Hermit Crabs... help!!!! any info... ???

Question

my sis wants a hermit crab... shes 10 and im 14... i dont think she can handle it... any helpful hints??

Answer 1

I am sure that unless she can handle the maintenance she will have dead hermit crabs on her hands very soon. They may be thought of as low maintenance but that is not ture at all. The people who say that normally have had more dead crabs than live or have not hand them live very long at all. THey live up to 30 years in captivity! Ours have been with us for 15 years now but need daily maintenance.
You must keep the tank at the proper humidity and temperature, provide large pools of both fresh and oceanic water that are both dechlorinated. Fresh fruits, veggies, meats and fish.
Be prepared for daily spot cleans, and monthy deep cleans. There is more to it and they are not starter pets, or novelty items but wild exotic crustaceans that require specific things inorder to thrive.
Land Hermit Crabs are portrayed as easy to care for, cheap and novelty pets. This is not really true! There are some basics that you need to know before actually buying your first Hermit Crabs. Read on below and then you can decide if this is the pet for you.

Sea sponges:
Natural, un-bleached and un-dyed sea sponges only. Non-man made. These can be found in pet stores and in some department stores as well.
They need to be rinsed and dried to keep bacteria and uglies away, so have an extra or two so you can rotate them. Boiling will also sterilize them.

Thermometer and Hygrometer:
Land Hermit Crabs, breathe through modified gills therefore they must have the proper humidity in order to breathe as well as the proper temperature in order to thrive.
You need to monitor all of the tank conditions. One for the temp and one for the humidity will get you started. Keep them as close to substrate level as possible since that is where the crabs are most of the time.
76 - 80 degrees and everyone will be fine. Do not allow the Hermit Crabs to get cold for long periods or they can die. Humidity ranges should be around 76-80% relative, sustained.
With in these levels your crabs and their home will be a happy and active one. If it gets too warm, you can always prop up the lid, same if the humidity gets too high, prop the lid up.To add moisture/humidity add an extra moist sponge or even a bubbler in their water dish.

Housing:
Glass tank with lid (aquarium with glass lid is best) Can use a quality Kritter Keeper with saran wrap over the lid.

Substrate:
Options include... Calci-Sand, Sterilized playsand, Aragonite Sand, Moist coco-fiber bedding, Crushed coral.
You can mix and match, have seperate areas and containers, it is up to you. Remember there needs to be enough substrate to fully cover the "floor" or the tank. Deep enough for your largest crab to fully submerse or cover it's self. The substrate also needs to be pretty smooth, meaning little to no jaged edges to scrape or injure the Hermit Crabs Exoskeleton prior to, during and after molting.
It also must be insect and chemical free. Human or animal grade not the kind that is used for construction or masonry.

Light:
Hermit Crabs require 12 hours of sunlight each day. This can be a combo of natural and artificial light. The normal aquarium hood light can be good enough.
Once you are ready to get more advanced or need more heating you can buy a bi-light that has both day-glo and night-glo bulbs.. for heat and light during the day and heat during the night. Always try to have full spectrum when possible so the Hermit Crabs get enough of the proper lighting.



Heating:
Land Hermit Crabs live in tropical areas, there for it is quite warm and humid. First there is the heat. Sometimes the lights you use give off a fair amount of heat, yet that does not reach the depths of your substrate when some crabs may be burried.
A UTH (Under Tank Heater) will answer this issue. Found in the reptile area of most pet stores and available in a variety of sizes.. once firmly attached to the bottom of your tank, it will provide heat to the substrate which some crabs prefer.
Make sure you have a cool side and a warm side. UTH should not be used on plastic Kritter Keepers due to warping and the toxic fumes some plastics can give off.. so watch where you stick it!

Dishes:
You will want at very least 3 dishes. 2 are for water and one will be used for food. Sometimes it is good to have extras due to seperating wet and dried foods or to switch out for cleanings.
They are to be heavy and sturdy, non-porous and NON-METALLIC. Remember there is to never be any metal within your crabs home, especially that may come into contact with water or moisture.

Extra shells:
Rule of thumb, 3 per crab.. one larger,
one about the same and one slightly smaller. Do not offer painted or decorated shells if you can help it, the paint is toxic. Wash them and offer them different ones from time to time. If the crabs do not have a proper shell they will die.
Water basics:
Use only de-chlorinated or bottled water for everything Hermit Crabs related. The chemicals in tap water (chlorine and heavy metals are toxic to Hermit Crabs also will burn their modified gills.)
You can treat tap water by using a water conditioner for fish, make sure their drinking water doesn't have stress-coat in it though.
Land Hermit Crabs must have both fresh and salt water for drinking. The salt should be obtained from a good aquarium store or pet department, reading the directions carefully.
The fresh water should be de-chlorinated as well. Both dishes should be deep enough for your largest Hermit Crab to fully submerse it's self, while at the same time provide items like shells, smooth stones for your smaller crabs to use to get in and out of the water. One or both water sources can have bubblers or sponges, it is up to you.

Misting Bottle:
Have one ready if your humidity drops, or to spot clean a crab who you want to play with, or to physically check. You can also have a second one with fresh salt water to control mold and fungus. This water also must be de-chlorinated and Hermie Safe.

Food:
Provide a nice selection of fresh and dried foods daily. Fresh foods can stay for 24 hours or less only because of mold and spoilage. Dried foods can stay for 2 or 3 days as long as you monitor it carefully.
Rotate food selection so that you crabs do not get bored and live a more natural scavenger type life. Check out our food lists. One should always provide fresh fruits, veggies, meats and fish.

Answer 2

Hermit crabs are the easiest, most low maintenance pet you could ever have. They're perfect for kids because they do not require as much care as other pets and their mess is confined to their terrarium. Give them water with a sea sponge in it, food, and sand. Scoop the sand for droppings and bathe them once a week. A bath by the way, is putting them in luke warm running water for a few seconds. Get them, they are a great learning experience. Have fun!!

Answer 3

Get her one! The first time it pinches her she won't want it anymore! I have had hermit crabs for years, and I love them! (not the the same ones of course) True I don't have any feeling in two of my left hand fingers, from being pinched, but hey what can I say?

Answer 4

I dont think anyone can't handle a hermit crab. It sits in a shell ALL DAY LONG! It rarely moves. I think she can handle it....you dont have to walk it,,,,just feed it. If it dies, she wont even notice.

Answer 5

depends on your parents' view.. but, I can't see giving a 10 yo a hermit crab for a pet..
may as well give them a piranha..

Answer 6

I had hermit crabs when I was 19 and they always died on me. They are actually gross. You have to bath them every other day so they dont' get dried out and die. I would suggest for her NOT to get them.

Answer 7

i think she could take care of it why not? She doesn't have to walk it or pay much attention to it. It will get food once a day i think and then just sit in its cage. So why not? Perfect pet for someone that age.

Answer 8

cant handle a hermit crap? is she retarted? you put water in the sponge and a little food...not quite rocket science (although close)

Answer 9

They're pretty low maintenance. Keep their sponge wet, give them extra shells, keep their tank damp, and feed them.

Answer 10

I have Hermit Crabs, and had to do a LOT of research on them after getting just 1, and not knowing what it needed.

Hermit crabs are pretty expensive to get started. For starters, despite the name, Hermit crabs are very social creatures, and will be more likely to die if they are alone. That means, you should never buy just 1, unless you already have some at home.

Next, the environment is very important for these guys. A lot of people presume they need lots of sun so that they stay warm. They do need heat, but that's different than sun. Hermit crabs come from tropical regions, and actually have gills on them. They require a humid place to live. The best way to achieve that is to use a fish tank with a hood on it. That helps trap moisture inside of the tank. An open air tank, or a fish bowl, is an absolute No-No! They will die if they are not kept moist.

Humidity guages only cost about $2, and can be found at all pet shops. Buy one, and stick on on the inside of the tank. It should read 70-80% humidity. If it's too low, spritz the tank with lots of water. The tank also needs to stay above 75 degrees farenheit, but below 90 degrees. That requires a simple stick on tempeture guage, which again, can be bought for about a buck.

Now, as I said, they have gills. But unlike fish, they are not able to breath under water, and will drown. Their gills are different than fish gills.

They also require a balance of both salt water (no, don't sprinkle table salt into regular water!) and non-chlorinated water. You can get liquid conditioners at a pet shop for around $2-3 a bottle, and when you fill a small container for water, you need 2. One for salt, and one for dechlorinated water. What you need to do is fill them both with tap water. Drop a few drops of the non-chlorinated conditioner (it's blue) into both dishes. Then, drop the salt water conditioner (it's yello) into 1 dish. That way, they have both fresh & salt water.

They require hiding spots, as well. A good one to get are little halved coconuts, which have a door cut into them, and are usually called Cocohuts. Hermit Crabs require both a shady side of the tank, and a warm side. To achieve this, you can use a heat lamp (though I don't recommend it- a heat lamp can get too hot, and cause the tank to dry out faster), or an undertank heater. The under tank heaters around anywhere from $10-20 each. I use a 20 gallon tank, and have on for a 10 gallon tank, and have it slapped on one side. That's my "heat" side.

Bedding is also important. It should be something like a coconut fiber or calcium sand (though, this is expensive, and should be used only as a partial bedding- it's around $6 a bag for about a pound), or regular play sand. I fill the bottom of my tank with about an inch and a half of play sand. Then I add calci-sand to the corner area's. Calci-sand is important because crabs need calcium in their diet, and they WILL eat this sand, which is very healthy for them. I did buy the coconut fiber bedding once, but it's expensive for how little it makes. It comes in a disc that you hydrate in water. It cost $2 for it, and barely covered 1 corner of my tank. I can see how expensive it would be to use that as the only bedding.

Crabs do require bathing, as someone else mentioned, but it is NOT every other day. It should not be done more than once every two weeks. It's simple to do, as well.

You fill a dish like a pie pan or cake pan with water that is only deep enough that it will cover half of your crab. You put him in by holding him upside down- so that his opening is facing up, not down. You put him into the water, and kind of scoop him a bit, so some water gets into his shell. Then just lay him on his back, and he will flip himself, and work some of the sand out of his shell.

The crabs also require extra shells, so that they can change from time to time. Some crabs will change shells weekly, others will only do it once in a while. A good rule of thumb is to have 1 that's the same size, 1 that's larger, and 1 that is -slightly- smaller.

Another thing to know is that hermit crabs molt. That is, they shed their exo-skeleton a few times a year. When they do this, they go into a mini-hibernation. You'll notice your crab isn't out and about doing things like he may have in the past. If you poke around, you'll eventually find him buried somewhere in the bedding, or hiding out in one of the houses. Leave him alone if he is!! Your crab will hide out about a week before he molts. Once he molts, he'll stay in hiding. This is because his new exo is not hard yet, and he could get hurt. During this time, you might notice bits and peices of legs and body near his shell. Don't worry- this is normal! He should eat it, though. It's perfectly normal (albeit, a bit gross to think about), as it's very high in calcium, which again, your crab needs.

You crab also climbs, lots. So get him some sticks, or drift wood. Do NOT use fish net. I tried that, and mine got hopelessly tangled in it.

Ok, as a general thing, when we bought 1, we figured since we had a fish bowl, we'd be fine buying just the crab, the food, and a few toys, plus the calci-sand. We spent probably $30 total on that stuff. One good thing for us- we bought a starter kit, which came with a book, which we read through immediatly. We realized that by setting him up like we did, we were going to end up with 1 dead crab.

In the end, we had a tank already, but no hood. We needed the humidity guage, and a tempeture gauge, the tank heater, the hood, more crabs, play things, water conditioners, etc. We ended up having this pet we thought would be cheap, and spending over $100 on it, just to get all the stuff, plus more crabs.

Now, we absolutely LOVE having them. They are great to watch. But they are NOT cheap to set up, unless you have a majority of the things needed already (a lot of people already have the tank & hood, for instance, as well as some climbing toys).

Hopefully my post helps you and your sister decide whether or not a hermit crab is for you!

Also- a hermit crab properly taken care of can live in captivity for up to 20 years. That's a LONG life. They also do NOT breed in captivity, as they require an ocean to give birth, so you won't have babies to worry about. That also means that any crab you buy at a shop will have been captured, not bred.

I forgot to cover food- Hermit Crabs will eat just about anything, from lettuce scraps, to peanut butter. You can give them small scraps of different food around the house, but keep it small, they barely eat much. Anything "fresh" left after a day needs to be cleaned out.