How much would it cost to buy a hermit crab and its required supplies?

Question

Such as its tank, food, etc. and most importantly the hermit crab itself. How long do they live for? Are hermit crabs very good pets?

Answer 1

Definitely go to http://www.hermit-crabs.com .

For the tank, I'd use at least a 10 gallon, which is about $10. The bigger you can afford, the better. Also I highly recommend an under tank heater, which is generally between $10-20 (for the ten gallon size). Then you can get normal sand for pretty cheap from a hardware store, but I'd also buy either Calci-sand or some cuttlebone (in the bird section). Cuttlebone is really cheap. They'll need the extra calcium and minerals when they molt. And yes, even though they're called "hermit", they would very much enjoy the company of others. They're nocturnal so they like hiding spots for the daytime, too. They like to climb--in the wild they will climb trees! And last but not least, for now, they like high humidity (around 70%) so it's best to mist the tank once or twice a day, depending on how humid it is where you live. Good luck!

Answer 2

I would recommend at least a 20 gallon long - hermits are social animals an will do better in a group. The most common type are purple pincher hermits, which need saltwater as well as freshwater (which no one has mentioned that I saw). Figure about $30 for the tank, $5-10 for some sand or coconut fiber (try EcoEarth - it's ground up coconut shells that they can burrow into easier when the molt), $4-10 for each crab depending on size and shell. They should have two water bowls (one fresh, one salt) with water about 1/2 inch deep (varies depending on the size of the crab), a food bowl, some extra shells, a hiding spot, and some wood for climbing. They can actually eat most of the same things you do, so buying food usually isn't necessary. Just give them bits of tropical fruit, veggies, cooked meat, shrimp, or fish (no sauces or spices, please!).

Well cared for hermits can live for over 30 years, and they do make good pets.

Answer 3

Hello, I have had hermies for almost 3 years now and I love all 51 of them. They are so much from to watch. I would say to get yourself started would be around $50 to $75. If you live in a colder area you will need a heater. Also, I would never put a light on my crabs because they don't like bright lights. During the day they hid and come out at night because it is dark. You don't have to purchase expensive food and water dishes. You can use large clam shells. I got some of my stuff from Yahoo Freecycle in my local area. You will want to start with a 10g tank and at least 2 hermies. I use pressed coconut fiber. Check out the web pages listed below for more info.

Answer 4

When i was a little kid my pet of choice was the hermit crab (land). i absolutely loved those little things! I had handicapped ones and ones that liked to race around the tank, however when i got really into it i decided that i wanted to breed them. It turns out that the hermit crab will not mate in captivity. Which means that all hermit crabs are removed from the wild, which causes an enormous load of bad environmental conditions. For this reason i stopped keeping them. I cannot recommend anyone purchasing them.
If they could be bred in captivity they would make an awesome addition to any home. They actually have personalities and are probably the easiest pets to care for. They will even make noises during damp heat waves.

Answer 5

tank min 10g- $10+
playsand 50lb bag- $5
water dechlorinator- $3
thermometer- $7 (needs to be 72-82F)
hygrometer- $7 (needs to be 75%-80%)
lid (glass or plexiglass is best) $10
UTH (under tank heater)- $16-$35
clamp light-$10-$16
night glo bulb- $6
cocohut- $4
plants to climb on $15
2 water bowls- $8
food bowl- $4
marine salt- $5
misting bottle- $2
extra shells 3 per crab- $3-$15 depending on size
cuttlebone- $2
min 2 crabs- $4-$12 depending on size
feed fresh fruits veggies and unseasoned meats from your fridge
so that makes it a minimum $115 plus tax

Answer 6

The price for such a thing would vary between pet shops ,,,, To get the best deal available you'd have to shop around ,,,,

Their life span varies too depending on how well the are cared for ,,,,

Answer 7

Hello.
For a tank you can use a big container like Rubbermaid that you can get from Wal Mart. All you need is some sand (you can get some from your backyard or buy gravel), hermit crab food (you have to buy this), food/water tray, sponge, and extra shells for when the hermit crab gets a little big. They can live up to 15 years and more if you take proper care of them. They are very good pets if you can handle a little bit of pinching and you dont need to really take that much care of them.
Hope this helps! :-)
Lilyoung

Answer 8

Very easy but if youre going to buty one get 2 at least they can get very lonly and there very social they need a drinking sponge food. you can feed them anything you want to except dairy and citrus the erson at the pet store will pick a good cage for u and also they like hiding spots so a little house for them and they also like climbing also they can live awile with proper care also u must wash them and they molt do ot move them on this stage there legs ill fall off and everything. its scary buit there really ok. and they will need new shells once in a while

Answer 9

the crab depends on how pretty the shell is, but usually 3-4 bucks. the food costs about $2 and it lasts FOREVER. the cage costs about $5 if u want a medium sized one. so about $11 in all

Answer 10

i'm not sure of the cost cauuse its been a while.
i used to have a hermit crab, it lived for a few years but i didnt like having it because you have to buy it new shells to change into. thats why mine died because it didn't have the right size shell. its really hard to find one perfect sizes, you have to buy them shells every so often. mine pinched me a couple times so be careful.


=D