I hope this is the right section...they technically have legs and an exoskeleton lol. I have had my hermit crabs (got two for my son) for about 2 years ago. They keep getting tiny little mites! They aren't anywhere else in the house except the enclosure, and I end up having to clean and scrub the enclosure once a month and I use this "mite guard/killer" stuff that you sprinkle on the bottom before you add the sand...and it seems to only keep them away for a month. Can anyone recommend any mite killer for hermit crabs that they know works? I soak them during the mite treatment twice a day for about 3-4 days (in their quarantine enclosure) before I put them back in the new clean tank. Other than the stupid mites they act like normal hermit crabs and seem happy as far as crabs go I guess. Any ideas? This is how my cleaning schedule goes every month:
-Spot clean with a scooper about once a week
-once a month when/if I see the mites (usually around the water and food dish and on the crabs themselves) I remove the crabs and put them in their quarantine enclosure.
-I dump the sand and boil the dishes, hides, climbing branches, extra shells, etc
-I scrub the tank with a bleach/water solution in the tub, rinse and dry
-Sprinkle the stupid mite guard on the bottom, paying close attention to the corners and edges.
-replace the sand and redecorate with the newly cleaned items
-I leave the crabs in quarantine for 3-4 days giving two soaks a day, then place them back in their tank.
It's just such a PITA to do this every single month because of the mites. I just want a product that works, and Petco is useless as we all know.