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Hermit crabs make fascinating and unique pets. With their colorful exoskeletons and interesting behaviors, they bring a touch of the exotic to any home. However, caring for hermit crabs requires a proper understanding of their specific needs and environment. In this guide, we will explore the essential elements of hermit crab care, including their habitat, diet, and general well-being. Whether you are a first-time owner or a seasoned crab enthusiast, this guide will provide you with the knowledge and resources to ensure the health and happiness of your beloved hermit crab.
This article is co-authored by a team of editors and trained researchers who confirm the accuracy and completeness of the article.
The wikiHow Content Management team carefully monitors the work of editors to ensure that every article is up to a high standard of quality.
This article has been viewed 59,582 times.
Hermit crabs (also known as hermit crabs) are wonderful pets. Although not cuddly like a puppy, entering the exciting world of hermit crabs, children will learn how to care for a living creature. This article will help you know more about the living conditions and care of this parasitic crab.
Steps
Prepare ‘Crabitat’
- Adding more algae to the tank is a way to increase natural humidity. Moss both helps to retain moisture and serves as food for crabs. You can buy foam sponges because they help retain moisture quite well. But sponges get dirty very quickly, so you should change them every two or three weeks.
- Many hermit crabs like to get into the wet moss, even molting in it. ( not Spanish moss or plastic moss – decorative ones!)
- If you want even more perfection, you can sterilize the base sand in the oven. Place the sand in a large skillet (use separate from the cooking pan for hygiene!) and bake in the oven at 120°C for about 2 hours.
- Every two to three weeks, boil all shells and shells in the tank with dechlorinated brine to ensure that bacteria and mold do not breed and harm the crabs. Let them cool down before placing them back in the aquarium.
- Climbing toys are indispensable. Things like apricot logs and stumps are popular, as the apricot wood is non-toxic and has plenty of holes for hermit crabs to cling to. You can place it in the base of the tank, just make sure the crabs can’t climb out that way. In addition to apricot wood there are lego blocks and hemp nets, all of which are available at pet stores.
- Natural toys: Rocks and shells. Spreading these easily found things off the beach around the tank will help make your crabitat extremely lively. In addition, hermit crabs can also eat shells. Don’t forget to boil them all to disinfect them before placing them in the crab tank.
- Plastic toys: Reptile plants are also suitable for crabs to climb or hide in, but do not forget to close the lid or the crabs will run away and die. Make sure they don’t ingest plastic, if any, remove it as soon as possible.
- Never use “split pine” – the kind intended for reptiles because pine contains stimulants that can poison crabs.
- If you have a large hermit crab and the other is smaller, you can place small stones or a natural sponge in the water dish so that the dish is deep enough for the big crab to soak in while the crab is submerged. Small children also do not get stuck and drown.
- You can buy aquarium salt water made for marine fish (not freshwater fish). Salt should not be used because the antifreeze in it will harm the crabs. Some brands of salt for hermit crabs are table salt, so when you mix the salt water, it won’t have the right salinity. Please use specialized reputable brands such as Instant Ocean, Oceanic, etc.
- You can use spring water to replace tap water if there is no treatment condition. However, make sure it’s nothing but spring water. For example, Dasani water contains magnesium sulfate (also known as Epsom salt) “to enhance flavor”, and this is not good for crabs.
Crab Care
- The most common variety available is the Caribbean (Coenobita clypeatus) aka “PP”, which stands for “purple pincher”. The reason for this name is because they have purple patches on their bodies and were first found on the Caribbean islands. If you go to a store, chances are the first hermit crab you see is one of these guys. There are also some other varieties such as Rugosus called “Rug” or “Ruggy” (rugosus), Strawberry (perlatus), Ecuadorian or “E” (compressus), Cavipe or “Cav” (cavipes), Komurasaki “Vipa” ” (vipascens), Indonesian or “Indo” (brevimanus).
- Once hermit crabs are brought home, they will go through a “stressful” period of several days, sometimes even months. During this time you need to change their food and water regularly and avoid disturbing them. Even experienced hermit crab players sometimes can’t help their crabs through that stage, having to watch them fight Post Purchase Stress syndrome (Not used to new places), and die.
- If one of your hermit crabs is sick, don’t panic. Keep it in an isolated tank with adequate substrate, water and food. If the crab is acting like it’s sick, it may be about to molt. This isolation tank also needs to be designed with the appropriate temperature and humidity as mentioned above.
- Purple Pincher crabs prefer shells with round holes rather than oval holes. As for Ecuadorian hermit crabs, they prefer shells with oval holes because they have a slightly flat belly.
- Never buy colored paint shells! Even if the manufacturer says they are safe, the paint can still come off and the crabs will be poisoned if swallowed. Many crabs prefer to choose “natural” shells over artificial ones, even though the natural ones don’t fit them. See the ‘Warnings’ section for more shells to avoid in the aquarium.
- Hermit crabs love loin, shrimp, dried shrimp, bloodworms, seafood, etc. You can buy them at your local grocery store or fishing tackle.
- If you cook, save them a piece of beef or chicken, not marinated but lightly grilled. Otherwise, hermit crabs can also eat raw meat.
- If you have more than twenty crabs, feed them fish heads. Usually, the fishmongers in the market will happily give you some fish heads because they will eventually leave (except for the big fish heads like salmon). Place the hermit crabs in a large tank or plastic container (clean, no lid or lid with HUGE holes), fill with fish heads, add a bowl of water and let sit for a few hours for them to enjoy. You probably don’t want to do this often because the fish smell is very fishy, but on the contrary, the crabs are very interested and they will love you more for it.
- Hermit crabs like fresh fruits like pineapple, apple, pear, grape, watermelon, mango, papaya, strawberry, banana, etc. You should wash the fruit before cutting to avoid pesticides.
- Especially hermit crabs will go crazy when they see grated coconut rice.
- Hermit snails also eat natural peanut butter on toast, hard-boiled eggs, egg shells (boiled), popcorn (plain, no salt, no butter).
- Avoid any plants in the Onion family (onions, garlic, etc.)
- Remember that crabs really need moisture. Typical indoor humidity is only about 40% and even lower when using air conditioning. When holding a crab in low humidity, it will feel similar to what we feel when we hold our breath for too long.
Advice
- Do not make noise or make loud noises when holding the crab as that can stress it out.
- Adopting or buying crabs looks lively, not sluggish. Such animals can often get sick. However, some crabs are just stressed or shy at first, not necessarily sick.
- If you smell a strange smell like dead fish, it could be a dead crab. But before you search, think about the cause. Have you been feeding them raw seafood lately? Sometimes up to a month later the food is still somewhere in the tank. Hermit crabs love to bury their food. That’s why you need to change the tank bed once a month or so (unless it’s around the time the crabs are molting).
- If a hermit crab grabs you, it doesn’t mean it hates you, it simply is afraid of falling or is hungry. Put it back and wait for a while then pick it up and remember not to shake your hand or it will scare the crab and clamp it harder. Make sure it has plenty of food in the tank. Don’t punish these little guys if they get caught because they just follow their instincts and don’t understand what they’re doing.
- Hermit crabs cannot breed in captivity. They need a tropical and oceanic climate to breed. So unless you have a giant tank designed specifically for this purpose, don’t expect to see a baby hermit crab.
- Don’t feed your hermit crabs if you’re about to get in the car for a long ride. Motion sickness can kill them.
- If your child has a hermit crab, instruct them to wear gloves if they are afraid of being caught.
- If you hold a crab, keep your hand above the table, this will help the crab friend to be less afraid and not pinch you.
- Dip the crab in water for 1 minute then drain it for 5 minutes if you want it to be cleaner.
- If you see that the crab is starting to become less active and its eyes turn white, it means that it is about to molt. Put it in a separate tank but in a good location and you need to mist it with distilled water. Wait about a day or two and our pet will be fine… But remember to absolutely not blow or touch it. New skin is very sensitive so don’t mess with it until its color is back to normal. This process takes about a month.
Warning
- If you’re considering decorating your tank with rotting wood, “furniture” or wooden items, consider carefully. Quite a few types of wood and plants are poisonous to crabs, such as Lucky Bamboo and evergreens.
- Hermit crab. Because they are crabs, they can make a powerful, painful grip. Always keep an eye on the kids when they hold a crab!
- Do not drop the crab as it may get injured or die.
- If the local pest control team comes to your home periodically to spray, don’t let the crabs get sprayed. Take them to another room for a few days and insert towels under the door to block out the scent. Although they are not bugs or insects, they are also close enough relatives to be affected more or less so be careful.
- Do not use soap to clean the tank and toys! After removing all the crabs and sand, you can use white vinegar to both spray and scrub. Boil toys, shells (empty) and apricot wood in salted water (to prevent mildew) and place them on a towel to drain.
Things you need
- Glass or plastic tanks.
- Tank cover (glass or plastic).
- Two plates of water.
- Spring water and salt water (don’t “mix” salt water with table salt and tap water as the chlorine can be harmful to hermit crabs so if you can, add a few drops of water neutralizing solution.
- The water dish is big enough for the crabs to be submerged in, but not too deep because small crabs can drown (you can use seashells to hold water for small crabs).
- Shelter for crabs to have space to be alone (you can cut a door shape on a coconut shell and then turn it upside down or bury half a flower pot in the sand and make a bridge for the crabs to climb in).
- Spare shells, at least 3 (one smaller, one almost equal and one slightly larger than the used crab shell). Do not use paint pods as, as mentioned, it will be harmful to crabs if the paint chips are swallowed.
- Substrate (at least 5 cm thick).
- White vinegar (for tank cleaning) (optional).
- Fresh food (canned food can harm the resistance of crabs).
- Something to climb (like apricot wood or some small bridge).
- Manure shovel (plastic spoon can be used).
- Toys (purchased at a veterinarian or pet store).
- Gloves (just in case they clamp! Be careful with their claws).
- Thermometer and hygrometer (used to measure temperature and humidity).
- Tank heater (if the temperature in your home is lower than 23°C).
This article is co-authored by a team of editors and trained researchers who confirm the accuracy and completeness of the article.
The wikiHow Content Management team carefully monitors the work of editors to ensure that every article is up to a high standard of quality.
This article has been viewed 59,582 times.
Hermit crabs (also known as hermit crabs) are wonderful pets. Although not cuddly like a puppy, entering the exciting world of hermit crabs, children will learn how to care for a living creature. This article will help you know more about the living conditions and care of this parasitic crab.
In conclusion, caring for a hermit crab requires knowledge, patience, and dedication. By providing the right environment, feeding them a balanced diet, and ensuring their water and humidity levels are appropriate, you can create a suitable habitat for these fascinating crustaceans. It is crucial to understand their behavior and ensure they have enough hiding spaces and objects to climb and explore. Regular observation and monitoring of their health is also essential to catch any potential issues early on. By following these guidelines, you can provide the best possible care for your hermit crab and ensure they live a healthy and fulfilling life. Remember, these creatures may be small, but they deserve the same level of care and attention as any other pet.
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