How do you keep a sand substrate moist for hermit crabs?

Play sand for hermit crabs.......?

• hi ok i got 1 hermit crab ( getting too more on friday ) i need some substrate i decided to go with play sand but i havent put it in the cage i have a 9 yr daughter and its her hermit crab she wants too b responsible for it clean the cage feed give water yea all that i wanted to know when she cleans out the cage and outs the play sand from walmart in it will it harm her or the crab plz tell i wanna keep her safe thanks & god bless

• Answer:

  Play sand is absolutely fine and is actually recommended! Calcium sand is not needed as long as you provide another source of calcium like a calcium block or cuttlebone.Make sure your daughter keeps the sand moist by misting it daily using a spray bottle. The sand should also be deep enough for the crabs to bury themselves. They need to do this when they shed their skin. Clean the sand about once a month. To do this: 1-scoop a third of it off the top and put it in a bucket.Add water to a leval just above the sand. 2-Swish the bucket around a bit so that any organic particles float to the surface and pour these away. 3-continue doing this until the water is clear and nothing floats to the top (yea this takes a while) 4-Pour away the water and either boil the sand or put it in the microwave for 5 minutes to kill off any germs. Leave the sand to cool, then put it back in. Also please ask your daughter to research hermit crab care on the internet, or buy a book about them. So many crabs die due to improper care. An excellent website is this one http://www.hermit-crabs.com/ The most important factor when caring for hermit crabs is humidity. The air in the tank should be at least 70% humidity or they cannot breathe properly! Get a hygrometer to chack this.