Hermit crab

[HONESTINJUN]

My Purple Pincher hermit crabs have all went into molt. No smells or consumption of available foods. Is this normal and how long can I expect it to last? I live in the northern NC mountains and the winter climate conditions have arrived. Tank conditions are within ranges, with all nutritional requirements provided.

 

[Uncle99]

I’m in Canada where it’s cold.
My tank experiences a 1 degree drop in average temperatures starting in the fall, all the way to spring.
It may triggered a molt. In my system, I see various spawns as temp changes. So maybe a temperature cue.
So normal in my thinking.

 

[HONESTINJUN]

I’m in Canada where it’s cold.
My tank experiences a 1 degree drop in average temperatures starting in the fall, all the way to spring.
It may triggered a molt. In my system, I see various spawns as temp changes. So maybe a temperature cue.
So normal in my thinking.

I don't want to affect the natural respinse to seasonal change. Its normal. I will continue to provide fresh food/waters and look forsigns of life daily. No smell is a good indication of whats happening, so I have read.

 

[HONESTINJUN]

I grew up in Chautauqua County in N Y, USA. Yhe snowbelt of Lake Erie. I know cold. Ive seen the mercury at-44. Here in NC mountains, it seldom get below zero, but still does.Do you have any advice for me, on how to maintain conditions? Dry heat robs the humidity and I have to close off the vents caising condesation. Any advice will be appreciated

 

[Uncle99]

I grew up in Chautauqua County in N Y, USA. Yhe snowbelt of Lake Erie. I know cold. Ive seen the mercury at-44. Here in NC mountains, it seldom get below zero, but still does.Do you have any advice for me, on how to maintain conditions? Dry heat robs the humidity and I have to close off the vents caising condesation. Any advice will be appreciated

I make no changes to heating at all.

Assuming your heaters are big enough, (I run 2-500 watt heaters and INKBIRD 306 wifi dual probe for 300 gallons) they should not let the change in outside conditions affect your water temp more than 1 degree. This change may coincide with the spawning of some species and in my experience, needs no attention.

If the flux in temp is more than 1 degree, heaters are not big enough.

 

[HONESTINJUN]

I make no changes to heating at all.

Assuming your heaters are big enough, (I run 2-500 watt heaters and INKBIRD 306 wifi dual probe for 300 gallons) they should not let the change in outside conditions affect your water temp more than 1 degree. This change may coincide with the spawning of some species and in my experience, needs no attention.

If the flux in temp is more than 1 degree, heaters are not big enough.

Sorry, I should have written that my hermit crabs are Purple Pinchers, a land crab. They need both salt and fresh water and eat practically anything.

 

[griss]

Maybe add an under tank reptile heater?

https://www.amazon.com/Aiicioo-Heater-Reptile-Heating-Terrarium/dp/B018VQ71JC/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=64507035828&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.oh6zeWNu0vLRtByYzc0yxKFAJyB8dY9GjHrMgSehS476xSUSq4J9A8wLnOE0W0ADQYYlNv_fzyeSz8T6OTkPU2SiLOZqz-Graojp2R88HbqzATnT2yaxsb85oKmqu8oqC8XozGNtEubWXaSIiZ5e5Gtm0HyM-ko_Ipt1n0fHkoqF7K1ARGSNHcxxJY2Gk4ZJ5Kn1Y2V5X1PsUBNDyU6tPA.HXwsmQnK94qp__zNSn5sk6TjNqC5RRiM98GM0uGpPyQ&dib_tag=se&hvadid=664947055163&hvdev=m&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9022805&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=14202418733307985947--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14202418733307985947&hvtargid=kwd-301339666771&hydadcr=9034_13689489&keywords=reptile+heater+pad&mcid=4d75cbc9b8ec3761b557290e80b1b2cd&qid=1763300590&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1

 

[griss]

Well, that link doesn’t look pretty.

 

[HONESTINJUN]

I do have an under-the -tank heater. It keeps things at a consistent temperature. We had fifteen degree weather with straight line high winds. Things got cold, quickly, changing the overall temperature of the room. I live in an old farm house with old windows and mediocre insulation. Helene wrecked my setup by loss of power. Wanting to start an ecosystem again, I am starting with the hermit crab. Ive increased total room temp and weather has eased off. The warmer days may bring them out of molt. Im "fixin to" do a good cleaning and wash things. Areate the sand, other than the sand under the coconut shell Quanset-hut getaways Ive made. They chose to pile sand up, completely blocking the openings. I know I saw one out of its shell but it still had slight movements and there has never been any smell of death. With the greatest of ease, I manipulated the crab into a different larger shell. Same shape and color. I want to eventually have a complete ecosystem. Marine salt water to dry sand land plants and animals. A marine Cephalopod(octopus) to a land arthropod(fruit fly) setup. Being at risk for power loss intermittently, I have started back with creating the land section first. In the spring, I can rely on more suitable weather to help me get it right. I will keep the forum posted and report any significant changes. Bachelor of Science degrees require alot of experiments, give and take, and consistent, detailed documentation. Any advice is accepted. Im happy to be back "reefer-ing". Don't get me started on that issue.

 

[HONESTINJUN]

I do have an under-the -tank heater. It keeps things at a consistent temperature. We had fifteen degree weather with straight line high winds. Things got cold, quickly, changing the overall temperature of the room. I live in an old farm house with old windows and mediocre insulation. Helene wrecked my setup by loss of power. Wanting to start an ecosystem again, I am starting with the hermit crab. Ive increased total room temp and weather has eased off. The warmer days may bring them out of molt. Im "fixin to" do a good cleaning and wash things. Areate the sand, other than the sand under the coconut shell Quanset-hut getaways Ive made. They chose to pile sand up, completely blocking the openings. I know I saw one out of its shell but it still had slight movements and there has never been any smell of death. With the greatest of ease, I manipulated the crab into a different larger shell. Same shape and color. I want to eventually have a complete ecosystem. Marine salt water to dry sand land plants and animals. A marine Cephalopod(octopus) to a land arthropod(fruit fly) setup. Being at risk for power loss intermittently, I have started back with creating the land section first. In the spring, I can rely on more suitable weather to help me get it right. I will keep the forum posted and report any significant changes. Bachelor of Science degrees require alot of experiments, give and take, and consistent, detailed documentation. Any advice is accepted. Im happy to be back "reefer-ing". Don't get me started on that issue.

My Purple Pincher hermit crabs have all went into molt. No smells or consumption of available foods. Is this normal and how long can I expect it to last? I live in the northern NC mountains and the winter climate conditions have arrived. Tank conditions are within ranges, with all nutritional requirements provided.

Theres been no activity in my hermit crab tank since last post. No food eaten or water used. No nighttime noises or smell of death. How long should I wait until I explore for life under the coconut shell? I have noticed a dark spot in the bottom corner adjacent to a shell. 3-4" of sand may mask the odor, i dont know. Can anyone advise me on what my next move should be? Thank you

 

[griss]

Doesn't sound good to me. I know nothing about land hermits but, without any activity at all, I'd suspect it died.

 

[HONESTINJUN]

Doesn't sound good to me. I know nothing about land hermits but, without any activity at all, I'd suspect it died.

I started with two from the beach. Another given to me by a neighbor, and two more from amazon. One of the first two escaped or was taken by a predator when I put them outside in the sun. The next was drowned, most likely from bullying at the claws of the dominate Purple Pincher. It was a different species, with less pronounced pinchers and dark green on light green stripes. The amazon two went into molt as soon as it got cold outside. Ive maintained conditions and am holding out, in hopes of a survivior. The northern NC mountains aren't really the ideal conditions for hermit crabs. We have had sub--freezing weather for over a week, and have had temps below 14° with high winds. Currently we are having freezing rain and iceing on the power lines. Power is intermittent. Thankfully, I have a backup source, but after my absence during the recent 6 hour outage, conditions became less than ideal quickly. Ill maintain the ecosystem and wait until spring to try again. Maybe. I will have better results, for both me and the crabs. Thanks for helping me. I need all the input possible. Im not used to failure.

 

[griss]

Like I said, I don't know much about land hermits. I searched, "Do hermit crabs hibernate" and this is what came back:

So, maybe, it is just inactive due to the cold????

 

[HONESTINJUN]

Like I said, I don't know much about land hermits. I searched, "Do hermit crabs hibernate" and this is what came back:

View attachment 32415257

So, maybe, it is just inactive due to the cold????

I have read snd considered that possibility. Thank you for reinforcing my research. Word of mouth is often more revealing than the written word. I remain open to further comment or advice. Many thanks