# care for hermit crabs, a guide for new owners



## puggster (May 25, 2008)

sup guys

i have 2 little hermit crabs 

they were purchased at "pets at home" for 2 for £5 which i thought was pretty good considering the prices Ive seen so far 

we got a larger aquarium tank as i do believe in providing a good quality habitat for exotic and tropical life and the puny little crabitat tank that was offered as a starter pack wasnt up to the job so yeah we went for an upgrade home, it cost in the region of £60-70 to buy all the stuff include the hermit crabs
as of course the starter pack didnt have all the needed items only really samples and very basics

if anyone is considering buying them i would suggest the following set-up 
Ive provided a simple guide which some might want to read before getting them as pets as some pet stores will convince you these pets are low maintenance pets (i will say there not low maintenance) if you want that get a gold fish 
they do take a good amount of daily care and looking after to ensure there happy and healthy the following will give you an insight of what it takes 
to take on such pets

ideal set-up for 2-6 hermit crabs

*Enclosure.*
min 10 gallon aquarium or terrarium tank ideally glass as it holds in moisture and humidity also the temp nicely, plastic tanks tend not to be so good 
and can easily change temp and humidity rapidly which is bad

*Substrate.*
Dont be tempted to by that fish tank gravel or colour sand / gravel,
gravel is too hard to dig into and will be uncomfortable for them

ideally and a cheap solution is to purchase play sand for kids sand pits 
also a small bag of calcium sand as needed for extra calcium intake 
as crabs need sand or extra fine calcium gravel for hermit crabs to digest there food 
the calcium sand isnt 100% needed as substitutes can easily be provided cheaply ie cuttlefish can provide a good source of calcium 
all you need to do is grind it up into a powder and supply it in there food dish or sprinkle it into the sand or substrate.

*Heating. * 
A good source of heat is necessary for the crabs unless you live in an hot climate with temps of about 21+ degrees c 
hermit crabs need a heat source otherwise and a heat pad for under the tank will supply a small to med tank with a nice temp of around 23-30 max degrees c, make sure you provide a in tank temp gauge to keep track of the temp 
dont let your crabitat fall below 21 c or your cabbies will go into a sleep like state and eventually die or will become very inactive 
to ensure your tank stays constantly above 21 degrees c you can also supply a heat lamp or small household desk lamp to bring temps up a little if your heat pad cant do the job or simply invest in another heat pad 
the heat pad should heat the sand side of the tank or one side only at any time as your crab will appreciate a cooling off area like keep the sleeping or hide area cooler than the play and moulting area

Humidity.
Humidity in the tank should be kept at no lower than 70% 
anything between 76-85% is good ideally around 80% ish you want to maintain it around at least also dont overdo misting ect as too much is also a bad thing as it can produce a breeding ground for bacterial and mould growth 
which can crate an bad environment for your crabs

sponges in water baths / bowls can help increase humidity and help maintain it in the tank also regular misting of the tank and every other day spraying of the crabs help to keep them moist and happy and also wakes them up a bit

one spray of treated de chlorinated water directly on the crabs every second day is plenty to keep them moist and happy 
however keep the water sprayer in a room temp environment (dont refrigerate it) as you could put your crabs in shock with extremely cold temps 
same goes for baths and drinking water
keep it at room temp and change every 24hrs at least 
spring or bottled purified water can be used without using treatment products if you prefer the more natural method of drinking /bathing supplies

*bathing.*
bathing with saline solution should be offered weekly 
you can by salt water solution from pet stores which is needed for there shells as they do fill there shells with water to maintain moisture to there soft abdomen area 
you can alternatively use treated tap or bottled spring or purified water 
but salt water is better (dont use household, food or any other types of salt,
for this as they all contain chemicals which will kill your crabs 
only use marine or salt treatment at pet stores and use as directed

dont fully submerge your crabs in water !!
they cant breath under water and if you do this they will most certainly drown. bathing areas should only provide a shallow depth enough for your smallest crab to still be able to stand in it and you must also ensure your smallest crab can easily get out of the dish you supply

i would advise you pop in some shells, pebbles or a sea sponge in order to ensure that they can climb out but still submerge there shells a little to fill them up ect 
also make sure its treated water you use as chlorine exposure will cause blisters to occur in the crabs gills causing a painful death 
prepare as you would with regular drinking water or as directed if you use marine mixer

*Food.*
your crabs will eat almost anything except there pellets you buy for them

if you have the pellets you can try to moisten them with the spray you have for misting

dont feed them proceed meats or salty foods 
or sweet / sugary foods 
although they have a tendency sweet foods it should be avoided 
as it may cause decay of the exoskeleton areas and cause heath problems in the long run

sweets you can give as treats.
sweet fruits such as peaches, and bananas and apples

almost any vegetable/fruit can be offered 
and i would suggest things like shrimps, prawn, flaked fish pieces
and other sea food can be offered but stay clear of pickled or processed foods

they can also eat cat/dog food and most things we eat too 
you can try them with samples and see if its been picked at next day 
but in addition supply a small amount of pellet food or hermit crab foods bought at the pet stores as it contains beneficial additives and essential oils ect

also they dont eat allot so dont put out big platters for them just a few chunks per crab per day is plenty but supply it daily along with fresh water daily

Décor.

You can decorate your crabitat with most things 
But make sure that there non toxic materials used

Silk plants can be used or plastic ones found at pet stores which will be better as they dont use any harmful materials in the parts or structures of the items as they need to go in with fish and water

You will need to provide a hide for them like a coconut shell or halved bark log or alternatively a cardboard box or plastic carton, even lego bricks can be used here 
As long as they can get in and out and move about inside it would be ideal for them

Drift wood and treated branches will provide a climbing frame to play on 
Hermit crabs love to climb, just be aware that they will try to escape so keep things away from the edges of the tank top area

dont use wire mesh as they can break off legs and get caught up in it 
Use thick ropey like things as climbing items and avoid placing it near hard items in the tank encase they fall down so its advised to place climbing apparatus near sandy parts of the enclosure 
But also provide space for moulting and play and running around so dont overdo play obstacles.

Shells.
Provide a wide variety of different shells 
They like to swap shells and will try out new shells often

Stay clear of painted or plastic shells as they most likely will have been manufactured in china 
Which dont have a good track record of using non toxic paints and things

I know they look cool and fun but may contain lead or other toxins which could chip off and poison your crabs or even worse poison your children in severe cases although use these at your own risk

Most crabbers will say its a bad idea to use them, I personally take there advice and go all natural .

Ok I think that just about covers things

So as you can see 
Whoever made up that these are low maintenance pets were far from wrong lol

I hope this guide is useful 
Thanks 
Puggster


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## sleeptalker (Apr 28, 2008)

very useful info puggster, but where do you get the shells from? our beaches do not supply big enough ones, so is there a supplier?


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## puggster (May 25, 2008)

im in the same boat my self 

my hermies dont seem to interested in the ones we got from the pet shop 

i tryed my local beach and found every shell exept the ones you need lol 
i did find some nice pebbles and stuff though 

im off this week sometime hopfully to the reptile and aquatic store in hope they have some as regular pet stores dont cater for these and if they do have shells its mostly not the type needed 

there are plenty online shops that sell them and consider that as a last resort but stay clear of painted or hand made plastic shells 

athough they look cool they probably contain metal in the paint or are toxic 

ill dig out some online stores that cater for hermit crabs and sell shells ect 
ill post em here if i find any good ones 

but i recon the best place to try would be aquarium and lizard and tropical pet shops 

thanks 
pugz


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## marg (May 31, 2008)

there are some uk online shops that sell larger shells, plue ebay and also some online usa stores.
We went to Tenby beach and got a load of shells in the gift shop, boiled them and the hermies love them.


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## marg (May 31, 2008)

We also sell shells in our own online store now as well as food and cholla/choya wood.
Follow the link in my sig and then click on the ab-crab store button at the top of the page.


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