what do hemit crabs require in their cage and etc?

Question

im thinking of buying a hermit crab what do i need and whats best for it?

Answer 1

The most important thing is to keep the humidity high, which you can do by keeping a soaked sponge in the tank. Other than that, dishes for food and water, and a selection of shells for the crab to choose from when it outgrows the one it's in. Very cool pets, although I personally found them difficult to keep alive. And no dead hamsters...

Answer 2

There's lots to know about keeping a hermit crab! What you will need depends partly on which kind you get. Some are marine (they hatch in the ocean and live on the beach), Ecuadorans don't come from anywhere near an ocean and have some differences in their requirements. The typical ones you see in pet stores are purple clawed, which are marine.

So that you can get what is right for the one you have (or are thinking about getting), I'm giving you links to two websites. These will help you figure out the species of hermit and what it will need:

http://www.hermit-crabs.com/
http://www.thecrabbagepatch.com/

Answer 3

I have a ten-gallon that will hold up to five crabs at a time. crabs reqiure 2 gallons per crab, and like having 'freinds'. (they travel in the thousands in the wild) You can buy sand or sift your own. You should bake sand you buy at homedepo or such, cause it could have mold or bacteria growing on/ in it.

You need 2 water bowls: one salt water and one freshwater. Remember the salt can't have iodine or it will kill the crabs. You can get natural sea salt at the grocery store.

Food can be anything from vegitables to a pre-made (bought) powder. Crabs eat small amounts slowly, so don't put too much food in at once.

Crabs will like to burrow, so make sure the sand is twice as deep as the biggest crab. Put a hide in the cage.

Crabs are allergic to metal! Keep this in mind while buyig food dishes ect. You'll need a light that will keep the tank at around 78 in the day and no lower than 60 at night. Humidity should be around 70-80 percent. This can be hard to maintain, so if you get a cage designed for amphibians it will be sealed better and have the purpose of being humid.

These are awesome pets! Good luck with them.

Answer 4

First off congratulations on researching before buying a very smart move on your part.

Here is a shopping list of needed items for hermit crabs. I currently have 32 in a 55 gal tank

minimum 10 gallon glass aquarium
screen covered in plastic wrap, glass, or plexiglass lid

3-4 inches of moist (sand castle consistency) play sand (from the hardware store)

dechlorinator that does NOT have slime or stress coat in it

a marine grade salt like oceanic or instand ocean. salts from the grocery store have anti caking agents in them that can kill your crabs

2 plastic or resin water bowls large enough for your crabs to easily get in and out so they can bathe themselves. 1 for fresh water and 1 for salt water.

3 extra shells per crab unpainted.

2 food bowls (they like fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and nuts)

a heat source either an under tank heater, or a combination light with day glo and night glo bulbs they need 72F-80F 24 hrs a day.

hygrometer to measure humidity 70%-80%
thermometer to measure temperature

hidey huts, plastic plants, and vines

please if you decide to get them get 2 or 3 not just 1 they live in colonies in the wild and don't like to be alone.

If you have any other questions please feel free to visit www.hermitcrabassociation.com there is always someone around to answer questions.

Answer 5

if u put a humet crab in a cage make sure u have a died hamster in there with it so it can live trust me he hamster will last the crab 1 whole day...................