Hermit Crab Care

Good hermit crab care is more involved than many people realize, but I'm sure you'll find it's well worth the effort.

Hermit crabs are fascinating and intelligent little creatures with personalities all their own. Although they don't require as much care and attention as dogs or cats, they still have special needs that should be taken into consideration before you buy one. You need to provide the proper environment, food and supplies to ensure a happy and healthy pet.

Hermit Crab Housing

Good hermit crab care begins with the right housing - commonly referred to as a "Crabitat." Common land hermit crabs found in pet stores come from tropical climates and require a humid and wet environment.

You can best provide this with a 10 gallon or larger glass aquarium and glass lid. If you can't find a glass lid, you can use a screen cover and cover part of the area with plastic wrap. Buy a humidity gauge and mount it inside the aquarium. Monitor the humidity in the tank frequently and pull back the plastic wrap as needed to cut down on the humidity. Try to keep the humidity between 70% and 85%.

You need to invest in a heating pad to place under part of the aquarium because hermit crabs require temperatures between 72 degrees F and 82 degrees F to stay healthy. Buy a temperature gauge and mount it in their aquarium (Crabitat) and monitor it frequently.

The best substrates for a hermit crab habitat are either sand or Forest Bedding (available at many pet stores). A combination of both is ideal. You can pay more and get the calci-sand from a pet store or go to your local home improvement store and buy a big bag of the play sand. Make sure to choose a bag from the middle of the pile that is relatively moisture free. And avoid any bags that smell of oil or look like they contain oil.

Hermit crab care involves cleaning their aquarium once a week. This involves removing the dried feces from the sand. This feces resembles miniature pieces of macaroni. You can use a plastic spoon to scoop out these pieces. Smooth the sand and rearrange their surroundings frequently to keep them happy and stimulated.

Food and Water for Hermit Crabs

They'll need a food and water dish. The water dish should be large enough for the crab to bathe in, they love to bathe and fill their shells with water. If it's really deep, add a piece of wood or sponge so they can get out of it.

Clean their water bowl and provide fresh water daily. You should provide them with dechlorinated water. Use the same drops that are available for fish tank water.

Hermit crabs love a variety of foods. So in addition to the necessary staple prepared foods you should supplement their diet with other types of food such as raisins, dry oatmeal, brine shrimp, carrots, etc. Remove any uneaten food daily and provide them with fresh food daily.

Hermit Crab Supplies

Choya wood, drift wood, climbing nets and all sorts of things make wonderful play toys for your crabs habitat. Feel free to use your imagination. Be sure to wash anything you buy before adding it.

Provide your hermit crab with a good selection of shells to change into. The sea shells should be of all shapes and sizes, with plenty of shells larger than the one they're presently in.

Finally

Hermit crab care involves providing a community atmosphere. They do best when kept with others - don't just buy one, buy several.