hermit crabs

[silke]

does anyone here keep them?
I have had some for about a year and a half now and they are great.
They are so entertaining and I blame them for me not getting enough sleep...as i head off to bed after turning the lights out I check to see how they are doing and end up standing there watching them for about an hour.

[nouserpif]

I was searching for them a while ago... A store near me usually has them, and there is a place in the US that regularly ships to canada, I mgiht get some next spring... How do you keep them?
Thanks,
Dan Conner

[silke]

i have a 15H x 12D x 30L tank
i baked the playsand to make sure it was disinfected and there were no bugs in it (make sure the sand has cooled down before putting it in the tank)
they need a DEEP substrate since they burrow and molt deep down
I have a folding glass lid - it keeps the heat and humidity in and still allows for enough air flow.
i have an aquarium fixture sitting on the top with a blacklight...make sure the wattage is low enough so the glass doesn't break
they require relatively high heat (80-90) and HIGH humidity (60-70%). I tried an under tank heater but found it didn't help much since there is so much sand in there.
there are some hermit crab prepared foods on the market but my guys don't like them too much. They do like the FMR foods though ... especially the treats.
I also feed them other things - dried blueberries, cherries, papaya, raisins, coconut, peanuts, cheese crackers, popcorn, pineapple, shrimp, fish, peanut butter (no dairy products), leafy greens.
I mist their tank every night when i go to bed as that is when they are most active - the misting really gets them going and that's when i end up standing there to watch them.
I have a terra cotta hut (or coconut hut) for them to hide in, a piece of coral that they love to climb on and hide behind, driftwood and cholla wood (cactus skeleton).
I recommend that you get LOTS of spare shells for them to change into so they don't fight over them...they can and will fight to the death over shells.

That's all that I can think of right now but please feel free to aska ny more questions
:)