What are hermit crabs?

Hermit crabs are a type of scavenger crustacean that live naturally in tide pools and coral reefs. The have long soft bellies, which they keep protected by curling into abandoned shells. As the crabs’ bodies grow and expand, they molt and find different, larger shells as their new home. In nature, hermit crabs live in large groups called colonies and are very social creatures. The most common hermit crabs that are kept as pets are Ecuadorian, Caribbean or Indonesian. Hermit crabs communicate by chirping and waving their antennae around.

Selecting a crab

Take great care in selecting a crab. You want one that has been well taken care of and is in good health. Before you select your crab, you should select the pet store from which you are buying your crab. Do not buy a crab from a pet store if the cage is dirty, there is insufficient food or water in the tank, or there are less than a dozen living crabs in the same aquarium. These factors can stress crabs, and stress will lead to your crabs to death. Once you find a pet store with a clean tank and many happy, active crabs, observe the different crabs. You should select one that is active and crawling, as this is a sign of good health. Watch how they interact with other crabs. Avoid crabs that seem lethargic, mean or antisocial. No body wants a crabby crab! Also, I highly recommend purchasing at least 2-3 crabs at the same time. Hermit crabs are very social, and if they do not have familiar friends brought home with them, they are more likely to stress and die. Having other crabs that they are familiar with will help them make the transition to your home.

Supplies

• Choose a cage with glass walls, like a 10-gallon aquarium. Hermit crab cages are often sold as plastic things with barred walls. This is not a good option because hermit crabs have to have a lot of humidity. The closed glass cage will keep more humid than a cage with many slits in it. Keep the lid on the tank, but leave about 1/2 an inch of it ajar so that the crabs can get some fresh air.
• You can buy hermit crab food from the pet store, although I have read that it isn't the best thing to use for the crabs, although I haven't personally had any problem with it. The best choice though is to feed your crab organic fruits and vegetables. Crabs love food variety and prefer it much more than commercial hermit crab pet food. Do not feed your crab any kind of processed or marinated meat. Near the hermit crab food there should also be drops that you can put in your crabs’ water to de-chlorinate it. Crabs should not drink anything but pure, dechlorenated water.
• Buy extra shells, prefferably unpainted ones. If the paint chips off your crab may eat it and it is not good for them. Make sure to have plenty of shells in a variety of sizes so when your crabs are ready for a new home, they will find one they like. I like to keep at least three shells per crab in the tank. If you have only a few shells, your crabs may fight over them!
• Buy sand instead of gravel for the bottom of your tank. I like to buy sand at Home Depot or Lowe’s because you can get a huge bag of it for very cheap. You want to buy a lot of sand because you will throw out sand and put new sand in the tank in order to keep the crabs’ environment clean. Crabs like to burry themselves in it and it will help them keep cool or warm. It is like their blanket.
• Buy something that they can crawl on, such as a choya log. Also by something that they can crawl into like an igloo, like a half coconut shell, a hamster igloo or a commercial hermit hut. Active crabs will live longer.
• Buy 3 large clam shells, big enough for them to crawl in if they want to get wet (make sure it's not too deep or they wont be able to get out!) One shell for fresh dechlorinated water, one for salt water, and one clam shell for food.
• It is optional, but I recommend that you buy a hermit crab heater. Make SURE if you do buy this item that it is an actual heater solely for hermit crabs, not any other heater. These heaters emit very low heat. If the crabs are too warm from other heaters or the sunlight they will die. My crabs like the hermit crab heater, and during the night I see them huddle by it.
• Buy a spray bottle and fill it with dechlorenated water. Use this to mist the inner walls of the hermit tank daily. Hermit crabs need warm (not hot), and humid air to survive.
• Buy a sponge and keep it moist everyday. I recommend a natural sea sponge because the crabs like to eat the minerals off of it and it also holds moisture better than a fake sea sponge.
• If available, purchase a thermometer. Some pet stores sell small ones that have adhesive and will stick to the inside of the crab tank. Keep crabs in 74-84 degrees F. Hygrometers will gauge the humidity. Try to keep humidity around 80%.

Escape Artists

Warning: hermit crabs are escape artists! The first hermit crab I ever had I had in a hamster-type cage for my crab. Within two hours, my crab had managed to climb up the walls and unscrew one of the lids and escape! It is a good thing I found him shortly, because if a crab gets out of his cage, he will not be able to survive for very long. My point is to make sure that there is no way that your crabs can escape their cage. Keep a careful eye on them for the first 24 hours because they may find ways to escape that you had not considered.

Bathing

Hermit crabs are unique in that they can breathe air but also have gills. These gills need to stay moist or your crab will dry out and die! To bathe your crab, simply place him in a cub of tepid, dechlorenated water for 10-20 seconds, once a week. Do not bathe your crab more or less than once a week or it may die. Also make sure that you have been misting your crabs’ cage and have a sea sponge in it (see ‘Supplies’, above.)

Interacting with your Crab

For the first after purchasing your crabs, leave them alone so they can acclimate to their new environment in peace. If they are buried in sand, do not bother them at all. If it’s been more than a week and they are not buried in sand, it should be safe to interact with your crab. Place the crab in your palm with your palm stretched taught. You may want to wear a glove until you feel comfortable with your crab. Tight, flat hands are less likely to be pinched. Keep your palm near the ground so that if your crab falls, he will not be hurt. After keeping your palm very still, your crab will poke its head out and say hello to you. If you crab is shy, it may take a minute or two minutes for him to come out of his shell. If he is more social, he will come out in a few seconds. Talk in a low voice, as high pitched sounds remind them of birds and scare them. If you crab gets scared, either from you or from the fear of falling off of you, it will pinch you. Do not freak out, or he will just pinch you harder! Wait until he releases. If he does not let go, put your hand in water that is not running and he should release. If you interact with your crab daily he will recognize you and become friendlier. When you take him out to play with him, don't keep him out for longer than 15 minutes. There is not enough humidity in the air outside of his tank to keep him comfortable for a long period of time.

Shells and Molting

Crabs will grow and molt, so make sure you have plenty of shells available for him. When a crab molts, he leaves a creepy looking exoskeleton behind in his cage. Leave the exoskeleton in the cage for a few days, the crabs will pick at it and eat the minerals off of it. When you are ready to throw it out, use a plastic spoon to shovel it out and throw it away. When crabs are young, they molt frequently, maybe once a month. As the crabs age the molt less and less.

Longevity

In captivity, it is difficult to keep hermit crabs alive longer than a couple of months. Hermit crabs are often shipped to many places before they arrive at a home as a pet. All the moving can easily stress out the creatures to the point of death. However, by giving your crabs the best care possible, hermit crabs can live for many years and grow to be the size of a coconut. It is best that when you first purchase your crab you leave him alone and not handle him to give it time to itself to relax. Crabs live best in unchanging environments.