Topic Reviews

How To Take Care Of A Hermit Crab

Posted December 20th, 2008 by admin

The first thing you have to remember with hermit crabs is that your little pets need a great “hermit crab habitat” and as little human handling as possible. Other than that, your pet is as low maintenance as most pet care can go. So for starters, you need to get an enclosure that would be crab-friendly. Most land hermit crabs come from tropical areas so they would need a rather warm and humid enclosure. The ideal internal temperature would be 68 F to 72 F with at least 70% humidity.

Substrates should be shallow enough for crabs to burrow through but not deep enough that they won’t be able to move the through it because of the weight. The most favorable substrate would be a combination of coconut fiber with white sand. It would be best to buy both coconut fibers and sand from your local pet shop because these would be clearer of possible pollutants than those found on the beach. The coconut fiber should amount less than 10% to 15% of the mixture - and should be shredded. The consistency of the sand should be somewhat moist but not dripping wet. Try visiting www.healthyhermitcrabs.com where you’ll get more tips and advice on setting up a natural habitat for hermit crabs as well as further hermit crabs information you should know.

Also, you would need an enclosure that should be high enough so that your pet hermit crabs won’t be tumbling out and be in danger of being crushed underfoot. Purple Pinchers, or Tree Crabs have great climbing abilities, so be extra careful about how to choose their enclosure.

Lastly, hermit crabs are social creatures. They thrive better if you mix hermit crabs of the same species in one enclosure only. As long as there is ample food and water, your crabs should get along pretty well.