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~

    

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~

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~

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.

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...

    

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~~ 

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~

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.

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~

Climbing higher & higher

     I hate waking up five minutes before my alarm clock let alone two hours but this morning I had a surprise. There was Chloe, active as always, hanging upside down on the grate lid of the tank. She looked so happy and her antennas were just moving all around the place with each little careful step she took but I was the complete opposite. I was looking around the crabitat for what in the hell gave her the boost to get up there in the first place. Those fake plants, I realized after two minutes of trying to get my brain moving. All I could think of was how happy I was that I had taken out the towels. Now I'm on the hunt for clamps to secure the lid and keep my babies inside their tank, where I know its safe for them. I've heard so many stories of Hermit Crabs escaping from their crabitat - sure they were found alive later (most of the time) but my house stays cool until the summer time really hits. My crabs will freeze without the lamp and suffocate without the humidity.  

     Later in the day, while I was at work, I was still thinking about it because this will be the second night I've seen her hanging around above the "ground".

(Chloe) The first night

(Chloe) The second night

 Does this new behavior have something to do with the switched sand? I hope not but if so I'll add some more of the calcium sand into the play sand as I still have some. Perhaps I'm over thinking it and my new tank setup is better and allows her to act more like a hermit crab? I'm not sure...

     Prada was active last night as well, on a different note, however she stayed closer to the sand if not on it. I spotted her staring at me and grabbed my phone (I'm still on the hunt for a good picture of her) snapped a couple and left her be as she ran away from me. She is still shy but at least she's coming out of her hut - even though its mostly when the lights are off.

Prada hiding in her shell

There she is~! :3

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Play sand review & new tank setup

     After replacing the calcium sand with the play sand and watching the levels on humidity for the pass few hours I have to say it's working ^--^ The hydrometer is staying at the perfect 70%  or higher level and my crabs seem to really like the switch which makes it all the better. Chloe is moving around, as always, and Prada is investigating as well. I am currently trying to catch a picture of her with my phone lol. She's so shy and keeps running from me.

Prada

     Here is the only one she let me take before she went missing under the bridge. Oh, and after getting a much better look at both Prada and Chloe together, yes, Prada is indeed bigger then Chloe although not by much. I think I might how been seeing a few signs that she is looking for a new shell - or as my sister likes to call them, apartments lol. Since she hasn't changed yet I'm wondering if I should add more - maybe even larger ones?

     I also wanted to mention I gave them organic peanut butter and they really seem to like that as well. However I believe Chloe's favorite snake is that wood she likes to hang around. So I'm starting to notice what they like which is great. Prada prefers raisins, boiled eggs, bananas, and peanut butter. Chloe likes all that plus the seaweed I buy from my Chinese supermarket and, of course, the wood/bark she stays under. I haven't seen either of them eat the apple I put in nor the carrots but maybe they did and I never noticed.

new tank setup w/ play sand

     Besides the change in sand I also added a fake plant for them to climb on. I didn't get the chance to go to the pet store and buy the drift wood so I used what I had. I have already spotted Chloe hanging on it the night she discovered the soap dish and thought I might it more exciting if I added more. Hopefully Prada can get some fun out of it too.

Until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Play Sand

     I finally bought it, the play sand! Tomorrow I will  clean out the tank and replace the calcium sand with the play sand. I'm hoping this will make my humidity problems a thing of the past :) On top of that, I want to buy more driftwood and climbing items because I know they will enjoy it. I will take a picture of the newest tank setup as well. 

      I bought the play sand at Lowe's and it was fifty pounds for around four and change. That's a big difference between the six dollars I spent on five pounds for the calcium sand. I hope Chloe and Prada like the new change :3 Should I do the change in substrate slowly or is it okay to up and switch it?

     I'm so excited I want to do it now! First, however, I need a container of sorts to hold the rest of the play sand (sand is messy...) and I need to buy the wood. So tomorrow it is. Get ready, hermies~ Tomorrow is going to be fun. Photo shoots, tank changes, new food (?), and maybe some more shells :3 

Until next time,
Pearl Popping~ 

Tank setup

     Here is my tank setup, although I have changed it around since this picture. I am still on the lookout for more items they can climb on such as sticks, driftwood and leafy plants. I know they sell it at the pet store I frequent but the prices are high for wood...come on, $30?

old tank setup

Also, I use calcium sand but am going to switch over to play sand if only because the calcium sand isn't very helpful with keeping the humidity inside my crabitat. 

Should I add more sand into the ten gallon tank as well? I have come across pictures where the tank is  practically filled with substrate but at the same time many have stated that this is unnecessary and a waste of bedding. My crabs are small, not tiny but small, compared to the medium hermies I have seen on the web and inside the pet store. I don't want to over do it. 

Why I don't use coconut fiber substrate? Easy, its made of coconut and that will attract all the nasty bugs I don't want around my babies.

     Here is my new tank setup, I like to change it around at least once every week - week and a half. It gives me the chance to clean up really good and remove food Prada likes to hide under the sand. 

New tank setup

Why are their towels on top of the tank? As I have stated before, I'm having extreme difficulty with the humidity thanks to the mixture of calcium sand and maybe placement of the crabitat in my bedroom. As you can see the sun does hit the tank which I was fine with on the cooler days but now that its getting hotter I have been using moist towels and it's been making a huge difference. I do plan to move them soon though.

Inside tank on the left

You'll notice I placed the burlap net going towards the upper level I made. That is just a soap dish connected to the glass with suction cups and some more shells up there. I used a little bit of fabric to cover the opening at the bottom of of the soap dish and covered that with the calcium sand. How I got the net to stay in place? Easy, I used these little Command hooks ( see them here ), you can actually see one in the picture above in the top left corner. You can also see their food (both fresh and commercial) as well of the water. 

Inside tank on the right

I placed small rocks inside the salt water bowel as well as a sea sponge because I think it might have been a little too deep. Should I have a sponge in both the fresh water and salt water? I wonder if it'll help with humidity...

until next time,

Pearl Popping~

Chloe and Prada

     Let's be honest, hermit crabs aren't the best picture takers. My little girls are scared to death of my phone let alone my camera. How some people are able to get such great shots is beyond me but I tried my hardest.

Chloe

Chloe is my smallest crab... or I think she is. Since she has moved out of this shell into a much larger one she looks about the same size as Prada now. She hasn't molted with me yet, I've only had her for about five days now, only swapped out shell. She is very active; I have yet to see her sleep and she's always climbing over everything in the crabitat. Chloe is my guinea pig when I place new items for them to play on inside the tank only because she is the first to notice :3

Prada

Prada is completely opposite of Chloe, she is quite and shy. She likes to stay inside her hut and only comes out to grab a raisin or two before running back to her corner (that is why I placed her on a towel to get her picture). She hasn't switched shells yet and it doesn't seem like she's looking either, which is fine.

I'm always looking in on her because I'm hoping she does molt soon. I believe she was in a fight at the pet store as she is missing her largest claw and has trouble climbing when she actually takes the time to do so. This makes me a little uneasy and I'm constantly looking out for her and hoping Chloe isn't trying to fight with her. After stopping countless fights with Hermes and Chloe I'm on edge, however I was told that since I bought them at the same time from the same pet store this would be highly unlikely - I'm crossing my fingers in hope that this is true.  

Close up of Prada

    I hope to one day add to their little clan :3