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There is actually a lot more involved in hermit crab care than most
are led to believe. Most pet stores are totally inadequate as far as in
store care and knowledge of the care these little guys need. Below is a
list I have made up to cover what basics you will need to house your
hermit crabs. Most pet stores will lead you to believe that hermit
crabs are a very inexpensive, easy to care for pet. However, this is
not true. However, once you have your initial setup, the cost for these
little guys are minimal.
- Basic Tank - A minimum of a 10 gallon glass aquarium is
needed to house your hermit crabs. This is needed for quite a few
reasons. Plastic tanks will not hold the heat and humidity hermit crabs
need to thrive. Anything smaller than a 10 gallon will not hold
everything you need for their basic care. You must also have enough
room for these guys to have their own space. I will put a basic sizing
chart to show what I mean.
- Tank lid - You must have some kind of lid on
your aquarium to help hold in heat and humidity and hermits! Alot of
people have plexiglass cut to size at their local hardware store. This
is a very inexpensive and adequate lid. You can also use aquarium hoods
or mesh lids. With aquarium hoods, make sure you cover any holes that
might be in the hood for tubing and such. You can use plastic mesh for
this. Hermies are quite the little escape artists!! You can also use a
mesh lid and cover it with plastic wrap or wet towels to help hold in
humidity. Leave about 10% open for air flow and adjust until you get
the humidity stable where it needs to be.
- Humidity and temperature gauges - Hermit crabs
must have temperatures between 75-82 and relative humidity between
75-85%. Hermit crabs have modified gills that they breathe through and
these must be kept moist so that the crab does not suffocate. There is
no adequate way of "feeling" what your temp and humidity are. You must
have gauges for this. You also cannot go by your climate. Just because
its 80 degrees outside with 76% humidity does not mean that it is the
same inside of your home. Air conditioning, fans and furnaces will dry
out the air very quickly, so it could be 75% humid outside while the
inside of your home is only at 45%.
- Dechlorinator - Chlorine in tap water will burn
and blister a hermit crabs gills. You must buy a dechlorinator such as
Wardleys Chlor-out or Aquarium Pharmacuticals Tap water conditioner to
remove the chlorine before using it for your hermit crabs. Make sure
that the dechlorinator you buy does NOT contain or simulate a slime
coat. These are dangerous to hermit crabs if they drink them.
- Substrate - Substrate is the bedding you will
use for your hermit crabs. In my opinion the best types are either play
sand, eco earth (coconut fiber) or both. They also love moss beds. Make
sure to use a hermie safe moss. The best type is the reptile moss you
can find in most pet stores. All of these will also help with keeping
your humidity up where it needs to be. Ive also heard that crushed
coral is good, but have no experience with this yet. I do believe it
can get kind of expensive. Gravel is NOT a good substrate and neither
is calci-sand. Hermit crabs cannot dig in gravel and peices can get
caught up in their shell causing damage to the sensative abdomen.
Calci-sand clumps and smells bad when it gets wet, which it will
because hermies like to wet their bedding to their liking. Putting a
bit of calci-sand in a small shell dish for the hermies to snack on is
fine though. Hermies need extra calcium!
- Salt water - All land hermit crabs need salt
water. It must be made with aquarium salt. Table salt will kill them.
It contains anti-caking agents which are toxic to hermit crabs. Make
sure you get aquarium salt for salt water fish, not fresh water fish. A
few good brands are Instant Ocean and Oceanic. These can be found at
pet stores.
- Hiding places - Your crabs will need places to
hide where they can feel safe and secure. Coconut huts, plastic dishes
with a door cut into them, lots of plastic plants, ect, will work fine.
Make sure you have enough hiding spots for your number of crabs.
- Climbing toys - Hermit crabs climb alot in their
natural habitat. They will need plenty of places to climb in their new
home. A few ideas are fake ivy strung along the tank, fish netting,
habba trees and drift wood. They like to get lots of exercise!
- Food and water dishes - Make sure that you have
a sufficient number of food and water dishes. You must have at least 2
water dishes, one for fresh and one for salt, and enough food dishes so
your crabs do not fight over the food. I would say 1 food dish would be
sufficient for every 3 hermit crabs. Depending on the species of crabs,
your salt water dish might have to be deep enough for the crabs to
fully submerge and bathe in. I will cover more on bathing on the crab
care page.
- A buddy - Hermit crabs must have a friend. In
the wild they live in colonies of hundreds. A lone hermit crab will get
depressed without a friend and could possibly die. It is best to have
at least 2 of whatever species you have. If you have more than one
species, make sure that you have a buddy for each.
- Heat source - There are a few different things
you can use as a heat source. Under Tank Heaters (UTH) is one of them.
This is similar to a heating pad that sticks to the bottom or side of
your tank. In my experience it works better under the tank, but plenty
of crabbers put them on the sides as well. These are meant to heat the
substrate. You can also use lighting. UV lighting works best such as
day-glo and moon-glo bulbs. Only use about 1 watt per gallon. For
example, if you have a 10 gallon tank, you dont want to go above 15
watts. If you decide to use something like a desk lamp, dont set it too
close to the glass on the tank! I have experience with this. I cracked
2 tanks this way.
- Extra shells - As hermit crabs get older they
molt and grow. As they grow, they must have bigger shells to move into.
Make sure you have at least 3 extras shells per crab in the correct
sizes. The best way to size is to measure the big pincher and go just a
bit bigger on the opening of the shell. Having extras shells insures
that your crabs will always have a proper house to wear and will also
discourage shell fights.
- Food - Hermit crabs need a healthy and varied
diet. Fresh foods are the best for these little guys. Most commercial
hermit crab food contains copper sulfate and/or ethoxyquin. Both of
these are preservatives that are dangerous to hermit crabs. Check out http://www.epicureanhermit.com
for lists of safe and unsafe foods for your crabbies. This is Julias
site and she is absolutely awesome when it comes to hermit crab diets!
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