# Hermit Crabs



## Guest (May 25, 2006)

I'm not sure if this is the right section so mods can move it to the right place if this is not the right place.

I have a empty long 20 gallon tank that I have be unsure of what to put in it till I was out of town and passed by a shop that sold hermit crabs and I picked one up and it walked from hand to hand which I liked because I have never had a pet that I could hold in my hands. So I'm going to get around 7 of them tommorow and need to know what I need. 

This is what I believe I'll need and if I need to add something to this list or take something off, let me know
sand
water dish
screen cover
hermit crab food
is there anything else I need to get or not get?


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## TKC (May 16, 2006)

Your list is pretty good. You will need two water dishes though..one for fresh water and one for salt water.

I would get a glass lid over a screen lid because you need to keep the tank very humid for them. They breath though modified gills and they need to be kept moist otherwise they suffocate. If you do get a screen lid use plasic wrap to cover about 85 to 90 percent of it.

You'll also need some things the crabs can climb on. Like driftwood for example.

Get a sponge for the water dish too. This helps with the humidity. If you have any other questions please ask!


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## Guest (May 26, 2006)

Well when I saw them at the store while I was out of town they just had them in a glass box with sand and a few water dishes. Is that not good for them? Why do they need 1 freshwater dish and 1 saltwater dish? Do I need to use marine salt, table salt, or aquarium salt? At my pet store they just have a screen cover with about 4 small heat lamps in the back of the tank.


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## TKC (May 16, 2006)

The way some stores display their crabs is really inappropriate. Basically they are probably suffocating in there. It's horrible.

Back on track....hermit crabs need salt water...the reason is slipping my brain at the moment. I used aquarium salt and it worked well.

Keep the tank about 75 degrees F. Crabs are tropical so they need to be warm. And keep the humidity around 60. You can find humidity gauges in the reptile department of petstores usually.

Keep the sand moist (sand castle consistency as put by some) and this will help with the humidity. Also, so the crabs can dig under. Crabs molt under the sand and bury as a way of destressing.

Also a reminder with food...make sure you crush it before you put it in the food dish. Most foods come in a pellet form. The crabs can't eat this as they aren't strong enough or their claws aren't large enough to break the pellet.


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## Guest (May 26, 2006)

So how much salt should I put in the dish? Does the water I use to keep the sand moist have to be freshwater or saltwater? Should I fill the tank up with water to where its just alittle bit below the sand level? How do I clean the sand and how often should I clean it? Can I use play sand from a hardware store?


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## TKC (May 16, 2006)

For the saltwater...put in enough so it is salty to taste. The crabs know how much they need and with regulate it with the freshwater.

You don't need to fill the tank with water at all. Just make the sand wet enough so you can shape it (like a sandcastle). You use freshwater for this.


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## Guest (May 26, 2006)

So basically just make it damp right? Could I use play sand from a hardware store? How do I clean the sand and how often should I clean it? So would like 1/4 of a tea spoon be enough salt for the dish?


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## TKC (May 16, 2006)

Yup you just make it damp.

For cleaning you can see crab poop pretty easily. it looks like fish poop. You can spot clean this....I didn't change the sand for six months doing this.


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## Guest (May 26, 2006)

Could I use one of those fish vacum cleaners or would that even work? Or would I just have to pick it up? What about play sand, can I use that?


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## TKC (May 16, 2006)

You can use play sand. A fish vaccuum wouldn't work because the tank isn't filled with water. All you do is scoop it up with a spoon or something and throw it out. Pretty easy.


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## Guest (May 26, 2006)

Thanks for answering my stupid questions.


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## TKC (May 16, 2006)

They aren't stupid questions. They are good ones. Atleast you are researching and asking questions before you buy them. You are being a responsible pet owner.


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## blcknwitecuban (Apr 17, 2006)

u'll need a sponge 2 put in water dishes. ypu could also use a small place 4 them 2 hide. u need extra shells because they will probably outgrow them. they like 2 climb 2 so some drift wood or a coral skeleton could help. try 2 keep the food moist 2. it helps them eat it.


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## Guest (May 26, 2006)

Thanks, do pet stores sell shells for them to move to if they outgrow their current one?


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## blcknwitecuban (Apr 17, 2006)

yea. most do. u cccan go 2 petsmart even i think but they are neccessary


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## Guest (May 26, 2006)

Ok, will they be ok for alittle while with out extra shells as I may not have the money to get the shells at the moment? Also how long can they go without food?


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

Hermit crabs are cool! I had them when I was younger.. I hadnt seen any in a very long time but seen some last weekend at Pet Smart..


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## Guest (May 26, 2006)

I hadn't seen any in awhile either till about a month or two ago at the pet shop I go to and when I was out of town.


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## Guest (May 26, 2006)

opps double post


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## blcknwitecuban (Apr 17, 2006)

they can go without shells 4 awhile. they just might b cramped 4 a while.


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## Guest (May 26, 2006)

Well the pet store only had 4 hermit crabs, so I got those, and I got some play sand from the hardware store and a water dish and another dish that I just put some pellets in. I also got a humidty guage that right now is setting on 60, is that ok? I also got one of those reptile lights to replace the current aquarium light so that it would heat up the tank. Is their anything else I need to do? Oh, btw, I am using a aquarium hood and I cut a section of it out for them to be able to get air, is that ok?


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## TKC (May 16, 2006)

Everything sounds good so far. Crush the pellets up for them though. They can't eat them when they are big like that.


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## Guest (May 27, 2006)

I read on a site that had info on hermit crabs that I needed a reptile heating pad for the bottom of the tank, is that true? Do I need to put plastic wrap on the on the part of the hood that I cut out, if so do I need to cut slits in it to let air in? The humidty guage has went to 70, is that still ok?


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## Guest (May 27, 2006)

How often should I replace the water in the water dish? How deep should I sand be? Would it be better to place the food in the tank at night? What kinds of things can I put in the tank for the hermit crabs to climb on, mainly things you could find around the house as I'm broke?


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## blcknwitecuban (Apr 17, 2006)

you should replace the water pretty much everyday.the sand should be a few inches deep cause hermit crabs shed there skin under the sand. i'd leave the food in pretty much all day


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## TKC (May 16, 2006)

The depth of the sand depends on the size of your crabs. Make the sand deep enough to cover them with an inch to spare. Replace the food and water everyday....crabs will poop in their water and the food will get moldy. A popular climbing toy for crabs is cholla wood (pronounced choya). You can find it in the bird section of pet stores. It looks like a hollow piece of wood with lots of holes and it is a light tan color. Be sure not to use anything metal in the tank as hermies are sensitive to it. I don't know what you can use around the house for climbing toys. If you do find something, be sure there is nothing harmful on it. Hermits are very sensitive creatures.

An under tank heater is not necessary. As long as you have a heating lamp you should be fine. You don't need to cover the part of the open place in your hood. Some air exchange is good. Just be careful though, some crabs are escape artists.

Your humidity is still ok. I wouldn't let it go any higher than 70 though. 

A good site to look at for hermit crab care is www.hermit-crabs.com. 

If you have any more questions...keep asking!


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## Guest (May 27, 2006)

Thats where I got my info from to ask the questions. No I don't have a heat lamp but the reptile light that I put in their seems to be keeping the humidty at about 72. Do they need any other form or heat like that under tank heater? 2 of the crabs have already buried them selves in the sand, does that mean they are molting, if so do I need to do anything for them once they come out? I won't be able to replace the water in the dish because I'm going out of town, would it be ok if I put fresh water in before I go and don't replace it till 2 or more days later? Also with the food will it be ok if I don't replace it either except for when I get ready to leave?


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## TKC (May 16, 2006)

The reptile heater should be sufficient. You shouldn't need any other heaters. What temperature is the tank at?

You don't need to do anything for a crab that is molting. When they come up they are hard and you don't need to do anything special for them then either. They probably are destressing also under the sand. Just let them be and they should be ok.

As for leaving town, you food and water should be ok for a couple of days. I would just worry about the food getting moldy, but for a couple days, I think you should be ok.


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## Guest (May 27, 2006)

Well the humidty guage is on 72, do I need a thermometer in the tank to measure the temp of the tank as well? Would it be ok to put vaseline on the silicone to prevent them from climbing up it and getting out or stuck on the hood?


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## TKC (May 16, 2006)

I would definately recommend a thermometer. You don't want them to be too cold or too hot. 75 is a good temperature to keep them at. I wouldn't put vaseline on the silocone. It may harm the hermits because they would ingest it. Mine never climed the silocone in my tanks.


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2006)

Opps well I already put vaseline on the silicone because my lps said it was ok and that it was actually healthy for them, but they seemed to pull thru just fine, the water in the water dish was low because the person we gave our keys to feed my fish claimed they "lost" the keys so none of my fish got fed nor did the hermies get water added to their dish or food added to their food dish, the food dish was empty when I returned. So I fixed everything back to normal and they seem to be fine. I put a couple of empty paper towel rolls in the back of the tank to make a ramp for them to climb on is that ok? I'll take the thermometer out of my 55g as its not needed in their and I'll put it in the hermies tank. How often should I give the crabs a bath and how do I do it?


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2006)

So how do I give them a bath, do I need to put stress coat and aquarium salt in the container of water I give them a bath in? Also I know to put aquarium treated water in the container that they get there bath in.


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## blcknwitecuban (Apr 17, 2006)

they dont really need a bath


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2006)

Yeah they do, 4 different sites have said to give them a bath.


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