Best products from r/hermitcrabs

We found 58 comments on r/hermitcrabs discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 69 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

Top comments mentioning products on r/hermitcrabs:

u/ChristianCuber · 2 pointsr/hermitcrabs

OK, Im just going to list a bunch of stuff I've purchased through this process. Nothing is in any particular order.

Almond leaves (for tannin) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LKTX4VC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Moss - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0035Q65TQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cholla Wood - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H4FUMHY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Dried red Shrimp (Protein and Chitin) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027JCRVW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Instant Ocean (1/3cup per Gallon) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000255NKA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ultrasonic Mister/Fogger (for DIY Fogger) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PAK21WU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Digital Temp Humidity Controller - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I6BZ2IO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

LED White/Blue Light - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0191EWII2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

UTH (You may need to get a different size and this isn't the most recommended, but it works for me currently) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TR4HLEI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (This one has adhesive on the back of it, so you just stick it on like a sticker.)

Cork Bark Board - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019J1VPY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s04?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Water Conditioner - https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-116043304-Prime-500ml/dp/B00025694O

If you have any questions, please feel free. To mitigate confusion I felt just listing this as a reference first is the best approach. If you are looking for a new tank so that you can get friends, i would suggest 30 or more gallons and work towards that instead of investing into the current tank which would get changed.

Personally with the 5 i have i clearly see they need much more room than the 15 gallon they have now. I am in the process of acquiring an 85-120 gallon tank for permanency. These guys can live 20+ years with the proper care and environment. but not everyone has that freedom. 30 is a totally doable size for 3 crabs. they can grow to jumbos and be fine in there, but im sure if they reach that stage you'll be looking for another tank. Jumbos need at least 12" of substrate for molting.

u/dazzleduck · 2 pointsr/hermitcrabs

You do not need the tank liner. The heating pad goes on the outside along the BACK of your tank, not under. The goal is to heat the air. If you put it under you will cook the crabs, heating pads often get much too hot (even with reptiles you need to use a thermostat to keep it from overheating and burning your reptile).

For humidity, I am going to link you a thermometer/hydrometer that I use. You will be able to easily see what both are at with just a glance and then make adjustments as needed. You can find a good one here

If you want one that has probes that goes into the tank and the display is outside, check out this one. Make sure that the probes are out of reach of the crabs, but as close to ground level in the tank as possible.



As for keeping humidity up, moss is a great option. You can mix it into your sand, place piles of it on top of the sand, or use a suction cup shower caddy on the glass and fill it up with the moss. Specifically, you want sphagnum moss which you can find in reptile sections. You can mist it and it will stay wet for a few days. Another thing you can add are bubblers, the same kind you would use in an aquarium. Adding them to your pools creates water movement which will not only increase humidity but attract your crabs to the water and deliver oxygen into the tank. With the proper substrate mixture and the heating pad, you should meet the parameters you need. But sometimes it just doesn't happen, and then you can try adding moss and/or bubblers. I have both and my humidity stays perfect.
You're awesome for getting started on their new stuff right away. They are such a rewarding pet, and I bet you will notice a huge difference in their activity once you have it all set up!

u/PennyLaane · 1 pointr/hermitcrabs

I felt the same way a year ago when I bought a crab on impulse thinking it'd be a cheap and easy pet to care for. Once the tank is set up, they ARE affordable and low maintenance, which is awesome!

The Crab Street Journal, as /u/picklesfoley recommended, is a great resource. This sub isn't bad, but I find the Hermit Crab Association (HCA) forums extra helpful. They have tons of helpful guides, and the community is super responsive. There are also a decent handful of active Facebook groups for hermit crab owners.

As with any community (especially for pets), you'll probably run into some sticklers who can give borderline-harsh critiques when you ask a question, share a photo, etc. They're usually not wrong, and they usually mean well, but I often feel like their approach is detrimental. Don't let anyone make you feel overwhelmed or like you're doing a bad job. You're taking the necessary steps to create an environment for your crabs to thrive, and that's more than many crab owners can say. Getting up to speed doesn't happen overnight!

A couple of final tips:

  • Keeping humidity up can be a huge pain without anything to help. Once I got an air pump for one of my pools, humidity was always on point! Air pumps are cheap and easy to set up. Here's the one I bought.

  • Not sure how many crabs you have now or how big your tank is (10gal+ per crab is generally recommended) but if you're ever looking for more, there are plenty of people trying to get rid of hermit crabs. I adopted 2 through the HCA, and Crab Street Journal has an adoption program too. I've also heard about people adopting unwanted crabs through Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.
u/ErroneousFunk · 1 pointr/hermitcrabs

Thanks! It's a lizard lounger: https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Plax-REP701-Seagrass-Triangular/dp/B013T6XPVC

I knew it would be way too big, but the material was perfect for climbing and had great structure, so I used some creative folding to turn it into a hut. The suction cups are attached with tied leather cord, so you can easily remove them and place only as needed. I'm just using one to anchor against the wall and the cord from another one to tie it together so it doesn't flop around.

Mentioned the reptile hammock in the post, but, admittedly, it's a novel so I don't think anyone read it :) Any ideas on the questions I had? I'm gonna clean it up a little...

u/Mister_Ef · 2 pointsr/hermitcrabs

R-Zilla SRZ09627 Reptile Munchies Fruit Mix Treat, 2.5-Ounce by Zilla http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUFTKXW/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_Owumtb183NK3Z

It's pretty ridiculous how much they love this stuff. And because there's a variety built in, they don't seem to get sick of it. My only concern is that it doesn't provide all the nutrients they need (specifically protein and calcium), so I'm going to try the omnivore mix from the same product line next to see how that goes. For now though I just supplement the fruit mix with meal worms and river shrimp... Though they seem to ignore everything but the fruit. Like kids, picking out the marshmallows from the Lucky Charms and leaving the rest.

u/SrCallum · 1 pointr/hermitcrabs

If you want to not have to worry about mold you can put springtails in there. They eat mold and fungus and help break down the crab feces. I got my springtails off Amazon. It was pretty cold out when the ones I got were delivered (30-40 F) and they did fine in transit, plenty in there and I didn't see any dead ones. I poured most of them into my substrate and mixed it in, kept a few in the original container and now there's TONS more. Like you can't even see the bottom of the container in some spots they're so thick, and there's eggs everywhere. Just poke a few holes (they thrive with a bit of fresh air) and put a dead leaf or leftover food in there.

I haven't had a mold problem since I put them in my tank and I rarely if ever see any crab feces anymore. If you have mostly sand and springtails then you really don't ever have to change out the substrate (I'll probly do so anyway in about a year though). They do like to jump into my pools but it doesn't hurt anything (I'm gonna get some rice and put a few grains in there away from the pools to try to reroute them a bit).

u/sama-llama · 5 pointsr/hermitcrabs

Instant Ocean Sea Salt for Marine Aquariums, Nitrate & Phosphate-Free, 50-Gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255NKA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ACFUDbPR2S8NK

There ya go. Under $15.