Quick update

     Ugh, I tried so hard but she moves too much lol. Here is the only picture I could kind of see her in... Its still bad.
     It feels like its been a long time since I last posted but it was only a day, must be all the brain storming I've been doing for my writing. Well, my fanfiction readers will be happy i'm sure :)
    I haven't gotten another hermit crab yet but I hope to soon, I'm still fighting growth within the crabitat sadly, and yeah, thats about it.

Unitl next time,
Pearl Popping~

How to...

     I was looking up information on how to introduce a new hermit crab to an old one properly when I thought I should share this on my blog :3 I'm going to try it out, hope for the best. I think Chloe would love a buddy as she has been a little off lately (sorry about having no picture too). Within the last few days I've noticed she hasn't been moving as much as is her norm. I hope Chloe is fine and only lonely as this can be an easy problem to solve vs. something else (e.g. sick).
     The site I found the "how to" was actually on Yahoo!answers: Can I put a new hermit crab in w/ my old one? 

The best answer: 

Yes you can introduce new crabs into established colonies.

I just introduced 3 little ecuadorains in with my purple pincers both large and small and there was no world war three. I have a large tank so this may have a lot to do with it.

In the past there have been some little scuffles but being social animals this is expected.

The first thing I would do is isolate a new crab in your isolation tank. You don't want to introduce a sick crab in with your other pets. I kept my Es in isolation 3 weeks giving them lots of time to moult or change shells if they wanted to. And it gave them enough time to settle in to their new habitat.

In the isolation tank give the crab lots of shells to choose from and get rid of that nasty painted shell ( I'm so happy you know how bad they are). Give the animal salt and fresh water and lots of fresh foods. Peanut butter does wonders with new crabs. The big thing is you want to make sure the crab is eating and drinking before adding it to the main tank. Give the new animal ample space to hide so it feels safe.

When you feel the animal is healthy enough to move in with the new tank mate give both crabs a nice bath. I rarely bath crabs but this is one of the few occasions I will.

Then introduce the new animal to his tank mate. Do it on a day you can spend lots of time with them. Let them get to know each other. If they get up on back legs and start showing off with their claws that's fine. If one crawls on top of the other and pushes the other crabs shell aside that's fine too. What you want to look out for is digging claws into the shells and trying to get the crab out.

If the crabs want to scuffle just let them. It's easier to let them establish dominance and get it over with then trying to break it up every time they raise a claw. If you constantly break it up they'll keep fighting, but if you let them get it out of their system you won't have further problems.

     I'm going to give it a shot and record their meeting when I actually buy her new friend, hopefully soon. wish us the best of luck :]

Until next time:

Pearl popping~

Oh, what to do?

     After my first comment on Chloe's video I started wondering if I should get another hermit crab to keep her company. I'm just so nervous they are going to fight, and with my awful luck they will. However I will give it a shot and see what happens - take it from there. I will try and record it as well, maybe someone can point out if I did something wrong. 

     On another note, I have been having a hard time with temperature lately. The warm days and cool nights have been driving the crabitat crazy. I feel like it hasn't been prefect these last couple of days but Chloe seems fine. If anything she's acting as if she is unaffected by it. Still my little energizer bunny. 

     I actually caught her sleeping the other day, completely tucked inside her shell! There's a first time for everything. I opened the lid to the tank to quickly snap a picture and boom the moment was gone... I'm telling you, its like she knows when the cameras near. Oh, well I'll get her one of these days. 

    

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Chloe's first youtube video~

     After two hours I finally finished this video :)

Until next time,
Pearl popping~

Random thoughts :3

     Woke up to a cloudy sky this morning but Chloe seems to like it. More active than when I usually see her walking about in the daytime, she is just moving all over the tank which is a good thing because she was rather still last night. Choosing to stay on top of the bridge for hours and making me nervously check the levels every ten minutes to see if something was wrong. I did give the fresh food a break, only giving her two different hermit crab pellets I bought from the pet store so maybe that was it. With the mold scare, though, I'm trying to fight any new growth and the reasons that it appeared to begin with.

     I will be adding some apple pieces and either organic peanut butter or a small piece of tuna to her bowl later so she will have fresh food tonight. I think that leaving the food in for the suggested 24 hours is what lead to my crabitat growing mold so from now on I will only leave it for the night and replace it in the morning. Also, I will be doing more frequent cleans. The sand needs to move around more to prevent growth and possibly add dry calcium sand as well to remain excessive wetness while adding something good for her health. I'm actually debating on putting half and half substrate so it's more like it would be in the wild for her. Placing the saltwater on the side with the sand and the fresh food/water with the soil/coconut bedding. I may wait until fall comes around as I am worried that it may make the mold grow faster.  

     Anyway, back to what I wanted to talk about: After I went to bed, she must have moved around a bit; the fake plant I had added after her climbing episode last time (Read it here: Over protective mom?) fell throughout the night. I put it back up, adding a few more hooks to keep it in place, and she ran over to me as if so excited I was fixing her toy. Maybe it's a sign she's used to me? I hope so~!  ^---^

   

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

    

First Shells

     Chloe's first two shells with me ^--^ I was hoping to get her in the new shell beside these two however she was running away too much so I had to put her back. Unlike Prada, Chloe never really goes inside of her shell which makes handling her a bit tough. She is my energizer bunny through and through (^3^)

I bought her in the white one and once home she entered the spotted one on the right.

The size compared to a US penny.

Until next time,
Pearl Popping~

Over protective mom?

     Ugh, three o'clock in the morning and I'm so sleepy but Chloe just had to wake me up. I apologize now if nothing makes sense in this post...
     I heard something, like a cat scratching at a post or something but as I own not one cat I knew this couldn't be the case. It was coming from the tank so I turned on the light and headed over to see that Chloe was climbing on the lid once again even though I tried so hard to place things in spots where the top couldn't be reached. Yeah, I guess that didn't work.
     She seems to have used a piece of cloth from the towels I keep on the lid for humidity reasons as a boost but after I removed that small piece in fear she'd be able to escape I also took away her "step down". Great now she's stuck...
     After what felt like forever I tried to gently peel her off because nothing else I tried worked however this didn't either. With a sigh I took the lid off completely and helped her climb back to the soft sand where her butt is safe. I also took the time to add extra fake plants that are high enough for her to reach should she get anymore smart ideas.
     So, am I an over protective pet mother? Maybe, buy at least I know my hermie is safe before I go back to sleep.

Until next time,
Pearl popping~ 

Fighting unwanted growth: deep clean

     I was ready for bed last night at about two o'clock in the morning when I took a quick peek inside the crabitat to make sure the levels were perfect when I noticed Chloe was still sitting in the same spot. Freaking out I threw the top off and made sure she absolutely fine before placing her back on the sand to which she ran away from me. As she moved with the speed of light I felt completely disgusted with myself for putting her back in that nastiness! Little "cotton clouds" were everywhere in the sand! 

     I grabbed Chloe again, much to her dislike, and placed her inside of a bowl (the ISO tank was nasty too) then began pulling out all the items I was going to need. Noting this would take awhile I sprayed the  bowl to give her some much needed air and covered it with the lid so she couldn't escape - that's all I needed, to be running around my room at two in the morning looking for a crab. 

      Once Chloe was safely contained and out of my way on my bed I removed everything; yes, everything. I have no idea what the hell was in that sand but it needed to go. It took a while and it was pretty messy, I'm not going to lie, but at least it was done. Now the substrate is completely fresh with added calcium sand just to give her a little boost. I washed all the dishes, the toys, the coconut hut and even wiped down the tank with saltwater as I couldn't use disinfectants. I removed the tree and replaced it with the bridge I once had in the tank that Chloe enjoyed. She actually took a short nap on it after everything was settled. 

     I also added new items she can climb on such as a doilie (Which she took to right away), the shredded coconut wall (I forgot what it's actually called, sorry), and I also put the soap dish "second level" back inside and she loved it all over again. Chloe loves to climb and that's something I can't forget, but I also keep it safe to make sure she can't climb right out of the tank. 

     Hopefully the growth stays away and Chloe enjoys her clean new living space. I also threw away the ISO tank I had because it was absolutely overrun with a disgusting mold or fungus and I didn't have the stomach to clean it. With only one hermit crab I won't have to worry about molting as she can do it right in the main tank. 

     Last night was crazy but at least I didn't have work today and could sleep in. I really am fighting the growth though, I have seen it before but it was only a little and in the powder foods so I discontinued them, only giving my hermies pellets and fresh food. After searching it up on the web I believe my humidity might be too high along with the heat. These are the ideal levels for Chloe though and I am lost on those facts. For the time being I will keep my eyes open and continue fighting anything that doesn't belong. 

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

24/7 Salad Party~

       I have just finished mixing a fresh salad together for Chloe consisting of mustard greens, broccoli, raisins, and dried cranberries. I might add some meat in later as well but for now I think that's good. I always add raisins because it seems my hermies really liked them. While raisins were Prada's favorite I'm still trying to find Chloe's, though she seems to really enjoy eating that piece of driftwood... I should buy some more of that soon. 

     I was placing the top back on when I saw her climbing on the side where I placed the net at. It made realized that she I haven't seen her climb on the tree as of yet which is weird for her seeing as she loves to. As I'm writing she's making her way up the net again. I am pretty sure she doesn't sleep too, every time I look in the crabitat she is wide awake. If anything I have been play hide and seek with her. One minute she's here and the next I can't find her again. 

     Well, like I was saying: I haven't seen her on the tree and so either later today or tomorrow I will revamp her tank (sand, shells, decorations, etc.) to fix it up to her liking. My reason being the tree is pretty big and taking up space, if she doesn't like it then it needs to go. Actually I still haven't taken a picture... salad party

Tank setup

     This is how the tank has been for a while now and I'm ready for a change, I like to believe Chloe is too. Speaking of Chloe, raise your hand if you see her ^--^ (Answer: on the left near the water dish in the green shell.)

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Back to square one

     Two days after resurfacing Chloe has gone back to normal routine; climbing, eating, and some more climbing. I saw her resting for a bit before she went right back to her crazy hermit crab antics. It's great that she is still active for that was one of the things I was worried about but I've noticed she seems to be a little more unsure of me than before her molt. I'm not taking it too seriously, perhaps after a couple of weeks of not seeing me she needs to get to know me again? Also, I really want to get some new pictures of Chloe but I am waiting for the right time.

     Besides that, I really hope she's okay without another hermie in the tank. I'm not ready to adopt one quiet yet and I'm still not sure if I had done something wrong with Prada who was fine one day and died the next. As I said before, I'll figure it out. For the time being it'll just be Chloe and I. 

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

    

Hermit crab figurines

     I went into T.j.maxx with my sister for a little shopping when I passed by this figurine. I knew right away that it was a hermit crab and if my little girl had her own room I wold have bought it. It seemed to be a whole line that dealt with sea life or a nautical theme consisting of old fashioned magnifying glasses, lamps, "the sea in a glass box", etc. 

^ like this ^

^ like this but it wasn't a Christmas ball... ^

The hermit crab that was only ten dollars

Bottom line, I think it's a cute idea ^--^

Until next time,
Pearl Popping~

Hey you~

     I could not sleep last night for the life of me and I completely blame it on coffee I decided to drink at nine o'clock. Seriously, I watched movies and ate. Last time I remember looking at the time it was five in the morning. However I slept for the most important three hours of the night! Chloe had dug herself out and changed shells ^^ I'm so happy to see my little energizer bunny moving around and swapping shells until she finds the right one. 

     Chloe has definitely gotten bigger and her coloring is more vibrant, closer to red. I can finally really see her instead of peeking in from time to time. I noticed her quickly move into the hut and reemerge as if she was looking for Prada which made me sad. I'm still not sure if I should get her a friend or not; so nervous they will fight.

     Well, besides that, I was sure to get some pictures of her new little exoskeleton and shell to which she switched three times before staying with it for the time being. Now that she is bigger I will have to revamp the shells inside the ten gallon tank soon but since she just come out from her "den" I want to give her some time to readjust before taking her out to do a deep clean on the tank. 

There she is next to her old shell. This picture isn't the best for her size but like I said I am giving her some much needed time before cleaning the sand out and getting better photos.

 

     I'm so happy and excited I don't know what to do with myself, my little baby is getting so big TT^TT I'm going to have to take a picture showing off the shells she was in from the time I bought her to now soon :)

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Little Action

     Well, its been three days since my last post and I am still completely sad about losing Prada and Louis, which is too be expected. Having no activity in my crabitat only makes me sadder everyday. Chloe has yet to resurface and notice she's all lone however I checked on her this morning and she seems to have started digging to come out from under the driftwood. 
     I'll be happy when she does but at the same time I wonder if I should get her a new friend just so she isn't lonely. Although if they fight I'll have to return the new one... I'll wait it out. That brings back memories of my very first hermit crab, Hermes. 
     I'll keep you posted on Chloe but until she comes up from her molting my updates will be far and in between. 

Until next time,
Pearl Popping~

Better place: RIP Prada

     After coming home from work and walking into my room I was greeted by a fishy odor, I almost cried. I knew right away it was Prada. I removed the fake plants and dishes to get a better view of her to which I saw she never had moved and lifted her up. She didn't fall out of her shell but after testing her limbs I noticed they were weak and moved too easily with my touch. I'm so depressed and have no idea what I did wrong, if I did anything wrong... 

     More questions enter my head; was she walking like that because she was in fact missing a claw or was it something else I didn't notice? Is it the food I gave them? The play sand I placed inside the crabitat? That damn tree?! Every since I bought it two of my babies have passed on. Just to be on the safe side I removed it for now; what if Chloe decides to resurface now and climbs all over it only to die by morning? 

     I'm completely heart broken and am really paying close attention to Chloe now. Since she is molting she's extremely weak and I don't want another dead crab. 

I hope you're eating the largest bowl of raisins right now, Prada :{

      That was my favorite picture of my little girl, I really caught her beautiful red coloring. 

Here is a video by expert village that states how to tell if your hermit crab is in fact dead.

Molting?!

     Wow, don't I feel like an idiot... I came home from work today and checked on my babies only to see that Chloe is molting now. This means that about a week ago she was just preparing, go figure. I also looked for Prada, who was very active last night, and saw her sitting behind the tree I just placed inside the crabitat last Saturday only to see she wasn't moving. I misted down the tank, hitting her with a little bit of water and she was still lifeless.
     I refused to believe that two of my crabs died within such a short time span and searched it up on google.com. I hope she's just surface molting, I'm scared to lift her up and she falls out or something so for the next couple of days my eyes will be glued to the both of them for any abnormal signs. Oh, wish me and my hermies the best of luck, if I loose another one I don't think I'd be able to take in anymore for the fear that I'd kill them :'(  

Until next time,
Pearl Popping~

Prada's Obsession

     I'm pretty sure that no matter what I place inside the fresh food dish Prada will always only eat the raisins. It's come to the point that I put more of those then anything else. She grabs a bunch and hides them all over the tank and in the sand that I know I'm going to have to do a deep clean soon. Chloe still hasn't moved however and I don't want to force her so I've been doing spot cleans for the time being. 

     No one ate the shrimp that I know of but its fine, I gave the creepy things to my friend that owns turtles lol. I just can't deal with them. I hope they like it and if not I told him to throw them out, I never want to see them again. 

     Well, I'm still trying to find other foods she will eat but it seems that she likes fruits more the vegetables however I know she needs protein too. Ugh, why is Prada so difficult? And when is Chloe going to resurface?! As I've stated she isn't molting under there... Whatever, all in do time I guess. 

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Better Place: RIP

     I noticed Louis was sitting kind of funny in the tank last night but left him alone as I didn't want to stress him out more. Early this morning at about two o'clock I saw he had dropped another leg and was still in the same spot. After having a tiny fight with myself about checking on him I decided that it would only stress him out more to do so and leave him be after making sure the temperature and humidity were perfect inside the crabitat. At around four he was still in the laying in the middle of the tank and so I opened it to check on him. To my horror he was dead. At first I thought, "Oh no, he's surface molting!" But after I moved him around to place him in the ISO tank he fell completely out of his shell and didn't move - and I mean completely.

     I'm scared to believe I did something so wrong that he died within the two days I had him. I remember last night when placing the food inside the tank (that no one ate) all the shells I had put onto the burlap net had fallen off; could they have hit him and I didn't know? 

     I also wondered if he was sick from the get go; malls aren't the best place to buy any living creature. Could it have been the painted shell; it was chipping pretty bad... That's the problem I have no idea what caused this. Ugh, my poor baby :{ 

     I hope Louis' in a better place now. 

    

This was the only picture I got of him within the two days. Rest In Peace Louis.

Link to my first post with Louis*

Until Next time,
Pearl Popping~

Canned Shrimp

     After coming home from the movies I noticed that Prada was peeking out of her hut and heard action underneath the driftwood from Chloe. Now, I thought, is a good time to add the shrimp to their fresh food bowl. I was so excited for unknown reasons and quickly washed their dishes, throwing out old food and replaced it with fresh. I then opened the can and succeeded in keeping my ground but I was so freaked out! 
     The little shrimp (and they are tiny!) still have their heads and kind of look like worms! Ugh, I hate bugs so much... Well, I quickly spooned a couple into their food dish and tossed the rest in the refrigerator hoping that tomorrow I can face them better although I'm not looking forward to it. I should have bought the freeze dried ones instead. 
     Bottom line is I hope they enjoy it and they better eat those creepy little shrimp lol. I also gave them romaine lettuce, raisins, carrot pieces, and gold fish flakes. I'm always looking for something new to introduce them too but is also healthy for them and after searching up lists of food that is great to feed hermit crabs (which is really long, by the way) I've found that most of the items are for other animals - even us. Like peanut butter is a get way for them to get protein. However some food is better to just give them the real deal, thus the shrimp. It is packed with carotene which can help my strawberry crab keep his coloring as well as Prada and Chloe :)

eww...

    

Dropping Legs

     I woke this morning to one of Louis' little legs laying in the sand. After my mini heart attack and checking the others to make sure they hadn't fought I searched up "Strawberry Crab dropping legs" on Google.com. There I came across a Q&A site where it stated that all crabs can do this and do when either stressed from transport or the levels in the crabitat aren't ideal. 

     Because I had put Strawberry crabs in the search I also came across a different site stating that they like very high humidity and a stable eighty degrees in their tank while their cousins(PP Crabs) can take lower levels. I have moved their location in my bedroom and have saran wrapped their whole lid, placing the heat lamp on top. Also, saltwater is very important for strawberry crabs. I added another water dish too containing saltwater that is deep enough that all the crabs can submerge themselves if they like and with the light lever of stones they will be able to remove themselves safely.  Now with three water dishes the humidity is staying at a great, I think the saran wrap is helping nicely as well. Hopefully little Louis will relax before the day is done and enjoy the high temperature and humidity of his new home.

     

Poor Louis :(

     P.S. Louis has yet to change his shell and as far as I know Prada and Chloe have yet to see him face to face. Chloe remains underneath the driftwood however when I peek under it she is awake and alert. Prada is having a blast inside her hut, moving the play sand around how she likes it. 

     I have bought a little tree for them to climb on and added it to tank after removing the soap dish. I remembered the tank at the mall where I bought Louis had one so hopefully it helps him settle. I will take a picture of the new crabitat set up sometime soon. 

     I also picked up shrimp from the pet store, its for turtles and comes in a little can. I hope they like it :) I haven't placed it into their food bowl yet but I will tonight. 

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Basic care

     Here is one of the sites I go to all the time whenever I feel lost about something. It's pretty straight forward, filled with facts, and has helped me in many ways.

Hermit Crab Basic Care*

Until next time,
Pearl Popping~~ 

Glass shells

     Wow, I think this is worse then painted shells... Glass is heavy and not a suitable home for a hermit crab as they go inside their shell to hide. Not to mention it might become too warm for the little thing.

Eating an apple

Aww, when hermit crabs eat its to cute to me~

The curious beast

A jumbo Hermit crab, wow. One day in the far future my hermies will be that big too~

Life of a Hermit Crab

Don't mind me tonight I'm just sharing ^--^

Tank setup of my dreams

     I love this setup, its so beautiful and roomy but also gives the hermit crabs the things they need to climb and hide in. I have no idea how large this tank is but if I could pay the person behind this to redo my own asap I would.
     I just had to share this lol.

Until next time,
Pearl Popping~

Saltwater & Gnats

     After checking on my little roommates once again to make sure all the levels were perfect in the crabitat, and that they were behaving, I saw a gnat! Ugh, I hate bugs... Well, thus begins the fight of all things summer (my lest liked season). Thankfully I already learned how to fight them with the use of salt water.

     Misting the tank down for humidity reasons can also prevent unwanted critters when using saltwater, or so I've heard. I have never had this problem before. As everyone knows you can't use sprays or repellents around or inside of a crabitat as it will kill your crabs. So, I'll give the saltwater a go and see what happens plus my little strawberry friend loves saltwater.

     On another note, everyone is still sleeping to which I'm not surprised, which means that no one has met face to face quite yet. I'm hoping for the best though as the new edition is pretty calm from what I can see and Prada can't really hurt him without her larger claw. Chloe hasn't left her hideout yet and I'm pretty sure she doesn't even know he is there. But I have given him a name: Louis as in Louis Vuitton~ Hooray, lol. Welcome to the hermie/designer family ^--^

     I gave them an extra food dish as well and added to their stable diet with betta food to enhance their coloring and goldfish flakes along with their hermit crab food. I plan to buy turtle freeze dried shrimp as well, a cuttle bone for calcium and new things for them to climb on/ hide in tomorrow.

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Oh my lucky day!

     Wow, I can't believe it. Me, the most unluckiest person I know, has gotten a beautiful Strawberry crab for free! Let my tell you the whole story:

     I went to the mall, yes again, to buy a monster high doll (that they didn't have :'( ) and other things when I walked pass the "Crab Shack". I was talking with the girl working there for a bit; asking about prices and what came with it (just the shell on its back). After having a long fight with myself I gave in and picked out one that seems to be about the same size as Chloe and Prada, if not a little bigger. Well, after swiping my debit card twice with no luck, her register "being from the 1980's" and me standing there for about twenty minutes she gave up and said I could take it for free. I was willing to go to the bank and come back with cash but I was told not to worry about it. I have been so happy since! A crab that would have cost me $16.38, or higher depending where you look, for free ^--^  

     Once I got home I added food and water to the ISO tank and placed the little guy in there for the time being. He quickly went to the water dish and drank from it for a while before calmly taking a peek around and curling into his shell for a nap. 

     I didn't want to rush things but my house is actually cooler than the last few days and I wanted to get him in the main tank where its warmer so I gave him a bath, to which he seemed to enjoy as he just sat in the water, and put him inside the ten gallon. Prada has smelled his shell (that is painted sadly) but they haven't met face to face yet. Chloe is still buried underneath the driftwood and hasn't come out but after another quick peek she seems to be alright. I wonder if she is staying under there for something other then molting now... hmmm. 

   

There he is XD He's so cute~!

Until  next time,

Pearl Popping~

P.S. 
     I'm still against painted shells but I really wanted a Strawberry crab and now all I can hope for is for him to change his shell soon so I can remove it. His shell is actually already chipping too and the longer it stays in the tank the more of a risk there is for all the hermit crabs to eat it.
     Also, I don't have a name for him yet but I'm thinking. Hopefully in the next post he'll have one. 

Until next time, 
Pearl Popping~

Update: Molt

     I have moved Prada back into the main ten gallon tank and I could tell she was so happy, so was I. Having my hermies in two different tanks gave me a little bit more to worry about as far as food, humidity, and - sadly- mold/fungus. Yes, I have spotted some kind of growth in my tanks but it's okay I have quickly read up on it and know what I am doing wrong to fix it. See how here*
     Also, I took a peek at Chloe still underneath the driftwood. I know I probably shouldn't have but seeing her tiny face looking back at me made me so happy. She is moving around under there but has yet to remove the sand sealing the exits and step out for some food as far as I could tell. Hopefully soon she will come out in no time and Prada will have her buddy back soon. 
     I am playing with the idea of bringing new hermit crabs home if only because  "Two crabs do not make a colony. Go get him a friend, or better yet, two." as said on www.hermit-crabs.com We'll see. I really want a Strawberry crab ::sigh::, again we'll see. 


Until next time, 
Pearl Popping~

Prada pictures :)

Peeking out at me

Sitting in the water

Trying to right herself after falling over

Peeking some more

I could almost see her booty lol

Is that her little mouth I see?

::Sniff, sniff, sniff ::

She was investigating the cantaloupe

No luck

      I came home and sadly everyone is still in there little corner. "Maybe tomorrow" is all I can think but we'll see how long this goes on for. I was playing with the idea of placing Prada inside the main ten gallon so she could roam about, stretch her legs, and maybe Chloe will hear her/come up (?) and I will watch the entire time.I might try this over the weekend :) I also want to get some more pictures too, so hopefully I will soon.
I know this update was short and all but it's late and I'm so tired after work lol.

Until next time,
Pearl Popping~

Update: Molt

     Today makes a week that Chloe has hidden herself underneath the driftwood and Prada was placed into the ISO tank. I still have not noticed any change in the main ten gallon but I have no idea what time she started as I was at work. Although time of day has nothing to do with it. Some hermit crabs take weeks (months for the larger ones) to finish a molt. However, I like to hope that when I get home tonight Chloe will be up, walking about and looking for her friend. I know Prada is having a hard time in the ISO tank by herself as I've noticed she hasn't been eating her food lately. 

     Do I really need the stress coat? Sure it has its advantages with removing the last traces of the "fresh molt" scent however in the wild hermit crabs don't have this to bathe in. I think I might just dip her in some water and see what happens lol. 

     Surely Chloe will be bigger then Prada now because of the molt and maybe that is why she chose a larger shell when she swapped out. I'm excited; I hope I am able to see her little eyes tonight, I miss my girl.

Update: Molting, Mall crabs, & Breeds

     It's been awhile since I've made a post but everything is the same for the time being. I still have yet to see Chloe's little eyes and Prada remains in the ISO tank however I am debating on returning her to the main tank even though I haven't bathed Chloe in the stress coat. Hmm, I'll figure it out. 
     On another note, I  went to my local mall again and saw the Hermit Crabs still there. This time I was smart enough to take a picture ("Boo" to painted shells).

     I was told that they sold Strawberry and Blueberry crabs. I've heard of Strawberry crabs but never Blueberry so this is something else I'll have to look into. This had me thinking of the breeds of my own little hermies. I know for a fact that Chloe is a Purple Pincher Crab, her largest claw giving that away. Prada however I'm not too sure. With her missing her largest claw and deeper coloring (red "feet") I believe she might be a different breed of all together.

(An old picture of Chloe) purple claw

Prada's hints of red

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Shopping/molt update

     I went shopping, ran into my local dollar store just to see if they had anything new and to my surprise I saw a lot of things I could use for my little crabs.

Cute little bowels I can use instead of the flat shells :) 

A doilie I can hang so they have something new to climb on.

A new fake plant, more leaves then the other one.

And last but not least, sea sponges!

     I was most happy about the sponges as I did need more of those. They say they're for paint but because it was a dollar I thought what the hell I'll buy them. After looking at them for really and feeling it under after I think it'll be fine :)

     I just wanted to share my finds with you all and show that even in the less likely of places you might be able to find something for your hermies~

   

     Chloe is still showing no signs of coming out but it is only day three. Her driftwood remains sealed up on both ends and Prada seems to miss her real home along with her buddy. I'm trying my hardest to show her attention every chance I get but with her shy personality it only seems like I'm scaring her :( This is probably why you should have more then two Hermit crabs plus an ISO tank that they actually molt in.

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Day Two Of Molt

     Day two of Chloe's molt and she is still deep under the sand with no movement seen - as to be expected. I'm guessing that it'll be about a week or so until I see her again.  Prada is still camping it out in the ISO tank inside her favorite hut which I brought over just for her. She moved around a bit in the night but I think she might miss Chloe. Sorry sweetie but its all for the best.

     I'm worrying about reintroducing them after Chloe is finished molting but I'll get to that when the time comes I guess. I will be giving her a quick bath (dip) in the stress coat* after she resurfaces to wash away the molt smell Prada may pick up on. If you haven't noticed I'm playing it really safe lol.

     I have planed a "photo shoot" of sorts for Prada tomorrow or later tonight so look out for more pictures; I'm excited :3

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Molting For Sure

     I came home from work and did my usual check up on my hermies and to my surprise Prada was walking around! As I continued to look for Chloe, my "energizer bunny", I noticed right away that her favorite piece of driftwood was sealed on one side by sand. Peeking over to other side I saw that it was exactly the same. Chloe must be molting under there and with Prada walking about so early (for her) I quickly decided to remove Prada and place her into the ISO tank for the time being. In my mind she probably smells Chloe and, yeah, I'd rather be safe then sorry.
     I should have kept Chloe in the ISO tank longer then I did the other night, that much I know for sure. But that's what this blog is all about: my mistakes and how I learn from them as well as what I am learning from outside sources too. So Prada and I will have some bonding time over the week or so Chloe will be molting if only because I don't want her to be lonely. I hope she is looking forward to it as much as I am.
     I need to purchase this Stress Coat* too. I'm sure I will be able to find it in my pet store so next time I go I'll keep my eyes out for it :3

Yup, Chloe has made herself very cozy in there

Until next time,
Pearl Popping~

Prada & Me~

     I never really get to see my little girl too much as Prada is always hiding and only comes out when its dark (I've noticed her time to play is roughly between three am to five am). So today, because I have a couple of hours before I have to run to work, I thought I'd have some bonding time with Prada. Of course I snapped some pictures :3 

She was slowly coming out for me and I was waiting patiently :3

There she is, looking so cute.

Here I was gently brushing her feet in some water to remove the sand but I never submerged her.

  

     Sorry about the pictures facing the wrong direction, I can't seem to figure out how to right it.I took many more but these were my favorite ones :) I hope you enjoyed the pictures as much I do. Also, just as a reminder: Prada is my crab who is missing her largest claw, I bought her that way from a pet store I shop at often. I'm assuming she was in a fight with another hermit crab.

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Bathing your crabs

     There are a lot of people that say bathing your hermit crabs is unnecessary and possibly even harmful. There are almost as many people who say otherwise. Personally, I'm up in the air. I have bathed my crabs once when I first brought them home because a lot of the substrate from the pet store remained on their little feet. 
     I had also read on a website that "Hermit crabs that you just purchase from a pet store should be bathed, if to only get the grime off them and make them "smell the same" to the other hermit crabs. New molters should also receive a quick and gentle bath once they have emerged from their underground molting hide-outs. New molters retain a smell of shed exoskeleton and smell like a delicious treat to other hermit crabs. To prevent cannibalism, you bathe them and wash off this molting smell. Remember that your hermit crab cannot tolerate chlorine, so please be sure to dechlorinate the bath water. The temperature of the water should be about room temperature. For a really special hermie bath, put in a couple drops of Stress Coat®. Most people bathe their hermit crabs in dishes, mixing bowls and plastic containers. Take your hermit crab from his crabitat and try to get him to walk down your hand or arm into the bath water. If he won't then you can slowly lower him into the bath by himself. Set him at the bottom of the 'tub' so he is fully immersed. After a minute, take him out of the bath, whether he comes out of the shell or not. NEVER leave a hermit crab unattended in the bath, as bathing makes them very active and they might crawl out and possibly run away and get lost in your home. Drain the excess water from his shell and allow him to dry off. Some people have special 'playgrounds' for their crabs to exercise in while drying off. Their 'drying off area' can be a simple as a shoe box with a paper towel in it to absorb the excess moisture. Place your dried-off hermie back in his crabitat and sit back and watch. They are incredibly active after their bath time and love to explore!" and "If you keep the humidity level of the crabitat at the desired level (above 70% relative) then bathing is actually stressful to the crabs. This is not to say that hermit crabs should never be bathed. What they need is to be able to bathe themselves when they feel the need. You should provide them with dishes of dechlorinated water (both fresh water and salt water) deep enough that the water will flow into the crabs' shell when the crab climbs into the dish. That is approximately one full inch of depth for large crabs, and a half-inch or less for smaller hermies." 
      I continue to read where I find this: "IMPORTANT: ALWAYS PROVIDE A WAY FOR THE HERMIT CRABS TO CLIMB OUT OF THE POOL!  Add a snip of sponge, a shell or pebbles, but always, ALWAYS have something in the pool they can cling to if they are uneasy with being in the water or especially if smaller crabs tumble in by accident. Some species of hermit crabs are terrified of exposure to water."  Isn't that contradicting "How to bathe a crab"?  (highlighted in the same color above*) So after reading my favorite 'go to' site for hermit crabs I started looking for another. (Website here*)
      I have come to follow the 'no bathing rule' without even realizing it if only because when I looked up "bathing a hermit crab correctly" everyone was doing something different. I was told when I purchased my crabs that bathing was a must, now I know that this isn't so - number one rule for first time pet parents, of anything, do your research and don't always listen to the sale's person.  
     Here are some of the Youtube.com videos I have come across in my search:

     I do not normally follow Expert Village's advice but I watch the videos anyway lol. I have learned in a short period of time, before I had hermies, that they weren't always the best. Sorry, but its true! However every once in a while they are right :3

     Here the girl in the video shows us the full submersion bathing which I think can drown the the little crabs...  

     In this video I feel bad for the crabs, I think he's moving them around too much and stressing the little things out :(

     Anyway, there were a lot more videos I watched but this post is already pretty long so I'll just say one last thing, lol. As I've stated before, I did bathe my crabs once and I think I will again in the future but it isn't something I plan on doing very often. I think bathing your crab is optional and gives you time to bond with your little buddies. 

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Not Sure...

     After about two hours in the ISO tank Chloe stopped all signs that she might molt. I noticed she had stopped digging completely and only walked around as if taking in her new environment (I could tell she didn't like it). With nothing to climb and only her favorite piece of wood reminding her of her real home she sat on top of it and watched me as if silently trying to will me into putting her back. As all parents (yes, even of pets) know those sad eyes always win. 

     Now Chloe is back in her tank with Prada, whom she sought out right away, and loving the second level. On top of that, after coming home from work and checking on the hydrometer (etc.) I see she has been digging again. All the levels are fine inside the crabitat so it can't be she finds it too cold or hot, not enough humidity or too much. Molting is all I can think of. Also, Chloe has been a little less active. Usually she's really all over the place, investigating everything and now sometimes I'm waking her up from a nap accidentally.

     Bottom line is I'll keep my eye on her and if I start seeing lethargic behaviors or cloudy eyes I will then place her into the ISO tank straight away. I don't need any cannibalistic crabs...

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~