Arachnids and Insects

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Arachnids and Insects - Pet Advice

Handling Hermit Crabs

April 21st 2011 17:01

The more that you hold your hermit crabs, the more comfortable you will be at doing so, and the more comfortable your hermit crabs will be.

Hermit crabs don't have to be a "look at" pet. They can be enjoyed and played with, but you'll quickly find that they'll never be like having a cat, dog, guinea pig, rabbit, hamster, etc.

When you have hermit crabs as pets, you'll want to expect to be pinched at some point or another. When you are pinched, you'll want to put the run lukewarm water over the crab to get him to release.

If you're worried about getting pinched, you may want to consider wearing gloves, such as gardening gloves. When you're more comfortable, you can lose the gloves, but while getting used to handling the crabs, consider wearing gloves.

Pick up the crab using the back of the shell. If you grab the crab by the front part of the shell, the crab can easily reach around to pinch you.

You'll find that the more comfortable your crab gets, them more it'll wander around you. Aa happy and comfortable crab will wander hand to hand without stopping. Make sure to put your hands together horizontally, not finger to finger.

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Arachnids and Insects

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Housing Hermit Crabs

April 7th 2011 15:53

When most people purchase their new hermit crabs at the beach, they think that the small, plastic container will suffice for the lifespan of the new pet. They, also, are under the impression that the dry sand will be ideal for the pet.

Well, these things are not entirely correct.

When housing hermit crabs, they actually like to be in company of other hermit crabs. It's best to house at least 3-5 crabs together in a minimum of a 10 gallon tank. As the crabs grow, you may find that you may need to upgrade to a larger enclosure with more floor space.

Temperature: 70-86F

Humidity: at least 70%

Substrate: Coconut fiber or a forest bedding is ideal. Moisten the substrate and place it in the habitat. You can moisten the substrate with sea salt water if you'd like. The benefit of using a dirt bedding over sand is that it helps provide humidity, and it's natural for them.

Decorations: You'll want to make sure to add plenty of things for your hermit crabs to climb on. Consider cork bark slabs, choya wood, and other obstacles to climb on.

Food/Water Bowls: You'll want to provide shallow bowls or shells to place food and water.

Shells: Make sure that you provide plenty of extra shells of varying shapes and sizes. Hermit crabs like to change their outer shell often, so you want to make sure you have plenty to choose from.

Perfect setup with a dry and humid side, allowing the hermit crab to have options.

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Arachnids and Insects

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Feeding Hermit Crabs

March 30th 2011 16:24

Hermit crabs are typically quite simple to care for, but at the same time, they are slightly misunderstood in their care. Most people just purchase their crab while at the beach and attemp to keep it in the small critter keeper forever, but in actuality, these animals like company and space to roam.

When it comes to diet, the commercial pellet food isn't always going to be the best or most nutritious diet for any hermit crab.

You do want to offer the commercial diet, but I wouldn't recommend leaving it at that.

Good commercial hermit crab food include:

* FMR Hermit Crab Food
* ZooMed Hermit Crab Food

Treats:

But, you want to make sure that with the commercial food, you still provide fresh foods, so that your pet(s) get(s) all the right nutrients and a well-balanced diet.

* apples
* applesauce
* bananas
* broccoli
* carrots
* coconut (fresh or dried)
* crackers (no or low salt)
* grapes
* grass (no pesticides)
* leafy green lettuces (no iceberg/head lettuce)
* leaves and strips of bark from deciduous trees (no conifers)
* mango
* melons
* nuts (unsalted nuts)
* papaya
* peanut butter (occasionally)
* pineapple
* raisins
* seaweed
* spinach
* strawberries
* watercress

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Arachnids and Insects

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Handling Hermit Crabs

March 26th 2011 19:51

Hermit crabs don't have to be a look at only pet. You can actually handle them, but you want to be careful that you don't stress out your hermit crab(s) and that you don't get yourself pinched.

If you decide that you want to try holding your crabs, you want to do so often so that you and the crabs get used to the handling. Just make sure that you start slow and short. You can stress out your pet.

When picking up your crabs, grab the back of the shell. Never use the top of the shell or front. Put the crab on a new surface quickly. You will want to watch the crab carefully, especially if you opt to just put the crab on the ground or a table. If you have an active, stress, abused, or hungry crab, you're more likely to get pinched.

Once you have the crab out of the enclosure, create a surface for it to walk on. If you want the crab to walk on your hands, place one hand horizontally in front of the other, always providing walking space.

If you get pinched, you'll want to put the crab under lukewarm water to get it o release. If you're nervous, consider wearing gloves until you're more used to handling your crabs.

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Arachnids and Insects

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Brazilian Pink Tarantula

February 24th 2011 17:42

I have wanted a tarantula for some time now, and I did my research on various species of pet tarantulas.... I wasn't expecting to come home with one when I did, but I now have a tiny Brazilian Pink Tarantula.

The Lasiodora parahybana, or Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater Tarantula, is a larger pet arachnid. It has an armspan of about 7.5" to 11" as an adult. Right now, my little guy is only the size of a nickel and working her way to a quarter quickly.

These tarantulas feed on crickets, mealworms, roaches, and superworms, depending on their size. As they get larger, some keepers may offer pinkie mice, small lizards, and sometimes fuzzy mice. Right now, I'm feeding mine baby lateralis roaches, and she loves them.

If you choose to get a Brazilian Pink Tarantula, you'll want to start with a small enclosure, like a deli cup or a critter keeper, and as the arachnid grows, upgrade to larger enclosures. An adult tarantula will live fine in a 10-20 gallon enclosure.

You want the temperatures about 75-85 degrees, which is essentially room temperatures. Keep the humidity aroun 78-82%, which you can achieve by misting the substrate, which you want to have about 1-5" deep, depending on the size of your tarantula.

For decor, you'll want to include:

* A shallow water dish (add rocks to the dish, if you don't have one shallow enough, as you want to make sure your spider can get out without drowning).
* Logs, driftwood, cork bark, etc. for a hiding place.
* Moss is a good floor cover on top of any coconut coir or dirt substrate.

Keep the enclosure simple.

These tarantulas are reported at living up to 10 or more years in captivity.

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Arachnids and Insects

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Tips for Handling a Pet Tarantula

June 2nd 2009 13:09

When considering a pet tarantula, you should make sure that you know that these guys are not going to be the best "play with" pet option, especially for kids, who generally want to play with their new pet. Just remember that if the tarantula is going to be a pet for a child, especially a younger child, you do not want the child to play with the tarantula without supervision

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Arachnids and Insects

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Caring for a Pet Tarantula

May 30th 2009 20:29

Before you get any new pet, you want to make sure that you know all the specific requirements for the animal. Sometimes you can get started on basic information, but you will still need to make sure to get specific information for the specific species. You can generally start with an enclosure and decor, but each tarantula species will have slightly different temperature, humidity, and diet requirements that you will need to make sure that you can provide and meet accordingly.

To get started here are a few tips for caring for pet tarantulas

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Arachnids and Insects

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Tips for Feeding a Pet Scorpion

April 18th 2009 18:47

Scorpions are becoming more and more popular in the pet market. You have been able to find them at reptile and exotic pet expos and conventions for years. You could even find them in small mom-and-pop pet stores, but now you can even find them in larger retail pet stores.

Because they are different, they are just more appealing for pet owners. I've found that more teenage boys are prone to purchasing a pet scorpion than anyone else. I mean, at least for them it's a story for school, but in any case, no matter how old you are or what gender you are, you want to make sure that you know how to properly feed a scorpion

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Arachnids and Insects

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Choosing a Beginner Tarantula

April 16th 2009 14:35

Tarantulas are actually a fairly popular pet now days. I mean, you'll never find more tarantulas kept as pets than dogs and cats, or even birds or reptiles, but their popularity is growing an increasing. Even at reptile expos, you'll find many vendors with tarantulas for sale, which is not odd anymore to see, and it's not uncommon for the tarantulas to be sold out by the end of the reptile show

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Posted By: Whitney - Category: Arachnids and Insects

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