2006-07-01 23:51:06 · 4 answers · asked by Louis V 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Land Hermit crabs are not a typical PET.. they are a tropical creature that is very sesitive to stresses. They actually do not enjoy being handled too much. They will not come out of their shell all the way.. I am hoping you know that... they will come out partially enough to walk and scoot about... if he comes out all the way and get naked then he will soon die.
He is probably under stress, which could be from over handling, or from the tank conditions not being within the proper ranges.
The best way to get a Land Hemrit Crab to relax and become a bit more active is to make sure you always have more than one crab.. in the wild they live in colonies of 100 or more.. so the more the better for their over-all health and well-being.
Another way to help them relax is to take a hands-off approach to Hermit Crab Husbandry.. meaning the less you touch them and pick them up the better they will be. They are not your typical pet and that is a problem when people buy them as lets and they become bored with them and either stop taking good care of them or get rid of them.
Another issue is tank condtions. They must have their tank home within range or they will never be without stress and never be healthy. They breathe through modified gills.. therefor they must live in a humid (not wet) environment.
The humidty range should be between 76% and 85% relative, you will need to buy a gage to monitor the humidty properly.. guessing will not work.. accuracy is the only way to succeed.
Also the temperature must be between 77-84 degrees F. You will need to buy a temperature gage for this.. again guessing will not lead to success. In the wild they live in the tropics where it is warm and humid... you must provide this environment in captivity to do the humane thing for your pet.
A glass aquarium with a glass or tight fitting lid that is solid is another must... a wire or mesh cage will lead to eventual death as will an open top container. Lights are another must to regulate their sleep and wake cycles and their metabolisim and also to regualte their molting cycles.
Land hermit crabs are not "active" they are nocturnal normally and are very active in the night when we sleep.. if they are scared of you they will not greet you... they are also quite skiddish of shadows and such. They are not the take out and play with kind of pet... they thrive more within their tank home that is within range with lots of climbing things and areas to hide and dig.
What kind of substrate do you use? The only recommended and approved substrates are clean playsand and moist 100% coco-finber bedding... gravel, woodchips and other mixes are toxic and do not promote digging which they must be able to do.
Many people use hermit or reptile calci-sand. DO you know that you are 100% wasting your money on that? Calci-sand is just a fine sand that is used to promote calcium absorbtion..... it is actually more benifical to buy a 50lb. bag of clean natural play sand for $2.00 and add some crushed coral or ground cuttle bone to the top after it is in the tank. You can also just leave a chunk of cuttle bone in the tank they absolutely love it! Crushed coral and also egg shells and shrimp shins/exos also provide the reccomended amounts of calcium they need.
2006-07-02 05:05:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
Most hermit crabs salvage empty seashells to shelter and protect their soft abdomens.
2006-07-02 01:21:09 · answer #2 · answered by thematrixhazu36 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because it is a HERMIT crab!
2006-07-01 23:54:17 · answer #3 · answered by martin b 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because it is shY,
2006-07-02 00:19:12 · answer #4 · answered by bleah 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋