Our Hermits Have Moved to a New House!

A few weeks ago we moved our hermit crabs from my parent's house to our new house. They are currently on the top room of our house, where theoretically during the colder months the warm air will rise up and keep the room sufficiently warm for them. The large tank and the smaller tank are situated right next to one another and this helps to maintain a decent temperature for them.

We recently purchased several variety packs from The Hermit Crab Addiction Store and we were very pleased with our purchase (it was our first purchase from this store) and we recommend them for any of your hermit crab-related purchases.

We also recommend The Crabbage Patch, which we have ordered numerous items from, they have their own unique items such as Florida Sand which is ready to use and we have used extensively for our tanks.

Come back for out next post where we will have pictures!

R.I.P. - Mr. Blue

Mr. Blue passed away sometime during the weekend of July 26th-27th. We had purchased him back in May sometime, and he became our favorite hermit crab. As a small Ecuadorian hermit crab, and with his sky blue tint, he was unlike any other hermit crab we owned. He enjoyed sunbathing, digging around in the sand, and crawling around on our hands. We are unsure whether or not he died from a disease, virus, lack of molting, or something else, but we had moved him to an isolation tank before or at the time of his death in case he was molting. He will be missed.

Profile: Becky

This is Becky:

She is the first hermit crab, I purchased. She is the smallest of the hermit crabs I currently own. The first weeks of her arrival, she was very shy and would not come out of her shell. However, the more we held her and the more comfortable she became with her surrounds she came around and now is one of the most friendliest crab. Becky is very hard to find in the cage if she has dug down because she is so small!!

At the first, we thought Becky was an Ecuadorian crab but after she molted, her purple pincher appeared so apparently she has been a purple pincher all along! That was before we were more knowledge about identifying the different hermit crabs.

Bob's Big Adventure!

Right after I got to work on Thursday the 3rd of July, my parents called me to tell me that they found a hermit crab walking around on the stairs going into the basement! I was surprised and told Annah and we thought it was our smallest crab "Becky" whom I had taken out the previous night to play with for a few minutes while we were watching Super Nanny. However, as the day progressed and I examined the cage where the escaped hermit crab had been placed, I realized that this was not "Becky" but was instead "Bob" whom Annah and I had thought was eaten by my larger (giant) crabs during the one night we put all of the hermit crabs in one cage. We had thought he was dead because he was nowhere to be found in any shell and we had set some "extra" shells outside on a chair since they weren't being using. Turns out Bob was inside one of these "empty" shells and he must have rolled himself off of the chair. He then roamed around my rec-room for about three to four weeks without any real source of food or water so we hope he will survive! So far he is still alive and happy to be back in his home!

Mr. Blue

Here is "Mr. Blue", one of our Ecuadorian Hermit Crabs. He is the most active of our small hermit crabs and a fun crab to take out and hold in your hand. During this photo shoot I was unable to get him to come out of his shell, but I will have to try again sometime. Also, future posts will have pictures of all of our other crabs and their tanks or crabitats!

R.I.P. - Ophiuchus

Ophiuchus was one of our first two hermit crabs. He only live for a few weeks before dying sometime in March. His most likely cause of death was poisoning from the painted shell we bought him in. Following this bad experience with painted shell hermit crabs, we have vowed never again to purchase one with a painted shell.

Safe and Unsafe Food Lists

From The Epicurean Hermit (http://www.epicurean-hermit.com/index.php?action=printpage;topic=2.0)

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Welcome To Epicurean Hermit!
Ingredients => Safe and Unsafe Food Lists => Topic started by: Admin on February 12, 2008, 07:44:38 PM

Title: Edible Food List
Post by: Admin on February 12, 2008, 07:44:38 PM
Acorns (crush and soak overnight in salt water then drain before serving)
Alfalfa
Almonds, crushed
Amaranth (Ancient grain)
Anchovy oil
Apple and natural, unsweetened apple sauce
Apricot
Arame
Artichokes
Asparagus
Avocado
Banana
Barley
Beans, yellow wax
Bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, green or purple)
Bee pollen
Beets
Bilberries/Huckleberries
Blackberry leaves
Blackberry
Blackstrap molasses (unsulfured) - amazingly high in nutrients such as calcium and potassium; 1-2 times monthly
Bladderwrack
Bloodworms (alive or dead)
Blueberries
Borage blossoms (Borago officinalis)
Broccoli and leaves
Brown rice
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage (all varieties)
Calcium carbonate powder, plain
Calendula flowers (Calendula officinalis)-Also known as "pot marigolds"
Camellia (Camellia japonica)
Canteloupe
Carnation flowers (Dianthus caryophyllus)
Carrots
Carrot tops
Cauliflower and leaves
Celery leaves
Cereal; Brown rice, soy, wheat or 7 grain, muesli
Chamomile flowers
Chard
Cheese (be sure to get all natural varieties, serve as occasional treat)
Cherimoya
Cherry
Chestnuts
Chicken bones
Chicken, cooked and unseasoned (smash the bone for marrow access)
Chickweed
Cholla wood
Cilantro
Citrus (all fruits)
Clams
Clover blossoms and leaves
Coconut and coconut oil
Cod liver oil
Collards
Cork bark
Corn (on the cob, too)
Cornmeal
Cranberries (dehydrated)
Crickets
Crustaceans (any and all crustacea including crayfish, lobster, shrimp and other crabs)
Cucumber
Currants
Cuttlefish bone, powdered
Dairy products (milk, cheese, live-culture yogurt) **
Daisies (Bellis perennis)
Dandelion flowers, leaves and roots (Taraxacum officinale)
Day lilies (Hemerocallis)
Egg, scrambled or soft boiled
Eggplant
Eggshells
Elderberry flowers (Sambucus canadensis)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fig (ripe fruit only)
Fish flakes w/out chemical preservatives
Fish Oil
Flax seeds/Linseeds (crushed)
Flax seed oil (small amounts infrequently)
Frozen fish food (esp. algae, krill and brine shrimp)
Garbanzos
Gladiolus (Gladiolus spp.)
Gooseberry (ripe or overripe)
Grape Leaf
Grapes
Grapevine (vines and root)
Green and red leaf lettuce (not iceburg; dark green)
Green Beans
Hazel leaves
Hempseed Meal
Hibiscus flowers (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
Hikari products: brine shrimp, krill, crab cuisine, sea plankton (no preservatives)
Hollyhock flowers
Honey (organic, or at least locally produced, for anti-microbials)
Honeybush
Honeydew Melon
Honeysuckle flowers (Japanese Lonicera japonica)
Impatiens (Impatiens wallerana)
Irish Moss
Japanese red maple leaves, dried (Acer palmatum)
Jasmine flowers (Jasmine officinale)
Johnny-Jump-Up flowers--(Viola tricolor)
Kamut
Kelp
Kiwi
Lentils
Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
Lima Beans
Lobster with crushed exoskeleton
Locusts (dead)
Lychee fruit (fresh; no kernel)
Macadamia nuts
Madrona wood
Mango
Mangrove (small live trees can be obtained on eBay, use in water basin)
Maple leaves
Maple syrup
Marion Berries
Milk thistle flowers (Silybum marianum)
Mint (but not peppermint!)
Most organic baby foods
Muscadine (grapes)
Mushrooms
Mussels
Nasturtium flowers (Tropaeolum majus)
Nettle (wilted)
Nettle, stinging (pour boiling water over leaves first)
Oak Leaves and bark
Octopus
Okra
Olive and olive oil (extra virgin)
Oranges
Oysters
Pansy flowers and leaves (Viola X Wittrockiana)
Papaya
Parsley
Parsnip
Passionflowers (Passifloraceae - passion flower family)
Passionfruit
Peaches
Peanut butter (avoid sugar, corn syrup and hydrogenated oils)
Peanuts
Pears
Peas
Pecans
Pecan bark
Persimmon
Petunia blossoms
Pineapple
Pistachio nuts
Plum
Pomegranate
Popcorn (unseasoned, unflavored, unbuttered)
Potato (no green parts, including eyes)
Psyllium & husks
Pumpkin
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
Quinoa (New World grain)
Raisins (no sulphur dioxide)
Raspberry
Red raspberry leaves (highest bioavailable calcium source + vit. C and trace minerals)
Rolled Oats
Rooibus (or rooibos)
Roquette (Eruca vesicaria)
Rose petals (Rosa spp)
Rose hips
Royal Jelly
Russian Olive leaves (Elaeagnus angustifolia)
Sage blossoms (Salvia officinalis)
Salmon
Sand dollars
Sardines
Scallops
Sea biscuits
Sea fan (red or black)
Sea grasses
Sea salt
Sea Sponges
Semolina
Sesame seeds (crushed)
Sesame oil (in tiny amounts as appetite stimulant)
Shrimp and exoskeletons
Snails (use human food grade only; not wild snails)
Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)
Soy and soy products (human grade; miso, tofu, etc.)
Spelt
Spinach
Spirulina (complete protein and chlorophyll source; highest in beta carotene)
Sprouts (flax, wheat, bean, alfalfa, etc.)
Squid
Squash (and squash blossom)
Star fruit (carambola)
Strawberry and tops
Sugar cane
Sunflower Seeds (crushed), flowers and leaves (Helianthus)
Swamp cypress wood (false cypress, taxodium sp.)
Sweet potato
Sycamore leaf
Tahini (no garlic variety)
Tamarillo
Tangerine
Timothy hay
Tomato
Tree Fern
Triticale
Tulip flowers (Tulipa spp.)
Tuna
Turnip greens
Viola flowers
Violet flowers (Viola odorata)
Walnuts
Wasa All-Natural Crispbread (Oat flavor)
Watercress
Watermelon
Wheat grass
Wheat
Wheat germ
Whitefish
Whole Wheat Couscous
Wild rice
Zucchini (and zucchini flowers)*

*This food list is mainly adapted from Summer Michealson and Stacey Arenella's book,
The All-Natural Hermit Crab Sourcebook, and expanded on by Julia Crab and others

** After extensive tests in several EH member tanks, it has been discovered that dairy items are not lethal to crabs. In fact, most crabs really enjoy cheddar cheese, live-culture yogurt, and the occasional drink of milk. While extended long-term testing is still underway, there has been 8 months of trials with no harm to the test crabs. For now, dairy is acceptable, once every 30 to 60 days as a treat. It should not be relied upon as a food base.