Create a Hermit Crab Habitat

You just buy some hermit crabs? Well you have to know how to create the perfect habitat for them to live in.

Steps

  1. Provide your crabs with a glass tank. Plastic does not hold heat or humidity well, and should only be used as temporary transport. Your tank will need a lid to hold humidity in. Your crabs can also climb the glue in the corners of the tank and escape, so many owners use a mesh lid covered with Plexiglas.
  2. Install the substrate. This should be aragonite sand (best choice) or coco fiber ( brand name Eco Earth in the US). Aragonite sand can be found in reef stores, coco fiber should be expanded with ocean salt water. Never use anything with cedar or any other conifer in your hermit crab tank.
  3. Install a humidity gauge and two thermometers, One for the cool end, one for the warmer end. Hermit crabs need a range as they are cold blooded and rely on being able to move to the temperature in their environment that their body needs. Humidity should be 70-80% at all times. Spritzing alone will not do this.
    • A moist substrate will help you keep humidity up, as will a container of terrarium moss. Do NOT use peat moss. Sponges are a bad idea as well as they harbor bacteria and can make you and your hermit crabs sick.
    • The temperature at the cooler end of the tank should be about 70-72*F, and up to 82*F at the warm end. Extended periods of cool temperatures can make your crabs sick or kill them.
    • You can create a warmer end by placing an under tank heater (UTH) on the bottom of one end of your tank. Be sure to attach a thermostat so the temperature does not go above 82*F. UHF's can reach temperatures over 100*F even though they don't feel that hot to you, and can cook a buried crab. You can also place an overhead light with a heat bulb in it. Some use a clamp lamp or a reptile hood made just for heat lamps. Crabs need a day and night cycle, so if you need heat on them at night, use a Moon Glow bulb that releases no UV rays.
  4. Give your crabs hiding places and plenty to climb on. Avoid any conifers and do not ever use metal inside the tank.
  5. Place a fresh water dish and a marine salt water dish in the bowl. Some casual studies have found that "Hermit crab salt water" does not have any salinity to it, and lacks vital nutrients that are present in ocean salt water that the hermit crabs need. Provide your crabs with a dish of marine salt water. You can purchase the salt at your pet store in the aquarium section.
    • Make sure the water dish is at least half as deep as your largest crab, and give your smaller crabs a way to climb out of the bowl, such as small glass pebbles or uncoated river pebbles.
    • As for fresh water, chlorine will blister your crab's gills, so you must use a water conditioner that removes chloramines and heavy metals, as many homes have copper pipes and hermit crabs are especially sensitive to copper.
  6. Make sure you have other shells inside so they have options to change shells if they want to, and make yourself familiar with the type of shells your crab species prefers. Keep in mind that painted shells can be dangerous for your crabs. Often the crab was forced into the shell, and the paint will begin to chip and peel and the crabs will eat this paint, which may not be good for them despite the paint being "non toxic" for humans. It was not tested on hermit crabs, thus you must keep in mind it can be harmful to them.
  7. Provide a wide variety of foods. Hermit crabs are scavengers and require a very diverse diet. Your hermit crabs cannot live on commercial foods alone, and there is a large following that is of the understanding that the preservatives in the commercial foods actually contribute to molting abnormalities and toxicity that builds up in the crabs.
  8. Make sure to offer frequent servings of seaweeds and algae, proteins in the form of meats, calcium rich foods, organic earthworm castings, chitin sources such as meal worms and shrimp, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Your crabs also need cellulose found in things like cork bark, so add some to your tank for climbing and eating, and grape wood and cholla wood are also good sources of cellulose, and will help your tank look natural and interesting. You can also find hemp nets made from natural hemp that your crabs will like to munch on and climb on.
  9. Keep educating yourself about your crabs, and enjoy!



Tips

  • Hermit crabs generally eat in very very small amounts. You may not be able to tell your crab has eaten anything, but if you smooth out the sand near the food dish you may see tracks in it the next day, or may find substrate in the food dish itself. Watch your crabs carefully for other signs that they've eaten.
  • Change their food daily, and don't ever offer raw shellfish, as it can carry diseases that can kill your crabs.
  • Make sure you offer plenty of seaweed sources, chitin, calcium, protein, and fresh fruits and vegetables!
  • Since your tank is not like an outdoor environment with all the healthy "good" bacteria that helps keep disease at bay, it is also a good idea to never offer raw meat, but microwave or steam it a bit, as raw meat can sour quickly and introduce bacteria that may not be safe for your crabs.
  • Look on the internet for "safe food lists" for hermit crabs. Epicurean Hermit is one good source for safe and unsafe foods to feed your crab. There is also an excellent beginner's list on Crab Street Journal, just search for "Epicurean beginners".

Warnings

  • Never dig up a buried hermit crab. A buried crab may be trying to molt, and disturbing him can mean his death as he is at his most vulnerable. Hermit crabs are very susceptible to stress.
  • Do not use tap water. use a water conditioner that removes chloramines and heavy metals, or use distilled water. If you use distilled water, you must use marine salt water to replace the electrolytes missing from the distilled water.
  • Hermit crabs like to "swim" in their water dishes, and this is how they refill their shell water and balance the salinity within it. give them water dishes that are at least half as deep as they are tall. They will not drown as long as you give them a way to climb out.
  • Don't set the tank in direct sunlight. A glass tank can amplify the heat of the sun and can overheat very quickly, causing heat damage and illness to your crabs.
  • New hermit crabs need time to adjust to their new home and should not be held or disturbed for two to three weeks after you settle them in.

Things You'll Need

  • Glass tank or aquarium
  • Two water dishes
  • Marine salt mix and water conditioner that removes heavy metals and chloramines.
  • Humidity and temperature gauges
  • Climbing toys and hiding places
  • Safe substrate
  • Mesh lid and a cover to hold in humidity
  • A heat source if you live in a cool climate, and also to insure there is a temperature range to help your crabs remain healthy

Related Articles

You may like

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Create_a_Hermit_Crab_Habitat&oldid=352768"