My partner wants a hermit crab, are they hard to keep and what do i need?

Question

Also how long do they live etc any help or info is greatly appreciated

Answer 1

Food: Hermit crabs in their native environment live inland away from any salt water. Their diet consists of leaf litter, fruits, and vegetation. They also have a preference for decaying wood (with the exception of conifers such as pine and cedar). In captivity it is recommended that they be fed a good quality commercial food. Treats such as coconut, romaine lettuce, apple, white bread, plain popcorn (or with sea salt), etc.,...can be fed on alternate days. Oyster shell, egg shell, or cuttlebone is recommended for calcium. Uneaten food should be removed daily to avoid spoilage.

Water: In humid climates, it is important to bathe your hermit crab twice weekly. In dry climates or in low humidity (such as houses heated in the winter by hot forced air) bathing every other day is important. Daily misting your crab outside his enclosure, although not necessary, is desirable. Fresh water should always be available. Use a non-metallic shallow dish with a sponge placed in the center to prevent drowning. The water provided must be the same quality that is used for tropical fish. Hard water with iron is not desirable.

Housing: An aquarium with 2-3 inches of gravel or sand is ideal. Optimum temperature is 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. In cooler areas it may be necessary to purchase a heater to provide these temperatures. Do NOT use heat lamps, full-spectrum lamps, or corn-cob bedding as these act as desiccants and dehydrate the crabs.

General: Hermit crabs are generally non-aggressive and can be handled. Avoid giving the large purple pincher claw any part of you to grab though. Holding your palm out flat is one way to avoid this. If you are unfortunate enough to get pinched, hold the contact point under medium hot water. This will normally make the crab release. The smaller claw is the feeding claw and is used to pass both food and water to the crabs mouth. The name "hermit" is untrue as these animals do very well in groups. They communicate with each other by making various sounds. Disputes between individuals are usually over shells. They are good climbers and are often quick to explore new objects placed in their enclosure. Some have lived as long as 15 years in captivity.

Land hermit crabs cannot reproduce in captivity. Reproduction is the only time they require the sea. Like other crustaceans, hermit crabs grow by shedding their exoskeleton. During this time they need to be kept extra moist and in a medium they can burrow into. It may be necessary to isolate them from any other crabs at this time as they are most vulnerable. As crabs grow they require larger shells to live in. Provide various spare shells as they need one that feels just right. Never remove a crab from its shell as it will sometimes allow itself to be torn apart rather than leave the safety of its shell.

Answer 2

There are many different types of hermits. I kept Equadorian hermits for a while and they are pretty cute!

You may want to sign up at www.crabstreetjournal.com
They have lots of infor about setting up.

Depending on what type of crab you're getting, you'll need a fish tank, sand, humidity guage, thermometer, heater for hte bottom of the tank, lights, food and water bowls and "toys".

Check out the site for more info :) They are really cute little pets!

Answer 3

If it's the last thing a hermit crab wants and that's some nosey people peering at it in some sea water aquarium. Japanese fighting fish or an octopus would give you more bang for your buck.

Answer 4

Hermit crabs are cute and easy to keep. You do need a variety of shells for it to swap houses as it grows. They need a shallow dish of water to drink from and occasionally wet their body to maintain health. They will eat brine shrimp and foods especially sold for hermit crabs. Keep away from windows where hot sun can overheat them. ( Fried crab) Not a lot of work and cleaning with these pets.

Answer 5

go to the pet store and find a book about hermit crabs. Read up before proceding

Answer 6

Hermit crabs are very sociable creatures and opt to be in communities of two or extra crabs of about an identical length in any respect cases. interior the wild, those animals were in colonies of one hundred or extra, socialization is had to their nicely-being. Hermit crabs come from the wild and do not breed in captivity; a number of them do no longer lose this wild nature and opt to stay hidden in any respect cases. Hermit crabs are nocturnal and could no longer be very lively in the course of the day, and frequently received't search for interest from a caregiver. Hermit crabs come from tropical and semi-tropical elements of the international; they opt to have the humidity contained in the crabitat kept at 70-seventy 5% in any respect cases. that's significant because hermit crabs have changed gills that they breathe by, no longer lungs. If the humidity stages are too low, the gills will dry out and grow to be stiff and the crab will surely suffocate. If the humidity rises above seventy 5% for too lengthy, fungus can advance on the gills and contained in the tank causing ailment and shortage of life. The temperature contained in the enclosure needs to be seventy 5-eighty tiers in any respect cases. Hermit crabs can bypass into hibernation like state if allowed to grow to be too chilly for too lengthy, often times they do no longer get over this. the way in which to maintain those stages interior a house is to apply a sturdy plastic lid to save moisture and warm temperature contained in the cage. If the tiers commence to upward push, open the lid sufficient to stabilize the crabitat to the wanted humidity and temperature stages. maximum crabs opt to dig and bury themselves a minimum of the countless time, some opt to do all of it of the time. the perfect bedding for that's play sand, it really is at particularly a lot any abode progression save. using play sand will enable the crabs the liberty to bury themselves with out the tunnel collapsing in on them. different selections for bedding are gravel (the style used for fish tanks) and fibrous bedding (wooded area bedding); put in sufficient that enables you to burrow. a good rule to maintain on with is “if it may bypass in a fish tank, it may bypass in a hermit crab abode.” be confident to grant a tremendous number of hiding spots for the crabs; those are available in commercially or should be created from abode. be confident to contain extra shells that are slightly more beneficial, as they do advance and turn shells. And pay attention of their pinchers :)

Answer 7

I don't really think your partner wants a hermit crab but may be trying to tell you that they want to leave and go to live on their own ! It happened to me - my girlfriend said she wanted a woodlouse but all she really wanted was to roll into a small ball and eat bark .

Answer 8

Not hard to take care of all. I used to have three.

All you have to do is make sure they have water, extra shells, a sponge, and some stuff to climb on. (And probably some type of food.)

Beware if you live somewhere cold though, mine died because they were too cold.

Answer 9

They can live 50 years plus if taken care of.

visit this site to read up on everything you'll need: http://www.hermit-crabs.com/

Answer 10

Why the fu­ck does she want a hermit crab?