Hermit Crab Experts?

dogofwar

dogofwar

CCA Members
So my in-laws came back from the 4th of July festivities with a hermit crab in a small cage for Siena, my 8-year-old. It has a little shell for food (some brown ground-up stuff) and a little chunk of sponge.

This seems to be pretty good advice: http://www.hermit-crabs.com/care.html

Any practical experiences with these guys? I'd like to keep it alive...and I have no experience with them.

Planning to move him into a 10g (on top of a warm fish tank) with some PFS, some Pothos plants, almond leaves, a piece of driftwood and a plastic lid with water for drinking / bathing (not too deep).

Need to covered the top?

Thanks,
Matt
 
Prince

Prince

The ONE who is The ONE
No need for a lid unless you have other terrestrial pets like cats. Throw a couple extra shells in the tank. They like to switch homes on occasion and as they grow. Surprisingly PetSmart carries a great selection of hermit crab stuff.


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golsama

golsama

Corresponding Secretary
Hermit crabs need really high humidity and are surprisingly good escape artists. I would definitely recommend a lid. I used to keep a 40 breeder with hermit crabs. They would climb the silicone in the corner of the tank and push the glass lid open. I had to put weights on top to stop them. Before doing so I once found an escapee climbing up the stairs.

They need two soaking pools (one fresh and one salt water) so they can balance their salinity. The pools should be deep enough for them to submerge the opening of their shells.

For substrate I ended up using eco earth on 1/2 the tank and sand on the other 1/2. If you use sand think sand castle building consistency. Otherwise they can't burrow. My guys almost always dug down on the eco earth side.

Speaking of burrowing, the hermit crab may disappear under the substrate for a while to molt. The time varies depending on the size of the crab. I had a one the size of a pencil eraser that would only be under for a day or so and then one the size of a baseball that would be under for months. Its very important not to disturb them while they are molting.

Regarding food, my guys relished fresh fruits and veggies. They also went nuts for bee pollen and honey. Their absolute favorite food was fresh seafood (shrimp, pieces of fish, scallops, etc). It can be given raw or cooked as long as it is salt free.

I'll stop this incredibly long post now but if you have any other questions feel free to ask me. I kept hermit crabs successfully for years. When I tore down my tank I had a few that I had for 3 years.

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zackcrack00

zackcrack00

Members
Before fish I kept Hermit crabs. You need to keep the sponge in a DIFFERENT dish than the bathing dish. Sand or gravel is fin, and if you want him/her to be super happy, add a golf ball sized clump of moss used in reptilian terrariums.

Add some slightly larger shells than the one he/she is in. Also, a cave larger than him provides privacy which they need, hence the name "Hermit crab".
 
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