Hermit Crab Substrate Guide (Good and Bad Types) 

Yay! Glad I could help!

Thank you!

Hermits, Hounds, and Horses can I ask u an important question, you see I’m new to eco earth and I feel I’ve used to much water my hermit crabs are covered in eco earth and the floor is a little bit soggy but also a little cold can you please tell if it’s normal or not Also my hermit crabs broke their food bowl Is there a safe back up I can use

Never mind she died.......😥😢😭

13+ in my opinion, or a verry sensible 11 year old or older

snail house ok sorry I’m 10 but I think I’m pretty responsible

@@birbthebirb318 if you feel it is the right animal for you and you can care for it then that's good. I just get worried when kids are around animals lol

snail house yes me too

I’m 12 and I have mine. I a]have always been very responsible and I have two and they are thriving. But if you are getting one get at least two so they aren’t lonely and do slot of research

Collie doggo same I’m getting one on the 30th of July I have been saving up a lot for them and I hope to give them a great life

Clicky That’s exiting! I hope you love your little crab(s) once they come in ^

Glad that I could help!

Wow! That's great that you have kept your crabs for that long! You are right, I should have specified the water in the video.

Billy Babee I have 15 crabs

Play sand would be better.

Good Question

Mix it

Thanks so much!

really? When I had coconut fibre substrate it dried out really easily and it went mouldy easily too.

Adelaide an egg I use a mix of sand and fiber and a very small amount of dirt it may dry out near the surface but retains moisture under the surface

Thank you!

Glad to help!

Thank you!

Same! I've been using only eco earth but notice it does dry out quickly I have to spray it often but mine too didn't like the sand when I had it in the cage. Did you end up removing the sand?

No, get play sand

You have a good point, I haven't thought of that before.

Beach sand is great if it legal to collect in your area and you clean it before adding to the crabitat.

I think it depends on how much is calci sand. If it's more than 40% of the substrate I probably would, but if it's just a little mixed in with the eco earth it is probably okay temporarily.

You clean the dirt/sand 3-5 times a year. Change the water each 2 days. And change the food every 2 days.

@@lolno1260 Sounds like a hermit crab is not for me.

camss I use a brand called hermit beach sand substrate (It has no calcium). It holds humility a bit better, it’s relatively cheep, and isn’t hugely expensive.

Yes

Some crabs will abandon their shell if they get really stressed. Also crabs will not normally eat each other if they are fed a proper diet.

Honestly, I don't know. It sounds good, but I would google it and look at a few different sources.

Minnie Chan it’s very important that You give hermit crabs other hermit friends. If he is shy then leave it alone. Eventually it will come out of the shell. Hopefully.

Luke Metcalf in total I have three hermit crabs but two are very shy

Just give him some time to trust you. They are naturally timid and need to learn that you won't hurt them. Plus they are more active at night so you might not see him when he is active.

It could be too cold in your house or where he is living

Thats what happened to mine

Beach sand is fine as long as you sterilize it first to make sure there are no bugs. I didn't mention it in the video because it is not legal to collect in all areas.

I can't help much because I have never experienced mites before, sorry.

Daisy Fireford SSO well why would you get a hermit crab if you are doing that to it that is mean if you can’t give it proper care show your this and you need more then one crab but if you are having it in a critter keeper then don’t even bother and if going to die in a mouth that is no way to treat a crab

@@keiralaurice3713 Actually, I did get a new tank abd good substrate! I have three crabs as well. i just got a new one.

Daisy Fireford SSO oh ok thank goodness 😅

Just wanted to add, I’m mixing this batch because I need to add a few more inches, as I only have roughly 3-3.5”.

I would do a little more eco earth like 4 bricks for 50lbs of sand.

You really should have a lid to help with the humidity/prevent escapes. In the meantime you could use plastic wrap.

Feed it lots of fresh and nutritious food. The claw should grow back on the next molt.

Yes! If it is legal to collect in your area, and you sterilize it before giving it to your crabs.

Well I just used the sand were they were just standing on

Yes add water if needed (if not already sandcastle consistency). The best ratio is 5 parts sand to 1 part eco earth, but it honestly doesn't matter that much. Do whatever looks best.

Hermits, Hounds, and Horses Thanks so much, lots of help! Also what heat mats do you,recommend because I’m having trouble finding a good brand

I personally like ultratherm the most.

Yes the sand sold in most pet stores will get stuck in their shells. It is usually called calci sand or hermit crab sand. Gravel is also a really bad option because crabs cannot molt in it. I highly recommend you get play sand (sold for kids sandbox). You can usually find it at Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, or any similar store. Plus it's only $4 to $6.

I have two crabs! I would not recommend gravel because it will break your crabs legs. I use eco earth. It is very cheap at your local pet store

Yes, the eco earth is a form of coconut, although their are other types that can work as well.

Don't use calcium sand. It is unnatural and can kill crabs.

@@hermitshoundsandhorses9971 Well, I didn't mean that calcium. I meant the calcium supplement because I bought one, why they told me it would be necessary but I'm afraid that something happens to my crabs and thanks for the answer I didn't know that.

@@ronalneyra9123 You can go into any pet store and search in the Bird isles, look for Cuttle bone! It's tons of calcium for them and it's super soft, so if you wanted, you could shave it onto their food (I do that with my crabs, plus I leave a small piece of the bone in the tank with them, it helps with making it last longer, and I know if they aren't picking at the bone, they will eat it on their food!) You can also look for crushed oyster shells, I am unsure of where to get that at, but I'm positive you can find it online! That's perfect to just mix up into their substrate, or you can give them a little bowl of it to eat. (I plan on finding it for my crabs as well) There are quite a few sites that sell hermit crab foods (Natural food for them specifically!!) The 1 I am most familiar with is called "The Crab Street Journal ", they have a RU-vid, and a FB, plus I believe an Instagram. They are very helpful and they have actually SUCCESSFULLY bred/hatched baby crabs!! They are soooo cute!!! Anywho, hopefully this helps you out!!

Matthew Ritchie From what I have found u should boil the sand (I’m no professional but that’s just what I found from researching)

Beach sand works great if it is legal to collect in your area. It is important to sterilize everything that goes in your crabitat by baking or boiling it.

@@hermitshoundsandhorses9971 thank you so much for answering my questionI am currently designing an epic crabitat that involves to 10 gallon tanks as one being there freshwater and one being the salt water with freshwater and saltwater fishes and creatures along with the hermit crab it's going to be a big enclosure will send pictures will shoot video and give you updates let me know if you have any pointers for this project

i use calcium sand and it seems to work just fine! :) good luck

I would use beach sand. It is more natural for them. I would also bake it to remove any bacteria if you can.

Hermits, Hounds, and Horses Thank you so much for telling me! Many people told me beach sand is bad for them and others say calcium sand isn’t any better either, so thank you for replying back 🤩

Pls do not it'll still stick to them use playsand it's cheaper too

Calci sand should never be used with hermit crabs.

Coconut climbing background

@@hermitshoundsandhorses9971 thank you! I was looking for something natural instead of wire for my upgraded crabitat.

I will try and add that to the series at some point!

You only have to change the sand if there is a problem. Like if there is a bacteria bloom or bugs.

@@hermitshoundsandhorses9971 oh okay thank you so much!

So you think in the wild they never live on sand?

Hi

Yes, if it is legal in your area, and you bake it first to kill any bacteria.

How do you bake it sorry for questions I was at the beach yesterday and people were buying the hermit crabs and the food powder I got so sad and upset at the end of the day the whole cage was empty 😢 💔💔 without any indication on how to take care of them butttttttt I am rescuing some maybe from the beach!

Put the sand on a baking pan and stick in the oven for a while. I'm not sure specifically on temperature, but the idea is just to kill any bugs and bacteria.

secksy oktoberfest please no. It can be extremely sharp and can scrape, cut, or even KILL them.

No it doesn't. Calci sand/"hermit crab sand" hardens in their shells when it dries, it can also trap them under the sand.

I honestly don't understand why you would do that when play sand is proven to be much safer and far less expensive.

Calcium sand is deadly for hermit crabs.