Care Checklist
1) more than one crab
2) a proper aquarium
3) safe food
4) salt and fresh water
5) substrate
6) thermometer and hygrometer
7) hide
8) climbing toys
9) extra shells
In Depth
More Than 1 Crab:
Despite the name, hermit crabs are quite social critters. In the wild, they live in colonies of 100 or more. If you plan on buying a hermit crab, don't just get one. Get them a buddy!
Despite the name, hermit crabs are quite social critters. In the wild, they live in colonies of 100 or more. If you plan on buying a hermit crab, don't just get one. Get them a buddy!
A Proper Aquarium:
The little "hermit crab houses" that they sell in the pet stores are NOT big enough to actually keep hermits in. A 10 gallon aquarium is considered the minimum size tank that you can use to house two or three small crabs. Keep in mind that crabs will grow and if you start out with a small tank, you'll need to upgrade in the future.
The little "hermit crab houses" that they sell in the pet stores are NOT big enough to actually keep hermits in. A 10 gallon aquarium is considered the minimum size tank that you can use to house two or three small crabs. Keep in mind that crabs will grow and if you start out with a small tank, you'll need to upgrade in the future.
Safe Food:
Most commercial crab foods contain ethoxyquin and/or copper sulfate. These two chemicals are used as pesticides, herbicides and fungucides, so you obviously don't want your crabs eating them. Check the ingredients list on all foods before buying them. You want to feed your crabs all natural, human grade food. Where can you find high quality foods like this? Check out the links page. Also, you'll want to feed your crabs fresh fruits and vegetables every night.
Most commercial crab foods contain ethoxyquin and/or copper sulfate. These two chemicals are used as pesticides, herbicides and fungucides, so you obviously don't want your crabs eating them. Check the ingredients list on all foods before buying them. You want to feed your crabs all natural, human grade food. Where can you find high quality foods like this? Check out the links page. Also, you'll want to feed your crabs fresh fruits and vegetables every night.
Salt and Fresh Water:
Contrary to popular belief, all kinds of crabs need salt and fresh water. In the wild, hermit crabs live near or on the beach, so they have acess to both. Always provide dechlorinated water. Chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals found in tap and bottled water are harmful to hermies. When mixing up salt water for your crabs, be sure to use aquarium salt, as table salt contains iodine, which is harmful to them. How much salt? Just follow the directions on the bottle. A general rule of thumb is 1/2 cup per gallon. So, to sum it all up, provide dechlorinated salt and fresh water, and be sure to mix your salt water with aquarium salt.
Contrary to popular belief, all kinds of crabs need salt and fresh water. In the wild, hermit crabs live near or on the beach, so they have acess to both. Always provide dechlorinated water. Chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals found in tap and bottled water are harmful to hermies. When mixing up salt water for your crabs, be sure to use aquarium salt, as table salt contains iodine, which is harmful to them. How much salt? Just follow the directions on the bottle. A general rule of thumb is 1/2 cup per gallon. So, to sum it all up, provide dechlorinated salt and fresh water, and be sure to mix your salt water with aquarium salt.
Substrate:
Substrate is EXTREMELY important to crabs. Crabs burrow into their substrate to molt, or shed their skin and grow a new one. Molting is a very important process, which makes the substrate equally so. Use a substrate that the crabs can dig into and tunnel, like moist play sand, eco earth, or a mixture of both. DO NOT use gravel or calci sand. Crabs can't dig in gravel, and calci sand hardens like cement when wet, which can trap a crab underground or clog its gills. Also make sure your substrate is deep; at least 6 inches or 3 times the height of your largest crab.
Substrate is EXTREMELY important to crabs. Crabs burrow into their substrate to molt, or shed their skin and grow a new one. Molting is a very important process, which makes the substrate equally so. Use a substrate that the crabs can dig into and tunnel, like moist play sand, eco earth, or a mixture of both. DO NOT use gravel or calci sand. Crabs can't dig in gravel, and calci sand hardens like cement when wet, which can trap a crab underground or clog its gills. Also make sure your substrate is deep; at least 6 inches or 3 times the height of your largest crab.
Thermometer and Hygrometer:
Hermit crabs live on tropical beaches where it is always hot and humid, just the way they like it. Hermies have modified gills that allow them to breathe air, but only moist air! Hermit crabs will die a slow painful death of suffocation if not kept in a humid enviroment. Hermit crabs also need it hot, or they will become dormant. Because of their need for heat and humidity, use a thermometer and a hygrometer (measures humidity) to keep it 75* F and 75% relative humidity.
Hermit crabs live on tropical beaches where it is always hot and humid, just the way they like it. Hermies have modified gills that allow them to breathe air, but only moist air! Hermit crabs will die a slow painful death of suffocation if not kept in a humid enviroment. Hermit crabs also need it hot, or they will become dormant. Because of their need for heat and humidity, use a thermometer and a hygrometer (measures humidity) to keep it 75* F and 75% relative humidity.
Hide:
Crabs like having a place to hide in and feel secure. For a hide, you can use a coco-hut or something similar. Just don't use anything made of pine or cedar, because even though these things are fine for hermies in the wild, in the tank, the oils will build up and can prove harmful to a crab.
Crabs like having a place to hide in and feel secure. For a hide, you can use a coco-hut or something similar. Just don't use anything made of pine or cedar, because even though these things are fine for hermies in the wild, in the tank, the oils will build up and can prove harmful to a crab.
Climbing Toys:
Hermit crabs LOVE to climb. For climbing toys, you can use mopani wood, cholla wood, cork bark, nets, plastic plants, mesh, anything! If you put it in the tank, the hermies will climb it! Just keep in mind that hermits will also try to eat their toys, so make sure the things you put in their environment don't have anything on them that may be harmful to the crabs.
Hermit crabs LOVE to climb. For climbing toys, you can use mopani wood, cholla wood, cork bark, nets, plastic plants, mesh, anything! If you put it in the tank, the hermies will climb it! Just keep in mind that hermits will also try to eat their toys, so make sure the things you put in their environment don't have anything on them that may be harmful to the crabs.
Extra Shells:
Hermit crabs don't grow their own shells, they borrow abandoned shells to protect their soft abdomen. When a hermit crab's shell gets too small, or if the crab doesn't like the shell it is in, or even just wants a new shell, they will change into a new one. For that reason, you'll need to provide each crab you have with at least three extra, non-painted shells. NEVER EVER use painted shells. The paint can chip and the crabs will eat the paint, which is toxic. Also, crabs can get glued into their shells by the paint. Some people have even had to cut the painted shells off their crabs because the crab was glued into place!
Hermit crabs don't grow their own shells, they borrow abandoned shells to protect their soft abdomen. When a hermit crab's shell gets too small, or if the crab doesn't like the shell it is in, or even just wants a new shell, they will change into a new one. For that reason, you'll need to provide each crab you have with at least three extra, non-painted shells. NEVER EVER use painted shells. The paint can chip and the crabs will eat the paint, which is toxic. Also, crabs can get glued into their shells by the paint. Some people have even had to cut the painted shells off their crabs because the crab was glued into place!
All set up? Your aquarium could look something like this:
Add hermit crabs and watch the fun!