It's going to change its shell ~
If they suddenly break away from the shells, they should immediately prepare several shells (slightly larger than the original ones).
Then soak in warm water. In addition, spray water on the exposed hermit crab (the hermit crab breathes with its gills) or give it a sea bath 1 min or so (use warm water instead of cold water, and the water level should not be too high).
Then use the previous screw shell to put it in the shoe box (if not, find an ordinary box or box), and the inside will become dark after covering the lid. Then, keep it that way. 1~2 hours later, open the lid. If you continue streaking, wait 1~2 hours.
Molting means that hermit crabs shed their old shells, and muscle tissue will grow and gradually harden to form new shells. "Shell changing" means that the terrestrial hermit crab crawls out of its back shell and then moves into another empty shell.
Hermit crabs are not so easy to raise. If you really want to raise them, you must first understand the methods.
Here are the ways to raise hermit crabs:
Before feeding
For the first time, please soak in salt water 1-2 minutes to remove parasites or lice, and put a pot, cover it with bottom sand, and add 1-2 teaspoons of calcium salt to the sand (they will take the required salt directly from the sand). New crabs usually drill into the sand for days to weeks to adapt to the new environment. They may not be very active at this time, and they don't eat much. When they are familiar with the sand in your house, don't put it on their hands to reduce interference. Keep them in some dark and quiet places, change food constantly every day, and keep proper temperature and humidity.
2. Sunlight, ventilation and hidden objects
Try to find a place near the window, or where the sun can be tilted. But not to the point of direct sunlight. Put the cylinder in a lower position, and the highest edge of the cylinder is just at the lowest edge of the window. There should be more hidden objects, especially small houses, to match their habits. Hermit crabs are timid. Cabin can make them feel safe, and they like to rest in the house during the day.
3. Feed tank
The feeding trough can provide a comfortable living environment for hermit crabs, and plastic or glass boxes can be used. The plastic box is attached with a cover, which has a certain height and can prevent escape. The cover has holes and proper ventilation. The cover can be closed tightly to keep warm and moist.
4. Space
Bottom sand should be laid on the breeding boxes to hide them and shell them. The depth of bottom sand in the cylinder should be at least 65,438+0 to 2 times (at least 5-7cm) higher than the individual height in the cylinder, and the sand thickness is about 2-3 mm. Too young sand will be sucked into the shell, and too thick sand will make them unable to return to the sand surface after molting. There should be room for hidden items and pots, and enough space for them to walk around. If you want to enlarge the space of the feeding trough, you can put some climbing plants or driftwood in the feeding trough for them to climb.
5. Individuals of different sizes
If both large and small individuals are kept in the same feeding trough, you should pay attention to the fact that large individuals will not attack small individuals. If this happens, please raise it separately.
6. Reserve cylinder
If there are too many terrestrial hermit crabs (more than 6 in 1 ruler tank), 1-2 spare feeding tanks should be prepared as shelters for molting terrestrial crabs. For example, when individuals are found to have signs of molting, they can be put into another feeding trough. In addition, the spare cylinder can also be used as a treatment room for individuals who are sick or stressed and cut themselves.
wash
Note that detergent is very toxic to terrestrial hermit crabs. Never use detergent such as detergent and lye when cleaning the feeding tank. Bacteria are easy to breed in summer and can be cleaned more frequently, but not so frequently in winter. Clean it every 2-3 months on average. If odor or insects are found, the feeding box should be cleaned as soon as possible. Pay attention to whether there are any individual hermit crabs missing in the feeding tank before cleaning. If an individual disappears, it means that the individual is hiding in the sand and may shed his skin soon. At this point, it is necessary to stop cleaning the feed tank. Prepare a plastic pot and let the hermit crab soak in warm water with calcium salt, and the water depth is as high as the snail shell. When taking a bath, we put the snail's shell mouth up, put it in the water, let it walk in the water 1~2 minutes later, pick it up.
8. Temperature and humidity
Because hermit crabs live in subtropical areas, the temperature should be kept at 20-30 degrees Celsius. When it is at 15 degrees, the movement will start to slow down, and it will die below 10 degrees. The feeding barrel can be kept at 26~30 degrees with a hot blanket or an ultraviolet lamp. Because hermit crabs breathe through gills, they can't breathe when humidity is low. Please keep the humidity at 60-80% and spray it manually with water containing calcium salt (do not give chlorine-containing tap water) for 2-3 times every morning and evening.
9. food
Hermit crab is Nocturnal Animals, and it is best to feed it after 10 in the evening. Changing food every day, hermit crabs usually use their forepaws to find organic matter in the sand, and can be fed with rice, bread crumbs, eggs, fruits and vegetables, fish feed, etc. In addition, it especially likes to eat corn and popcorn. For example, after molting, you can give them more calcium and protein food, such as meat, fish, eggshells and cooked shrimps (with shells).
Don't give them onions, mustard-containing food, spicy food, processed food containing preservatives or additives, sugar, food containing a lot of oil, food with insect repellent effect, vegetables and plants with insect repellent effect.
10. Fresh water
Mineral water, distilled water or cold boiled water can be used instead of chlorine-containing tap water. Hermit crabs breathe through gills, and chlorine-containing water is harmful to their health. It is necessary to put fresh water (drinking) and seawater (bathing) in two pots, and the amount of seawater is 100ml: 3g (about 500ml of authentic green tea bottles: 2 teaspoons).
1 1. shell
Hermit crabs are born with the property of changing their shells. When new shells of different sizes are put into the incubator for about three to six months, the lovely hermit crab will be replaced with new shells. When the hermit crab grows up, its shell becomes unsuitable, narrow or cracked, so it needs to be replaced. The first time you buy a new shell, you need to wash it with warm water and calcium salt for about ten minutes. If it doesn't have a new shell, it may mean that the current shell is still suitable.
12. naked
If they suddenly break away from the shells, please prepare a few shells immediately and then soak them in warm water. In addition, spray the bare hermit crab, or give it a sea bath 1 minute (warm water, not cold water, and the water level should not be too high), and then put it in a shoe box with the previous snail shell (if not, find an ordinary box or box), and the inside will turn black after covering the lid. Then, keep it that way. 1~2 hours later, open the lid. If you continue streaking, wait 1~2 hours.
shed a skin
Hermit crabs molt every once in a while to grow. "molting" and "changing shells (snail shells)" are not the same state. "molting" means that hermit crabs shed their old shells, and their muscle tissues will grow and gradually harden to form new shells. "Shell changing" means that the terrestrial hermit crab crawls out of its back shell and then moves into another empty shell. When it is found that its activity is reduced, it often hides in the basin or near the bottom sand to get water. It constantly digs the bottom sand to hide, which is a sign before molting. The process of molting is usually in the sand, which usually takes several weeks to a month, depending on the individual situation. Don't take away the old shell shed by hermit crabs, because it is an important source of calcium needed again. Hermit crabs become very fragile during molting. If molting fails, it often leads to death. Don't play or observe with them for the time being, so as not to interfere with them looking for a suitable place to prepare for molting. At the same time, isolate it to avoid the failure of molting caused by peer interference. Note that the isolation cylinder should have at least one basin, a cave to hide in and enough sand.
Another change after molting is the change of body color. Some individuals will become shallower after molting, while others will become deeper. The change of body color is mainly related to the food they eat before molting. Generally speaking, individuals who eat foods rich in carotene will gradually become brighter. However, the change of body color may also be related to environmental factors such as temperature and humidity, so the body color of terrestrial hermit crabs will change slightly after molting every time. Even the same species of terrestrial hermit crabs have different body colors due to different habitats.
Hermit crab is a very timid and neurotic creature, and is very alert to the surrounding environment. Paste background paper or magic mirror paper, so that you can observe their activities in the culture tank well.
Don't be too sad. When I first raised hermit crabs, they died three days later, and all three died together, because I mistakenly thought they ate everything and gave them pork ~ ~ ~ (dizzy ~ ~ ~).
Good luck raising crabs ~~O(∩_∩)O~