Any hermit crab owners?

1. 82

   fritteritterposted 14 years ago

   Maybe you had a plastic critter carrier as a kid with a crab and a sponge... but have you ever really done it right with fresh and salt water, deep sand, organic food, proper temp and humidity and kept hermies for years?
   
   I'm setting up some hubs for proper hermit crab care and advice, hoping that there are others here who know how to care for them or are eager to learn how. They can live more than a decade and in my opinion they make great pets!
   
   If you have hermit crabs and you're doing it right, could you describe your crabitat? I'm curious what other people have set up! I have a 90 gallon aquarium with two 5 gallon pools of fresh and salt water at either end. I currently have 9 healthy hermit crabs, working up to about 20

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      Rynaldosposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah i had 2 ! Had them for supper last night.

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      Specialk3749posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      My 13yo has had several hermit crabs and they never servived. She wanted another one for her birthday, but she did some studing on them before she did and found severl things that she was doing wrong.  She really has learned a lot about them and I love the education she is getting.  She hasn't gotten her new crab yet because she is still looking for the "perfect" one. I will have her read some of your hubs to see if she learns more!  Thanks for sharing!

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      cosetteposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      wow, impressive! my son had one of those and it died. ;_;

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   fritteritterposted 14 years ago

   Well then, good thing that traffic from outside of HubPages is more profitable lol

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      lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      LOL, fritter! Nah, my kids all had hermit crabs when they were little. Their crabitats were pretty much what you described.

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   Colebabieposted 14 years ago

   Sounds like its something you're into, which is why you're so successful at it. My brother had hermit crabs, Beavis and Butthead, they didn't last very long. Man they stink when they die!

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      fritteritterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah they sure do. I had always seen them as childhood pets, too... now I'm in my 20's and on my way to a colony of 20 or so. Call it weird but I'm looking forward to the day when I can drop a chicken bone in the tank and have it completely clean by morning.
      
      Fortunately the Internet has made care info more available... if people take the time to do a spot of research first they can keep a hermit crab for decades. They're pretty easy to take care of but only after everything is set up... the setup is expensive and a whole lot of work in a 90 gallon tank - sheesh what was I thinking?

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         lainaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Well i am in love with hermit crabs. i had them growing up and last week my boyfriend and i were in a pet store and i felt like a kid again so i bought two of them and tonight i am going back to get more. they are great and neat to watch.

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   Nevaeh_Marieposted 14 years ago

   I know exactly what you mean about people NOT taking the time to do research on these critters. I worked in a petstore for 4 years, and I couldn't tell you how many times I've sold a hermit crab to an owner that I gave in-depth information to. Most of the time I felt like my advice was going in one ear and out the other. It never fails to see a returning customer come back with a dead crab.
   
   One thing I did learn about hermit crabs (just by raising them myself) was that they will eat anything. So if you drop that chicken bone, most likely they will eat it all. I never  used sand in my tank. It made it smelly, lol. They already smell, and the sand just added more to it. They love to climb, so I always brought in extra thick tree branches from the yard. (Of course, the sticks would be sterilized in hot water.) Salt and fresh water is a must. For some reason, my hermits tend to live longer when there was salt water pond in their tank. . I had a 15 gallon aquarium with 4 hermits. They each had their own personality. They seemed to be more enamored with a net I placed in their tank than the branches. Once, I fed them lobster just to see if they would it. They actually did! I didn't know whether to be amused or horrified. Cannabalism!

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   Pearldiverposted 14 years ago

   Are you also requiring a recipe for HermitCrab Fritters?

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   BrianFanslauposted 14 years ago

   I got fed up with mine. He became fish bait. I felt sorry for the little bloke but he would always pinch me and hide. So i traded him for a fish.

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7. 83

   Whitney05posted 14 years ago

   Generally, hermit crabs need a little bit more humidity than sand can offer. It's good to spray them once a day. They're best housed on a dirt substrate, such as the bed-a-beast substrate. It holds humidity better.
   
   
   I've been contemplating hermit crabs again. Haven't had them since I was a kid, picking up a few in Florida. They definitely weren't housed right and ended up eating each other. Just don't think I can convince my parents of getting any more animals right now. There was a huge fit when I bought my tortoises 2 weeks ago.

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   rosepetalbedposted 14 years ago

   Although pets are living things "Pet stores" are very similair to a "Car dealership" they are in it to make the sale...they will tell you whatever the "Customer" wants to hear to make a quick sale!! I listened to the pet stores advice and quickly learned something was not right....
   
   
   Mulch cause's bugs and is terriable for holding humitidy...Painted shells are not preferred by crabs....and you can't stick just anything in there for them....
   
   I lost quite a few and did alot of research...I must say I am addicted to those lil buggers! I now own 6 species....
   Coenobita rugosus(Ruggie),Coenobita perlatus(Strawberry),Coenobita compressus(Ecuadorian),Coenobita clypeatus(purple Pincher),Coenobita brevimanus(Indo)Coenobita violascens (Viola)I hope in the summer months to purchase Coenobita Cavipes (capvipes) and coenobita purpureus (Blueberry Crabs!! I know of sites that sell all of the crabs listed if  anyone is interested? I now own a 75 gallon tank with plenty of hide aways, specially ordered food, and giant Pools Will post a picture!
   
   

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      Specialk3749posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      rosepetalbed,
      
      Would you list or send me those sites for the crabs as well as for the special bedding, food, etc..  I know my daughter will be interested in these because she has been talking about them, but didn't know where to start looking for them.
      
      Thanks! Karen

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   francisjdurzposted 14 years ago

   I like cute crabs.

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    fishtiger58posted 14 years ago

    My kids had hermit crabs when they were kids. Had them about 2 years before they died. We had a big thick stick nailed to a board in the tank and the crabs would climb the stick and sit on the top. Was way cool.

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11. 83

    Whitney05posted 14 years ago

    Just thought I'd bring this up... I'm pretty excited I'm getting about 3 small ones to add to my red foot enclosure. We'll see how that goes. Eventually they'll be dinner, but they'll be cool to watch for now.
    
    rosepetalbed, you're enclosure looks nice. I'd love to do something like that for non-tortoise enclosure crabs, but no room right now. I'll have a spare 29 gallon soon though when the snake is upgraded. Just no where to put both tanks.

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    blondepoetposted 14 years ago

    I have never had crabs but have often thought about having some, after a friend of mine showed me his. They're awesome.

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    flread45posted 14 years ago

    I like those Hermit Crabs deep fried myself!!LOL

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    wsp2469posted 14 years ago

    My youngest son had a couple.  We kept them in a ten gallon fish tank.  had all the suggested stuff in there.  They lived for quite some time!

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    Dame Scribeposted 14 years ago

    I didn't even know they could be pets dumb , yeah, least I can admit to it, lol

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