Pet Hermit Crab

Tips On Caring For Your Hermit Crab

Setting Up Your Hermit Crab Habitat
Hermit crabs are land crabs that come from a warm humid environment so you want to make sure your hermit crab habitat gives them this tropical environment that they need to survive. Don’t worry, though, even if you live in a northerly climate, you can make your crabs habitat seem just like home!

The first thing to consider is the tank you want to keep your pets in. Make sure that you choose one that is large enough to accommodate all the crabs you will have as well as their extra shells, food, water and toys. Pick a tank that has a good tight lid since hermit crabs can easily “escape” and the lid will help keep the humidity in too.

Crabs love to dig in the sand, so you want to provide your hermit crab habitat with a substrate that will allow your pets to dig. You can actually use sand, and many people do, although there are other options such as coconut fiber substrate and crushed coral. You can use playground sand or aquarium sand if you want but if you go for the playground sand, be sure to wash it and then bake it at 300 degrees to sterilize it.

The most important aspect of your crabs habitat is to provide it with the proper amount of heat and moisture. The temperatures should be between 75 and 80 degrees. You can use lights or under tank heaters to maintain the optimum temps for your tropical friends. Be sure you have a good thermometer in the tank so that you can check the temperature every day and adjust accordingly.

Crabs actually breathe through modified gills so humidity is critical to their survival. You want the humidity in their habitat to be between 70 and 80 percent, less than that and they might suffocate! Too much humidity and you might get fungal growth in the thank. Therefore, you’ll want to have good way to measure the humidity and that is done with a gizmo called a hygrometer. While it might sound like a lot to keep the humidity levels up, just having the water dish in there will actually probably keep it within range, if not you could try putting in a wet sea sponge - just be sure to clean it often and use dechlorinated water.

Lastly, you need to furnish your hermit crab habitat. Your crab doesn’t need much, some shells, some toys to climb on and a food and water dish will do fine. Try putting insome drift wood and reptile toys. A place for them to hide will be appreciated. Include shallow food and water dishes - be sure the water dish is big enough for your crab to climb in but not deep enough for him to drown in.