Hermit Crabs for Christmas

[Slipper]

We are going to purchase hermit crabs as a gift for our oldest. We think she will enjoy watching them when they are out and think it's really neat to have a tank in her room.

 

Does anyone here have hermit crabs? I've read online about their care, but I'm looking for a practical list of what we need. I want to take good care of them, but I'm lost in a world of hermit crab terms and need some assistance. I'm hopeful that the pet store will have someone knowledgeable, but if not, I'm on my own.

[Jann in TX]

We've had hermit crabs for years... some have been very social and did not mind humans watching and occasionally picking up—most have been skittish—but all have been very interesting pets. Our current crabs are hand-me-downs from the WTM's own Ellie—we have had them 3-4 years now.

I don’t think ours have ever forgiven me for taking them away from Ellie—they run for cover if they see me!

Hermit crabs are not cuddlers—they are best observed and not played with. We have only had one or two that did not mind being picked up and carted around. Hermit crabs can pinch HARD! We do not hold our current crabs.

Our 'crabitat' is a 30-gallon aquarium. Our very first crabs were very happy in their 10 gallon-- I would not want a smaller enclosure.

Tanks need to have a top. I think incandescent lighting is best because it can be a heat source-- you can adjust the wattage for the season. We have a fluorescent top and have an ‘under tank heating pad’ taped to the back of the tank—it takes the chill off and they like to burrow next to it in winter. They do need to be kept in a room that stays above 70 degrees F.

Hermit crabs have modified gills-- so they need humidity in order to breathe! They also need a water dish (actually 2 is best- fresh water and salt water) that they can crawl into to bathe...they do not do well with the pet store 'sponges'.

Our tank decorations rotate—currently we have assorted driftwood pieces crisscrossing the tank (making different levels). There are also a few coconut shell ‘hides’ for quick daytime escapes from the monsters (aka humans).

Pet stores will sell you LOTS of stuff you do not need.

I use a mixture of 3 parts play sand (from Home Depot) and 1-part ‘Jungle Bed Forrest Substrate’ for the bottom of their tank. Our crabs are fairly large (shell is close to 3 inches across—opening is just over quarter size)—their large claws are over 1 inch long). I keep their substrate 4-6 inches deep and they seem content with that.

On the surface we have 2 water dishes and one food dish. The food dishes are pottery --- I put a pinch of aquarium salt in on of the dishes –water is changed every few days unless they make it dirty or pile sand in it! I use plastic lids for the food dish—and they get a clean one every night. I feed them fresh (or lightly steamed) veggie and fruit scraps as well as small scraps of meat (unseasoned) and a sprinkling of hermit crab meal. They do not eat much. Because of the humidity food spoils quickly... so remember to feed in small amounts.

I recommend getting 2-3 about the same size. They like their buddies most of the time... also it increases your chances of seeing the crabs out and about in their tank! There are lots of websites promoting hermit crabs-- read several.

[Slipper]

Thanks for the info. :) This is for our daughter with autism. She's not much of a cuddler, she's a 'watcher'. 10 gallon would be the minimum I would want. I'm hoping for larger (and have a budget of about $150 since I know they have some humidity/warmth issues and I wasn't sure how much it would cost). I appreciate your help. :)

[Arcadia]

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Tanks need to have a top. I think incandescent lighting is best because it can be a heat source-- you can adjust the wattage for the season. We have a fluorescent top and have an ‘under tank heating pad’ taped to the back of the tank—it takes the chill off and they like to burrow next to it in winter. They do need to be kept in a room that stays above 70 degrees F.

 

Our hermit crab died because we did not have a heat source for our 10 gallon tank and our living room temperature was below 60s. Hubby did not know heat source was a necessity and not a nice to have.

 

We had one and the crab was more active at night. If we are getting again, we will get two to three and get a heat source and heat pad this time.

[GoVanGogh]

We have had a number of hermit crabs for over six years. I have no clue what our 'secret' is to keeping them alive.

I wanted to comment on having the tank in your daughter's room. They are nocturnal. We had to put them in our office, as they clink and clunk around their cage all night. They are not ideal to have in a bedroom, unless one is a very heavy sleeper.

[I talk to the trees]

Not exactly what you were asking, but I was reading the thread titles out loud, kind of mumbling to myself. I read this thread title, and dd(12) said, "You have got to be kidding me! That's disgusting!" She looked at me with such a look of horror that I just shook my head and told her that lots of people had hermit crabs, and that they make fine pets. She looked very relieved, and said, "I thought you meant for Christmas dinner!" (I should explain here that we are far from family, and "do Christmas" on our own. We usually try to make Christmas dinner something fun and different, so we have been talking about what to have for dinner. I guess that's what was on her mind!) :svengo: :rofl:

[DragonFaerie]

We had hermit crabs for a VERY short time. My kids liked watching them and even held them and took them out and let them walk around the floors in their rooms. Until my daughter's crab shed it's claw. She FREAKED OUT! Refused to touch it again and gave it to her brother, who wasn't overly happy about touching them again, either. She was so grossed out. LOL.. We ended up giving the crabs to a friend when we moved. The kids don't miss them.

[Jennifer3141]

We LOVE our hermies!! Actually, we are in the process of expanding their cage from a 10 to a 50 gallon.

 

Has anyone told you about the sand?? Do NOT buy that crazy colored sand in the store. It's too fine. Crabs need regular old beach sand to help them shed their carapace when it's time to do that. They need that gritty, real sand.

 

And don't freak out if your crabs dig down and don't come up when you get them. They are usually very stressed from all the handling/shipping and put off molting until they get someplace safe.

 

There's a natural hermit crab site on the web that's really good. The woman loves her hermits!!

 

Salted popcorn is a favorite of hermies and fruit too. They are really fun to watch. We do handle ours but most of them tolerate it pretty well.

[mom2scouts]

Jann gave you lots of great advice. We've lost a few hermies after molts because my son neglects checking humidity levels when they are underground too long, they are in a weakened state already, and then get sick when they emerge. We are getting better about crab care though and our crabs are living longer. They really are fun to watch and we have one who likes to change between two or three shells every week or so. Our hermit crabs love popcorn too!