In order to understand why hermit crab shells are an integral part of the hermit crab’s life, it’s important to learn some of the natural and instinctual behaviors of the hermit crab.

The hermit crab’s instinct is to act somewhat as a scavenger, “borrowing” the shell of another creature to use as his home. When a hermit crab enters a shell, it protects the crab’s soft body and also helps regulate their moisture, allowing them to breathe properly through their gills. Unlike most all other crustaceans, the hermit crab’s use of another animal’s shell is a very unique feature specifically to the hermit crab.

How frequently the hermit crab changes from shell to shell and the type of preferred hermit crab shells varies from species to species of hermit crabs. For example, hermit crabs from the region of Ecuador will tend to reside in a single shell for a longer time period than say hermit crabs from the Caribbean.

Contrary to popular belief, hermit crabs do not always migrate to other hermit crab shells when they go through the natural process of molting.

You’ll want to provide your hermit crabs a variety of hermit crab shells in their cage, as hermit crabs can be pretty picky when selecting a new shell for their home. Different shapes, sizes, and even opening types is ideal because if your hermit crab can get stressed if he’s not comfortable in his current or prospective hermit crab shells.

Interestingly enough, hermit crabs may also fight over a specific hermit crab shell, which often lead to the death, so it is best to prevent territorial issues in the animal kingdom by providing many hermit crab shells to choose.

As previously mentioned, size, shell type, quantity, and size of opening should all be factors when populating your cage with new hermit crab shells.  Purchase hermit crab shells with larger and smaller openings. If the shell is too large, your hermit crab won’t want to use it as a home. If the shell is too small the hermit crab won’t be able to enter or exit the hermit crab shell.

Hermit crab shells can have various openings such as round, oval, slit, or D-shaped. Until you know what kind of shell your hermit crab prefers, it’s best to give him a variety.

It’s best to select regular shells as opposed to painted or decorated shells, as sometimes the paint can flake off over time, and sometimes toxic paints are used to decorate the hermit crab shells. Paint also can interfere with your hermit crab’s ability to breathe properly.

Be sure to select shells that don’t have holes or cracks. Prior to giving your crabs the shells, be sure to boil them for 5 minutes to sanitize the hermit crab shells. Drain them and allow the hermit crab shells to dry completely.

You can usually find a larger selection of hermit crab shells on the Internet or from craft stores. Shopping on the Internet allows you to easily browse by size, shape, opening, etc. Follow these basic principles of hermit crab shells and your little guys will be moving from shell to shell right before your eyes!

It seems these days you can purchase just about anything on the Internet and that you have a greater selection at more competitive prices than regular “brick and mortar” stores. Is it a good idea to buy hermit crabs online? Can you buy hermit crabs online at a better price or get a better quality crab?

Buying Hermit Crabs Online

Well the short answer here is unfortunately no. Generally speaking, it is not good to purchase a live animal from an Internet store. The most obvious reason is questioning how your hermit crab will be safely shipped to your doorstep. I can’t imagine a hermit crab making such a journey safely even from an adjacent town.

When buying a pet hermit crab, you need to be able to check out the hermit crabs to ensure they are healthy and active. The last thing you want is to purchase an inactive or lethargic hermit crab from the pet store, and how will you know how active your new hermit crab will be if you purchase him sight unseen?

When you’re in the pet store, you should carefully pick up the hermit crab to make sure they are alive and friendly. You can’t take this necessary step if you buy hermit crabs online. You’ll also want to make sure they are active enough to come out of their shell, in which you may need to have a bit of patience because this may take a few minutes.

Take the time to review your potential hermit crab carefully at the pet store so you don’t waste time or effort. While there are many Internet pet stores where you can buy hermit crabs online, it is generally not a good idea. Many of these stores have health guarantees where you can return them or exchange the pet hermit crabs in the event of sickness or injured, but you’re safest having your crab travel from the pet store to your home.

Lastly, mites can be a real health issue for pet hermit crabs. If you bring home a pet hermit crab with mites, he will infect the entire aquarium as well as other crabs with him. When purchasing a new hermit crab at the pet store, always look inside the shell and on the crab to make sure there aren’t mites attached to the crab. When you buy hermit crabs online, you can’t take this necessary step in your hermit crab’s health.

Hermit crabs are great pets to have, and kids love to care for them. It’s best though that you become educated on the health and potential vulnerabilities of purchasing hermit crabs in a pet store versus buying hermit crabs online, sight unseen. You always want to select a hermit crab with a healthy appearance, and the only way you can do this is by inspecting him in person. After all, it will be your crab for decades.

Hermit Crabs mites is a natural occurrence with pet hermit crabs, but unfortunately requires proper care to prevent a harmful situation to your pet hermit crab. In a natural state, hermit crabs mites form a symbiotic relationship with their hermit crab host.

Hermit crabs mites in nature can be a concern because the hermit crab doesn’t have the chance to bathe. Your hermit crab can lose appendages from the disease if not treated properly and quickly.

Bathing your Hermit Crab in the Event of Mites

The following steps outline how to give your hermit crab a full immersion bath in the event of hermit crabs mites.

* Immerse your hermit crab upside down in the room temperature water to remove all air bubbles inside his shell.

* After the initial immersion to remove air bubbles, dip your hermit crab right side up in the bath water and have your hermit crab air dry.

* Repeat this process three or four times, then pour the water out before removing your hermit crab, as the hermit crabs mites float to the top of the water.

Cleaning your Hermit Crab Cage in the Event of Mites

Take the following precautions to properly clean the cage or terrarium in the event of hermit crabs mites:

* Remove all the infected substrate, and then rinse the aquarium out with plenty of water.

* For larger aquariums use saturated or wet paper towels. Be sure you apply pressure as you clean the tank sides and bottom to kill any remaining mites in the tank.

* Pay special attention to the tank corners, as this is a favorite spot for the little mites to hide as you clean the tank.

Future Protection – Sterilizing Substrate and Cage Accessories

Take the following precautions to properly sterilize your hermit crab’s cage to prevent future health or hermit crabs mites issues:

* The best step you can take is to purchase brand new and clean substrate for your hermit crab cage.

* If you wish to keep the existing substrate you can sterilize it by heating the material in the oven at 300 degrees for 30 minutes on a cookie sheet with a depth of about ½ inch. Be sure to let substrate cool.

* Repeat as necessary to ensure proper sterilization and to prevent future issue with mites.

* Boil coral, additional shells, and other toys for about 5 minutes to ensure proper sterilization.

* Wood pieces from your hermit crab cage can be placed in the microwave or in the oven at 300 degrees for about two minutes. Don’t let it burn.

Hermit Crabs Mites Prevention

Read the following tips to prevent hermit crabs mites from returning or infecting your little crabs:

* Don’t feed your crabs stronger smelling foods like dried shrimp as often, as the mites are attracted to such foods.

* Check your terrarium frequently as your hermit crabs enjoy digging and burying food.

* Scoop out crab droppings frequently out of the tank.

* Change the drinking water and salt water frequently, as the hermit crabs like to use this to clean their shells.

* Replace water bowl sponges frequently and wipe the terrarium down often.

Following these tips to hermit crabs mites prevention and curing will keep your hermit crabs happier and healthier for the long term!

Give your hermit crab a bath? You might think this is a silly idea but it’s important to keep your hermit crab healthy and clean by bathing him or her with some frequency. This not only helps to wash debris from your hermit crab, but also helps prevent issues with mites, a common hermit crab parasite.

Steps to Bathing Your Hermit Crab:

The following steps will guide you in the process of bathing your hermit crab:

* Get a large bowl and fill with de-chlorinated water at room temperature. You’ll want to ensure there is enough water to fully submerge your hermit crab.

* Place your hermit crab in the bowl of water by submerging him upside down and letting the water fill his shell. This process assists the flushing out of food and dirt.

* You can let your hermit crab move around in the water for a few minutes, and then you’ll want to let him walk on a flat surface with a clean towel.

* Many times, after bathing, hermit crabs are very alert and energetic to change shells at this time.

Many owners bath their hermit crabs every other week, while other owners leave a dish of water in the terrarium or cage for the hermit crab to bath himself or herself. Just make sure that you add a sponge to the water dish so the hermit crab doesn’t drown.

If your terrarium has been infected with mites, after cleaning the cage, note that your hermit crabs will need a bath of salt or Instant Ocean, a water bath mix which can be picked up at your local pet store.

Hermit Crab Bath Tips:

It’s important to know that most crabs are happy bathing themselves in their water bowls and don’t need frequent bathing. Giving your hermit crab a bath is a must though if there is infection of mites or other bugs crawling around on your hermit crabs.

Remember to use only water without chlorine when giving a hermit crab bath. Also, using salt water once in a while for bathing them is good for the hermit crabs, as salt water is needed for your hermit crab’s survival. A hermit crab bath with saltwater helps to thwart off mites, bacteria, and ticks.

As mentioned, your hermit crabs will likely bath themselves in their water bowls, and will not need a traditional hermit crab bath frequently. When you do give a hermit crab bath, you can alter between fresh water (without chlorine) and salt water.

Hermit Crab Bath Warnings:

When giving your hermit crab bath, make sure the water is at room temperature. You don’t want to burn your hermit crab, even if it means letting the water stand for a few hours to bring it to room temperature.

As you bath your hermit crab, don’t force them into the water. Hermit crabs are able to store water in their shells and regulate the levels of salt in their shell. This salt regulation also helps maintain proper humidity levels internally. When you give a hermit crab bath, some experts are beginning to think this disrupts their internal balance.

Lastly, bathing too frequently will stress out your hermit crab, so only bath when needed. The best thing is to have a bowl in the cage with a sponge for your hermit crab to use.

We tend to take pride in our homes, making sure our furniture is positioned just right, hanging paintings on the walls, and keeping everything neat and orderly. Now imagine you lived in a motor home, you would treat that as your home too! Well this is how hermit crabs survive. They live inside their shells and carry their “home” wherever they go.

Where Do Hermit Crabs Get Their Shells?

Hermit crabs are known to use the shells of dead animals, in particular the sea snail, to help protect their soft bodies and also to maintain moisture levels inside their shells.

Some hermit crabs will change shells quite frequently and others tend to stay content with their current shell regardless if they are uncomfortable with their current shell. They received the name “hermit crab” because they live alone in a single shell, although they are quite social animals living in large colonies.

How Hermit Crabs Select Their Shell

An interesting fact is that hermit crabs won’t change their shell right before, during, or after they molt. When you bring home a new hermit crab pet, it’s important to select a variety of painted hermit crab shells, allowing them to change out of their current shell and into another whenever they desire.

It’s also important to have a large selection of painted hermit crab shells so that your crabs (you should have more than one crab!) won’t quarrel to what they consider the best quality shells in their habitat. This gives them all selection.

Be sure to purchase good quality painted hermit crab shells which aren’t chipped or damaged. Remember this is their home we’re purchasing here!

How to Select the Perfect Painted Hermit Crab Shell

It’s exciting to go to the pet store and find new decorated and painted hermit crab shells for your little crab family at home. When you’re in search for new shells, there is usually a good assortment in the pet store, but always a much larger selection of painted hermit crab shells on the Internet.

Having different sizes of painted hermit crab shells is critical so your crabs can select the best fit for themselves. You’ll want to take into consideration the following when selecting painted hermit crab shells:

It’s best to consider the size of the hermit crab shell first. Since your hermit crabs will be growing up over time, it’s best to have a variety of painted hermit crab shells, some of which are the same as their current shell and some which are larger than their current shell. Sometimes your hermit crab is not comfortable in its shell if it is too large, where a smaller shell would be needed.

You also need to provide shells with various shaped openings until your hermit crab finds the type of shell its most comfortable with. Painted hermit crab shells come in a variety of shapes and openings, including D-shape, oval, round, or even slit shaped.

Remember to purchase good quality painted hermit crab shells which are in good condition. Remember this is your hermit crab’s home, and they don’t like shells with holes or cracks, which tend to release water from inside their shell. Be sure to select vibrant colors of painted hermit crab shells to make your terrarium an exciting environment.

Preparation of the Painted Hermit Crab Shells

When purchasing new painted hermit crab shells and bringing them home to add to your hermit crab’s cage, it is recommended to boil the shells for around five minutes before adding them to the terrarium. After they have been boiled, remove them from the water and let them cool.

Owning a hermit crab as a pet is becoming more and more popular. This is due to the fact that these little creatures are easy to care for, fun to watch crawling about their cage in their colorful and sometimes painted shells, and kids absolutely love them. Hermit crabs are striking creatures found in the wild throughout the world’s oceans. The good news is when properly cared, hermit crabs can thrive in captivity, or in your home as well!

With great and proactive care for your hermit crab pet, these guys will live a long time as well!  The following five tips will assist you as a new (or experienced) hermit crab “parent” maintain proper health and happiness for your hermit crab pet.

Bathing Your Hermit Crab – You’re thinking to yourself, do hermit crabs really take baths? The answer is yes…when you want to give him a bath, it’s best to use de-chlorinated fresh water in a bowl, which allows them to wash themselves. You’ll want to give them a bath approximately twice per month and more if you feel your hermit crab needs it.

Your hermit crab can air dry once you have submerged them in water as long as the temperature of your home is safe and idea for them (approx 70 – 80 degrees). Bathing your hermit crab is a great step towards hermit crab care.

Feeding your Hermit Crab – You have a few options in feeding your hermit crab, including pellet food from the pet store or to offer a variety of “human” foods which many times are less expensive and healthier for your hermit crab.

Foods such as small bits of banana, carrot, apples, shredded lettuce, raisins, or even certain kinds of meat such as chicken, ham, or fish is an ideal balanced diet for your hermit crabs. When caring for your hermit crabs, they are not picky eaters. Ensure you keep fresh sources of fresh water and salt water in different dishes inside your crab cage or terrarium.

Environmental Conditions – Temperature & Humidity – Unless you reside in a tropical paradise already where it is 70 degrees or warmer, you will need to create an environment for your hermit crab pet which is tailored to their temperature and humidity needs in their cage or terrarium.

These are cold-blooded creatures which require temperatures of approx 75 degrees, but not warmer than 80 degrees. Another part of hermit crab care is humidity, where your hermit crab will need humidity levels of 70 percent.

Understanding Molting – Part of caring for your hermit crab pet is to understand the physical aspects of your hermit crabs, including the process of molting. Remember hermit crabs don’t have internal skeletons, and they grow by shedding their existing skeletons and produce a larger one.

During this fascinating process, hermit crabs will leave behind their gills but their antennae, eyes, and legs are kept intact.

Hermit Crab Shells – To properly care for your hermit crabs, it’s important to have as many various sized shells as possible in your cage or terrarium. You can get the shells from your local pet store or even get a larger variety from the Internet. You’ll want to be mindful of the quality and condition of the shell as well as the size. You’ll want to select bright and colorful shells that capture attention.

Caring for your hermit crab pet is easy and fun when you have the right information at your fingertips. By following the above care tips, you can give your hermit crab pet a long and happy life.

Bluntly put, mating hermit crabs is not an easy task. If you think about it, you first need to ensure you have a male and a female in your terrarium or cage. As with all creatures who are shy about leaving their shells, it can be a challenge to determine if you have boys or girls.

There are other factors in mating hermit crabs to consider as well. In nature, the female hermit crab lays her eggs in the sand of the beach. Then the little crabs are swept into the ocean as the eggs hatch.

Although your crabs are not in their natural habitat, where predators tend to lurk, your female crab will lay just as many eggs. The total number of eggs is dependent on her size. In nature, the crab eggs are actually part of the plankton mass you see in the ocean.

There are many factors and steps to consider if you are up for the challenge of mating hermit crabs.

Just because your pair of crabs is not in the wild (where predators can kill off many of the eggs) doesn’t mean your mom will lay any less. Be prepared for many eggs.  Of course, the exact number of eggs your little girl lays depends on her size. These crab eggs in their natural habitat, in fact, are actually part of the plankton mass in the ocean.

If you’re even considering this, there are steps you can take to help ensure the health and safety of your hermit crab and her babies.

Stage One to Mating Hermit Crabs:

You will need to set up a saltwater tank. If this is not feasible to setup inside, then an outdoor pond can work. Many experts believe the outdoor option is preferred since it replicates a more natural environment.

Stage Two to Mating Hermit Crabs:

To replicate the hermit crab’s natural environment, you will want to create waves, just like the ocean. This can be accomplished by setting up a device that duplicates the ocean’s waves. Hermit crabs love the motion of the waves, and many experts and zoologists believe such ocean wave movement helps the breeding process.

Wave machines can be purchased at your local pet store or you can score a good deal through the Internet. Trusted brands in the marketplace include Sea Swirl Aquarium Wavemakers, which is also one of the least expensive. Do your research online and you may find an even better wave machine.

Stage Three to Mating Hermit Crabs:

It’s now time to set up the moonlight bulbs around your tank, terrarium, or pond. This substantially helps the breeding process since hermit crabs traditionally breed at night.

Moonlight bulbs are easy enough to find at your local pet store or online, and can usually be picked up for less than $15.

Stage Four to Mating Hermit Crabs:

This could be one of the most challenging stages. You need to ensure you have a male and female, or this miracle just doesn’t work. You may have to purchase a pair specifically for the breeding process, as the pet store owners may know better what sex hermit crabs they have available.

Stage Five to Mating Hermit Crabs:

Make sure that the temperature of your pond or tank is between 72 and 80 degrees, as hermit crabs thrive in this type of environment. If the temperature drops below this range, the crabs may become sick or lethargic, neither of which is desired when attempting to breed hermit crabs.

Stage Six to Mating Hermit Crabs:

By maintaining clean air, full lighting, comfortable temperatures, and salty water, you will dramatically increase your chances to breed your hermit crabs. In addition, diet is critical when hermit crab breeding. Feed a variety of healthy foods as well as foods rich in calcium, as a healthy crab is more likely to mate instead of an unhealthy crab.

Stage Seven to Mating Hermit Crabs:

You will need to have on hand a lot of brine shrimp for the baby larvae to consume. Then place your lucky guy and gal together and leave it up to Mother Nature. It could require several weeks. Exceeding three weeks is common while the couple gets to know each other before mating, a very interesting process!

Once they begin the mating rituals, keep the crabs together until you see them acting “normal” again, before they started mating. At this point, continue feeding your hermit crabs as normal, paying special attention to calcium rich foods.

After approximately one month, if mating was successful, you will see the baby hermit crabs. It’s a good idea to plan ahead and purchase some tiny shells for these little babies when they come to the “shore.” When they begin to migrate, they are barely 5 mm in size so ensure you purchase very small shells.

You can find just about anything online but if you visit your local pet store, you can consult with an expert who can give you knowledgeable advice.

Once the baby hermit crabs have safely migrated to their little shells, you are a successful breeder. This is only the beginning of your responsibilities (I guess this would make you a grandparent), as now you have the duties of raising these little hermit crabs.

Once you bring home your new pet hermit crab, you may be asking the great question what hermit crabs eat. Believe it or not, hermit crabs have a much larger food preference and palate than most people would think. Because of their desire for different kinds of foods, you have a lot of variety and options in feeding hermit crabs. This creates an enjoyable experience for both you and your hermit crab.

When perusing any pet store, you may find there are many kinds of commercial foods in pellet form. They all say they are safe and the preferred food for your pet hermit crab.

Give Your Crab Culinary Variety

To give your hermit crab the best diet, it’s best to rotate the types of food you give your hermit crab each day. You wouldn’t want to eat the same foods day in and day out, and neither would your hermit crab.

Commercial hermit crab food is good for him and is tasty, but some experts say that certain types of commercially available hermit crab food aren’t safe. Be sure to avoid commercial hermit crab food that contains ethoxyguin and copper sulfate.

Both of these ingredients are common in certain types of pesticides, and thus many crab owners don’t feel right giving their crabs such food. There is little conclusive evidence one way or another in feeding your crab such ingredients, but the choice is ultimately yours. Obviously steering clear of such ingredients would keep you on the safe side.

All proud parents want the best for their “kids” and being parent to a hermit crab is no exception. If you want to give your hermit crab a special treat, give him regular food, or something you also would enjoy eating (not French fries or brownies though). Just make sure he has commercial food available too for nutrients. Your hermit crab would love:

• Dried cereals, crackers, and bread
• Diced pears, bananas, coconut, and apples
• Peeled grapes
• Peanut butter (Sometimes messy!)
• Shredded Spinach
• Shredded Lettuce
• Cooked and cool potatoes

Hermit crabs are much smaller than you, so remember to break or cut everything into small bites so he can easily pick up the food with his claws. There’s nothing worse than having tasty food and struggling to eat it!

Just like our cravings for sweet things, hermit crabs have a bit of a sweet tooth too. When feeding hermit crabs, they often enjoy eating items a little more on the sweet side. Such foods are actually good in nutrients and have more of a sweeter taste that hermit crabs can’t resist. Try foods such as:

• Apples and Bananas
• Apples, Mango, and Kiwi
• Apple sauce
• Sweet potatoes and Apples
• Apples and Pears
• Fruit medley
• Guava Fruit Dessert
• Papaya Fruit Dessert
• Mango Fruit Dessert
• Sweet Corn Casserole
• Chiquita Bananas

You can be as creative as you want in feeding your hermit crab. Anything that is a little fruity, you know your hermit crab will love to eat. You can feed your hermit crabs by hand by using a plastic spoon or you can leave a little surprise in their food dish to find later.

Your hermit crab will love his treats and they will simultaneously provide him with the nutrients needed to stay healthy.

Many hermit crab owners wonder just what life their little crustaceans live when they are in the wild in their natural habitat.  Land hermit crabs are definitely one of the most interesting, exciting, and exotic pets you can own, and understanding more about their natural habitat will benefit you and your hermit crab, and will keep your hermit crab happy and healthy for the long term.

Land hermit crabs in their natural environment are most always found in proximity to the ocean, usually in tropical areas, but given their name, spend most of their time on land. This is their ideal environment because land hermit crabs crave humidity. Although hermit crabs are land animals, they breathe through gills by taking moisture from the air.

Like countless other people, you may have thought that hermit crabs are “crabby” animals when around others, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Despite their name and title, hermit crabs are really quite social animals. Hermit crabs are so social that when you adopt one, you will want to adopt two or three more if possible.

We know some hermit crab lovers who bring home a dozen hermit crabs at a time, but make sure you have a large enough tank.

The Amazing Burrowing Land Hermit Crabs!

One natural tendency of land hermit crabs is that they love to dig and burrow! Hermit crabs are very curious too and investigative. When they are traveling and bump into an object or another crab, they don’t always know how to go around so they end up crawling right over top or underneath the obstacle.  Sometime this causes some hilarious “problems” when the object is another land hermit crab.

An unfamiliar fact of the hermit crabs is that they are born in the ocean. Once mama hermit crab lays her eggs in the sand on the shore, the tide comes in and sweeps the eggs into the ocean where they hatch with very small baby hermit crabs.

Due to the fact that the baby hermit crabs are born in the ocean, they are able to naturally survive because they have gills similar to the gills on fish. The baby hermit crabs just extract oxygen from the water to breathe.

After a period of time, these little creatures make their way back to the shore. The baby hermit crabs are only 5 mm long at this point, and once they get to land, their first instinct is to seek out a tiny shell to make their first home.

Why is Humidity Important?

In these initial stages of the hermit crab’s life, a humid environment is critically important. High humidity is required for further gill development, which needs to be kept moist. Hermit crabs also rely on this humidity on land as opposed to the ocean for drinking too.

If you have ever been to the beach in the evening, you may have seen small baby hermit crabs migrating to the water line. It is in this place these land hermit crabs can breathe the air of the dew that surrounds the beach at night.

The shell that the hermit crab occupies is the shelter and protection of the crab. When the hermit crab is out of his shell, he is very vulnerable to predators. When the crab is out of his shell, he is very inactive to the point you’ll think there is a health concern. However, the most activity you will see a “naked” crab complete is to burrow himself in the sand.

Now that you have a good understanding of the needs and desires of your land hermit crab, you can taken even better care of him!

First you must be thinking, “a hermit crab needs a home?” Well yes and no. The hermit crabs habitats don’t need a fancy home like a hamster or chinchilla, but the new tank or cage should be as appealing and enjoyable as possible, since this will be his new home for life. Aside from dumping your hermit crab in an enclosure, how do you create a happy and healthy environment for your hermit crab?

It’s safe to assume that your hermit crabs habitats was a tropical and humid environment. That being said, you will want to add items to the environment to make it as close to a tropical paradise as possible.

Many question what kind of tank to purchase for their hermit crabs. If you have a glass or plastic tank already, that works just fine! Always remember that your hermit crabs are sneaky and they are known as escape artists, which mean you’ll need to ensure a safe environment by placing a lid on the top of the tank. Otherwise you will be searching around the home for hours.

If you are perusing your local pet store, you’ll likely notice little lightweight plastic enclosures marketed as “hermit crab kits.” It’s best to not purchase these kinds of kits, as they are way too small for your hermit crab.

As a good rule of thumb, try to purchase a tank or terrarium which is at least 10 gallons or larger. You will want ample space not only for your hermit crab, but also for all the cool and exciting accessories as well as water and food bowls.

Adding Substrate – The Floor Covering

You can envision the substrate of your hermit crabs habitat as the carpeting. To closely match its natural environment in the wild, your first choice should be sand, which is also a great substance for your little guy to bury himself. Hermit crabs love to dig and burrow, which is a natural behavior of theirs.

Oftentimes it is easier to purchase special sand from the pet store for your hermit crabs habitats. If you want to use regular sand for playgrounds found at local home improvement stores, you will want to sterilize the sand by rinsing, drying, and then baking (300°F) the sand.

There are obviously other options for your substrate. Certain types of substrate material consist of a coconut-based fiber. This substrate is ground and crushed so finely it looks similar to soil, which makes good burrowing material. You can also consider crushed coral. Two substrate materials you will want to avoid is gravel and wood shavings, like what would be used in a hamster cage.

What Temperature Does My Crab Prefer?

If you want to keep your little guy happy, you will want to maintain a cage or tank temperature of between 72 and 80° F. If the temperature drops below 72 with any type of regularity, your hermit crab may show signs of stress and weakness and would be more susceptible to illness.

Unless you live in a tropical climate, you will want to use a heater to keep the environment of your hermit crab happy and healthy. Many hermit crab owners use both a heater and heating lights to maintain proper temperature.

Humidity

Keeping just the proper temperature won’t keep your hermit crab healthy and happy, but you will also want to consider the humidity of the cage. Crabs are land animals for the most part, and they breathe using gills. The proper amount of oxygen in the air is dependant on the humidity in the air. Should the air be too dry, the crab essentially suffocates.

Crabs require between 70 and 80 percent humidity in order to breathe properly. There are a few steps you can take to increase the humidity of your hermit crab environment, including adding a water dish and using a natural sea sponge in the dish as well.

The sponge holds quite a bit of water, and in addition, had more surface area than the water dish alone to increasing the level of evaporation.

Now you have the basic essentials to maintaining a happy and healthy hermit crab who will provide fun and love for years to come.