Care for Hermit Crabs

Hermit crabs (affectionately called hermies) are great pets to have. They may not be as cute or cuddly as a puppy, but they are fun to play with and will teach kids the meaning of caring for another living creature. Follow these steps to set up a crab's habitat (a crabitat) and care for your hermie.

Steps

Setting Up Your ‘Crabitat’

  1. Make sure you get the right size of tank. A ten or twenty gallon tank is good for two to four small hermits. A twenty to forty gallon tank is good for a dozen small or three to four large hermits. Hermit crabs are social animals and should have at least two other crabs with them. The proper home for your crabs should be one that holds in humidity, but still lets in fresh air. A fish tank or reptile aquarium usually does nicely. You can even rinse out that old leaking tank from the attic and use it! Acrylic terrariums tend to work better, as they hold the humidity and heat more efficiently.
  2. Make sure your hermit’s home is the right humidity. You should buy a hygrometer (humidity gauge). These will help you to monitor and maintain a 75-85% relative humidity. Hermit crabs breathe through (hardened) gills, and can't breathe properly unless the air is humid enough. The ideal range is at least 75% relative humidity. Humidity lower than 70% will cause suffocation, which kills slowly over several weeks or months and is extremely painful.
    • A great way to increase your tank’s humidity naturally is to add natural moss to your tank. It increases the humidity, and hermit crabs eat it. Look for moss like Fluker’s Reptile Moss at your local pet store. Sponges also work well, and can also be found at a pet store. But sponges get dirty easily and need to be changed out every two to three weeks.
  3. Make sure your tank is the right temperature. Hermit crabs are tropical animals and do best in warm temperatures. 75-85°F is the proper temperature range. Heat damage is irreversible, and temperatures that are too low slow down a crab's metabolism. An under-tank heater designed for hermit crabs, mounted on the back of the tank is a good way to keep your tank humid. An improper environment can cause your crab to become lethargic and inactive, lose limbs and could potentially cause death. Buy a thermometer to keep an eye on the tank's temperature.
  4. Get substrate. Substrate is the layer of material you place on the floor of the tank. Sugar-sized arrogate sand is the only sand you should use because other grades could cut the crab, and play sand may have harmful fills. Use dechlorinated salt water to wet the sand to a "sand-castle" consistency. You also can use compressed coconut fiber (Sold as Eco-Earth or Jungle Bedding). Expand the coco-fiber in the same salt water you would give your crabs to prevent mold/mildew. Substrates that crabs can not dig in, such as aquarium gravel (can not hold caves) or calcium sand (clumps and can have a foul odor) are not acceptable as a substrate. Your substrate should be at least 3-5 times the height of your largest crab, and should be a material the crabs can easily dig and build caves in to relieve stress, hide, and molt.
    • Many crabs also like to bury and even molt in damp moss such as Fluker's Reptile Moss (not decorative or Spanish moss!)
  5. Keep the substrate clean. Dirty substrate can lead to mold which can be harmful to your hermit crabs. Change it every 6 months. However, every month you should do a brief check to see if there is any mold growing, or an ant or mite infestation. If you see either of these things, change the substrate immediately. It's a good idea to "spot clean" any dung and food the crabs have dragged from the food bowl or buried. You should only clean the substrate when your hermit crab is not molting (a crab who has burrowed underground and is going through a process to shed and regrow it's exoskeleton). Never move a molting crab.
    • If you want to go the extra mile, you can sterilize your sand substrate. Sand can be sterilized in the oven. Put the sand in a large roasting pan (one used only for this purpose!) and place it in the oven. Set the temperature to 250 degrees (F), (120 degrees Celsius) and let it be for about 2 hours.
    • Once every two to three weeks, boil all the shells and dishes in your tank in a pan of dechlorinated salt water. Doing this will insure that that mold and bacteria will not grow and harm your crab. Allow the bowls and shells to cool before placing them back in the "crabitat".
  6. Get climbing-toys. Hermit crabs love to climb! In fact, in the wild, they will climb large rocks exposed by low tide to search for food. choya logs or stumps are great for this. Choya is not toxic, and has holes in it for them to grab on to. You can lean it in a corner of your tank, just don't place it too high or your crabs will climb out. Lego's and hemp nets work well too. Hermit crabs are sometimes called "tree crabs" because they will climb trees to eat insects and vegetation. Do not, however, buy painted toys, as paint could be harmful to crabs if it is ingested.
    • Natural toys: Natural rocks and seashells that you pick up at the beach are great things to scatter around the "crabitat." Clam shells even make great food dishes. Just make sure to boil them in boiling water so that they become sterilized before you place them in the tank.
    • Plastic toys: Plastic plants made for reptiles are great for crabs to climb and hide in, just remember to use the lid of your tank so the crabs can't climb out. Make sure they aren't eating the plastic, and remove it right away if they are!
    • Never use reptile "half pine logs", as pine is an irritant to the crabs and can be toxic.
  7. Provide your hermit crabs with a hiding place. Hermit crabs, like most animals, want a place to feel secure and hide when they feel threatened. You can use a half coconut shell that they sell at pet stores for small crabs, or use broken pots, large shells, etc. Just make sure that the crab won't get stuck and, preferably, is able to dig out if it does.
  8. Add some live plants to your tank. Live plants can be a great addition to any tank. In particular, plants like bamboo (make sure it's real bamboo and not Dracaena Sanderiana, which is sold as "lucky bamboo"), Venus fly traps bromeliads (air plants) and spider plants are among the safe plants. Be forewarned--your hermit crabs may snack on them, so there's no guarantee the plants will have time to grow
  9. Provide your hermies with water. All species of hermit crab need to have access to both freshwater and saltwater. You will need to provide two water dishes for the crabs. Hermit crabs need to balance the salinity of the water in their shells; the dishes should be at least deep enough that your crab can get water in its shell (C. Perlatus, A.K.A. Strawberry hermit crabs, need to be able to submerge themselves), but make sure they are able to get out. A good way to do this is to provide them with a sloping water area, where one part is shallow and easy to climb out of, while the other is deep and they can submerge themselves in the water. Line the area with rocks or something they can grip on. Plastic is too slippery and they will have trouble climbing the slope.
    • If you have large and small crabs together, you can put small rocks or a small natural sponge in the water dishes so that it is deep enough so large crabs can let water in its shell, but small crabs will not become trapped in the water dish and drown.
    • You can buy aquarium salt for marine fish (not freshwater fish) from most pet stores and a little goes a long way. Never use salt intended for human consumption because the anti-caking agents can be harmful. Most hermit crab brand salts are also table salts. Pre-mixed "hermit crab water" does not have the correct salinity. Use a brand like Instant Ocean, Oceanic, etc.
  10. Make sure the water is dechlorinated. The chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals in most tap water can kill hermit crabs by causing the gills to blister (causing eventual suffocation). Aging the water will remove the chlorine, but not the chloramines, so dechlorinator is a must if you use tap water. Zoomed water conditioner is a good brand to use.
    • If you don't want to dechlorinate tap water, you can use spring water instead. However, make sure nothing has been added to the water. For example, Dasani water contains magnesium sulfate "for taste", and that is bad for the crabs.

Caring for Your Crabs

  1. Know that there are different kinds of hermit crabs you can buy. There are six types of hermit crabs available for sale in the United States. All of them are in the genus Coenobita.
    • The most common type out there is the Caribbean (Coenobita clypeatus,) which is also called "PP" for purple pincher due to, you guessed it, its large purple pincher. Wild Purple Pinchers are found in the Caribbean Islands. Most likely, when you see a hermit crab in a store, you will be seeing one of these guys. The Purple Pincher is the best one to start with because the others are more delicate and require much more detailed and intense care. The other types are Rugosus "Rug" or "Ruggy" (rugosus), Strawberry (perlatus), Ecuadorian or "E" (compressus), Cavipe or "Cav" (cavipes), Komurasaki "Viola" (violascens), Indonesian or "Indo" (brevimanus).
  2. Handle your hermies with care. Be patient with them when you first get your hermies--they will take a little time to adjust to their new home. When you get your hermit crabs, leave them in the cage for a few days. When you see that they don't hunch into their shell when you pass by then wait another day and try to hold your hermit crab. Let your hermit crab explore your hand and get used to you.
    • Once you get them home, they go through a "De-stressing" period that can take as little as a few days and as long as two months. During this time, change out their food and water regularly and do not disturb them. Sometimes, even with the best efforts of even the most experienced crabber, hermit crabs can succumb to Post Purchase Stress (P.P.S.), and die.
  3. Know that crabs go through molting and need extra shells. If your crab digs under the substrate for a couple of weeks, don't worry. As long as it doesn't stink like dead fish, he's OK. Please do not disturb your crab during this time. He will need to be alone and if he is bothered, the stress could kill him. Once in a while, a crab's exoskeleton gets a little tight, and like a snake shedding its skin, a crab will shed its exoskeleton and grow a little bit. Don't take the exoskeleton away from the crab! He will need to eat it in order to harden his new exoskeleton.
    • If you have a sick crab, don't panic. Keep an isolation tank in a closet with enough substrate to dig under completely and ample food and water. If a crab is acting sick, he may be about to molt. This tank should also be kept with proper humidity and temperature as was mentioned previously.
  4. Provide shells for your hermie. When hermit crabs grow, they need bigger shells. It is important to keep plenty of extra hermit crab shells similar to your crabs' sizes in the tank at all times. Once a month or so, rotate a few undisturbed shells out with different styles of shells.
    • Purple Pincher Hermit Crabs prefer the shells with round, circular openings. They will choose circular openings over the oval openings. Ecuadorian Hermit Crabs will prefer an oval opening, because they have flatter abdomens.
    • Never buy painted shells! Although companies may claim the paint is safe, the paint can chip off, and if the crabs eat it, it can be toxic. Most hermit crabs, when presented with a choice, will pick a "natural" shell over a painted one, even if it's not the right size. See the Warnings for information on what kinds of shells to avoid.
  5. Provide a steady and varied diet. Hermit crabs are scavengers by nature and will eat almost anything. Beware of commercial food, as it has many preservatives, such as copper sulfate, that may harm your little hermit. Don't feed them anything spicy, hot, or with preservatives in it.
    • Hermit crabs love silver sides and shrimp that are fresh, freeze-dried krill, blood worms, etc., and other seafood. You can normally buy these fishy foods at your local grocery store.
    • If you cook, set aside a piece of steak or chicken, non-marinated to grill lightly for the crabs. They also eat raw meat.
    • If you have more than twenty crabs or so, try getting a fish head from a local fish market. They are usually happy to give them away. You can put all of your crabs in a large tank or a large clean Rubbermaid storage container, (clear, no lid, or lid with VERY large holes cut in it) drop in the fish head, and a water-bowl, and leave them in there to eat for a few hours. You will mostly likely not want to do this very often, since the stench is pretty bad, but your crabs will love you for it!
  6. Know what fruits and veggies hermies like. Aside from eating meat, hermit crabs also love different fruits and vegetables, among other scraps (they are scavengers after all.) Remember to change their food almost every day or night. Hermit crabs love to bury their uneaten food, and this can cause molding and is messy.
    • Hermit crabs love fresh fruit like pineapple, apple, pears, grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, mango, papaya, strawberries, bananas, etc. Wash your fruit thoroughly before you cut it, to avoid pesticides.
    • Crabs will go crazy for coconut shavings.
    • Hermit crabs will also eat natural peanut butter on whole wheat toast, hard boiled eggs, egg shells (boiled), popcorn (plain, unsalted and unbuttered).
    • Avoid anything from the Allium species of plants (onion, garlic, etc.).
  7. Play with them. Some Hermit crabs love attention. When they are awake, carefully take them out of their crabitat. What do they like to do? Climb! Let them climb all over your shirt while you are watching TV or exercise them as they walk across both your hands (like a crab treadmill). It is important that they never fall, and are not out too long because they need humidity. Falling from a height of {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}. can be fatal for them, and fear of falling is the number one reason crabs pinch. Keep them in a position where they aren't going to fall and they likely won't pinch.
    • Remember that they need humidity. Typical house humidity is only 40% and even less with AC and heat. When a crab's gills are exposed to low humidity it feels similar to how we feel when we hold our breath for too long.
  8. Be aware that hermit crabs may pinch. While they generally pinch only when they are afraid or feel cornered, they may pinch for no reason, so be prepared. Misting or running tap water on crabs to get them to release their grasp can hurt them and will likely result in them holding on longer and tighter. Please be very careful when handling them. You can avoid being pinched by holding your hand flat and tight so that the hermit crab will not have (as much) skin to pinch.

Tips

  • Try not to make any loud noises or sounds while handling them because it can stress them out.
  • Adopt or buy crabs that are lively, not lethargic. Lethargic crabs may be sick. However, some crabs may just be stressed or naturally shy, not sick.
  • A dead fishy smell may indicate a dead crab. But, before you start searching, look for other causes of an odor. Did you serve them any seafood recently? Even months later, there may still be bits of food in the tank. Crabs like to bury food. That is why you should change the substrate once a month or so (unless you see a crab dig under the sand).
  • When your crab pinches you, it's not because he's mean, but because he's either scared of falling from your hand or hungry. Put him back and wait a while to pick him back up also don't shake your hand It can cause them to pinch harder. (make sure he has lots of food). Don't discipline your crabs when they pinch you, as some websites will tell you. They are only doing what their instincts tell them to do, and will not understand.
  • Hermit crabs can't breed without special equipment. They must have a tropical climate and most importantly the ocean in order to breed. So unless you have a {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} tank set up expressly for the purpose, you will never see a zoea (hatchling).
  • Fill your tank with half water, and half sand.This means your hermit crab can go for a dip.(use un-chlorinated salt water!).
  • Don't feed hermit crabs before a long trip in a car. They can get motion sick, which can cause them to die.
  • If your kid's got a hermit crab, tell them to wear some gloves if they are scared.
  • Sometimes hermit crabs can pinch you so be careful.
  • If you are scared or worried that you might get pinched by the crab, try putting gloves or socks on your hands so when they do pinch it won't get your skin and it won't hurt as much.
  • Hold your hand over or on a table if you're holding your or a friend's hermie. This is less scary for the crab than holding him over a 4 foot drop, so he won't be as likely to pinch you.
  • If you think your crab is dirty, soak it in room temperature water for 1 minute, then, let it dry for 5 minutes.
  • If you see your crab start to be less active or their eyes turn white, that means they are molting. Put them in the same tank but put them in a good spot and mist it with distilled water. Wait one or two days and the crab should be fine... But don't blow on the crab or touch it. Its new skin that's very sensitive, so don't mess with them that much until they get their color back. That should be about a month.
  • Look in the fish section in a pet store and you can find lots of toys.
  • If your hermit crab holds onto the side of your finger and won't let go it can either show affection for your or that they are just scared enough or stressed enough to tightly grip you fingers / finger.
  • You can buy huge, spiky shells so your smaller crabs can climb on it.
  • Use a glove at first if you have never held a hermit crab before.
  • Don't use painted shells, they chip and then the crabs eat the paint chips. The paint is in fact toxic to hermit crabs. You should only use natural shells. Plus most hermit crabs prefer the natural shells.
  • Most people believe hermit crabs are throwaway pets, but they can actually live for over 20 years if properly cared for.
  • Make sure that you have sand and not gravel. If you do have gravel, then the crabs can't burrow and could die easily.
  • Stay calm,don't get startled if it pinches or it feels funny,if its not comfortable,you should put socks or gloves.
  • Try playing with them every other day, it is possible for hermit crabs to die of stress. Once you play with them that day leave them alone after you put them away.
  • They need big space.
  • If you have two or more hermit crabs in one place and one is molting make sure you take out your other hermit crabs or the other hermit crabs will eat the hermit crab that is molting.
  • When you are first handling your hermit crab, keep him above something soft or very close to the ground. If you drop him, then your crabby should be OK. It is also good to put him back in his crabitat if you drop him so that he can recover.
  • Putting two different hermit crabs together is risky. They might get into a fight, but it depends on the crabs.
  • If your Hermit Crab hides away from you a lot, just give him/her some space. If you Hermie buries him/herself in the substrate, they may be shy or molting.
  • You can use a spray bottle to help keep the tank moist.
  • Some crabs like man-made foods like peanut butter, so test the waters with feeding them human tit-bits.
  • Give your Hermie water through a sponge because it makes them feel normal to be able to pinch the sponge while they drink through their antennas.
  • If you have a hard time keeping the humidity high in your tank put a clean damp towel over it.

Warnings

  • If you have exterminators visit your house on a regular basis, do not have them spray that room. Put a towel under the door to keep fumes away. Put them in a closet for a few days if possible. They are not bugs, but are related enough that pesticides will harm them. and be careful.
  • If you are considering decorating with driftwood, "furniture" or wood items, or live plants, make sure to do your homework! Many type of wood and plants are poisonous to hermies, such as Lucky Bamboo and evergreen trees.
  • Crabs are exactly that. Crabs. They can produce a powerfully painful pinch! Supervise and instruct children on behavior while handling hermit crabs!
  • Don't drop the crab, because it could lead to injures or death.
  • Don't use soap to clean crabitats or toys! Once the crabs and sand are removed, you can use a white vinegar spray and thoroughly rinse! Toys, shells (empty!), and choya logs should be boiled in salt water (to prevent mold) for cleaning and set out on towels to dry.

Things You'll Need

  • A glass tank or a plastic tank
  • Solid lid for tank (glass or plexiglass or plastic)
  • Two water dishes
  • Spring water and salt water (do not "make" salt water with table salt and tap water, which contains harmful levels of chlorine (a few drops of liquid dechlorinator works well).
  • Water dishes large enough for your largest crab to submerge themselves, but not so deep as to drown your smaller crabs (open clam shells work fine for small crabs)
  • A hide-a-way (half of a coconut with a door cut out, or a flower pot half-buried on its side provides a good place for alone time)and for a hideaway you can bring them a bridge and they'll stay under it
  • Extra shells, at least one slightly smaller than a crab's current shell, one about the same size, and one slightly larger than their current size, but always make sure you have extras. Do not use painted shells because the paint will chip. If your crab eats the paint, it can get sick and/or die.
  • Substrate, at sandcastle consistency (at least 2 inches in depth)
  • White vinegar (for cleaning)(optional)
  • Fresh or organic foods (packaged foods may have harmful preservatives in them)
  • Something to climb on (such as choya wood or a little bridge)
  • A pooper scooper (a plastic spoon will work)
  • Toys (you can get good toys at Walmart and PetSmart too)
  • Gloves (just in case they pinch! you need to be very careful with their claws)
  • A thermometer and hygrometer (for checking the humidity level)
  • A reptile tank heater (if you live in a house that is typically colder than 75 degrees)

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