Hermit Crab Care
If you are looking for an aquatic animal that is friendly but entertaining, buy a hermit crab. The little fellas may not be the cutest animal to pet, but they are fun to play. They carry no pathogens or other diseases causing bacteria, which also establish them as a great pet even for kids. As long as you get your hermit crab care correct!
The pet may need a bit more care than fish, but it’s worth it, especially for kids as it teaches them to take care of things and take responsibility. Besides, you can always reduce this hermit crab care factor by starting with a right tank setup and some knowledge about this crab. Here’s what we know about them and their caretaking.
Caring for Your Hermit Crab
Selecting Tank
There are multiple types of hermit crabs, and the tank size will depend on the maximum size of the crab you choose. Usually, a ten gallon or 20 gallon fish tank will be good for keeping two standard size hermit crabs. In case you go for a small crab, this tank will be able to handle at least four of them without overcrowding or any other issues.
In case you want to keep more than three large sizes or more than four small size crabs, upgrade to a twenty to a forty-gallon tank. It can handle three large and a dozen of small crabs with ease.
As for the material and build of the hermit crab tank, it’s all up to you. As long as the tank can handle the crabs and maintain moisture, the crabs won’t care if it’s a reptile tank, fish tank, or a recently fixed glass box. Just make sure there’s enough space for at least two of them. Hermits are social and don’t adjust well when left alone. This is a key part of hermit crab care!
Further, your tank should also have a lid, preferably a pixel glass one as the mesh lids are not moisture retaining.
Hermit Crab Care – Moisture Maintenance
Hermit crabs may have the ability to dwell on land, but they don’t have gills. They breathe through modified gills, which are identical to that of their water relatives, but slightly smaller in size. Due to these gills, they need a set amount of moisture in the air to breathe properly. A humidity of 75 to 85 percent works best for them. If it falls beyond 75 to go above 85, your hermit may start to suffocate and die a slow and very painful death. The little fellow may have to endure that pain for weeks or maybe months before dying, which is not something you would want for your little friend.
Therefore, it’s ideal that you place a small humidity meter in their tank and check moisture levels regularly. Using a moss plant or a sponge in the tank can also come in handy, but make sure to take care of them and eliminate dust from them regularly.
Regulate Tank Temperature
The Hermit crab usually lives near water bodies and seashores, so their temperature sensitivity is not a surprise. The crab won’t last at too high temperature. It slows down their metabolism rates and makes them very weak. The results are way worst in colder tanks. Your crab may become inactive, lethargic, lose one or more limbs, and in the worst case, die very painfully.
Therefore, to optimize hermit crab care, make sure the tank temperature never falls beyond 75 degrees Fahrenheit and cross 85 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use some heaters, lights, or a combination of both to maintain the heat. Installing temperature gauge is also preferable. Depending on the ambient temperatures you may need to consider a aquarium heater.
Use Adequate Substrate
Like you have bedding material for cats and dogs, the hermit crabs need sand layering in their tank. They like to play in it and sometimes bury themselves in it. Some of them hide in the sand for hours and use it to maintain body temperature and moisture levels.
The material you use for the bedding is upon you, but the best option is to use sugar sized sand. The large-grained sand and other material can damage their shell and even scratch their soft body. Using compressed coconut fiber is also a great and more sustainable idea. Just make sure to create a thick layer that can hide the whole crab with ease. A layer with 3 to 5 times the height of your crabs should be enough.
As a part of the hermit crab care routine, you also have to clean this bedding regularly. It will also need two replacements per year to maintain the quality of this bedding and ensure your crab’s health.
It is also a great idea to sterilize it regularly by heating it to 250 degrees Fahrenheit for two minutes. You can also consider boiling the shells and sand of your tank after every two to three weeks. Just make sure not to use chlorinated water for this boiling process. The same water theory also applies to the tank water and the water used for wetting the beddings. These tropical animals are not used to processed chlorine and get sick due to it.
Tank Accessories
As a part of the hermit crab care routine, you need to place some toys in their tanks. The list includes some stones that they can use to hide, some plants that they can eat, climbing tools or nets, and water bowls. You can also consider placing some extra shells in the tanks. They will come in handy during the whole exoskeleton shedding process and also for playing in the tank.
Other than the toys, you can also keep a small shell for keeping their food. The size of this shell will again depend on the species of hermit you choose. You might have to research your crab species and their food preference for this part.
Hermit Crab Care – Conclusion
Hopefully, these steps will provide you all the things that you need to know for creating hermit crab care routines and keeping them. But they are not everything. These crabs as we said earlier are social and like to play. So, once in a while, balance the humidity and temperature, take them out and play with them. Set them free, and they will climb on your shirt and maybe use your hand as a treadmill. Just make sure that the height or climb never goes too high as falls can be fatal. Moreover, hermit fears height and inches really hard.
One personal advice, if you are planning to keep them or already have them, is prepared for pinches. These animals have a habit of doing that a lot, and considering their size, they pinch really hard.
Alternatively, if you decide that Hermit Crabs aren’t your favorite, you could always consider taking on a freshwater aquarium stingray or some freshwater aquarium eels!