because his looks really unpleasant. I hope he doesn't molt soon because of his color...