How to Care for Scarlet Hermit Crabs

The Scarlet Hermit Crab is found naturally on coral reefs. Saltwater aquariums benefit greatly from having these little creatures living in them, because they help keep aquariums clean. These handy little crustaceans eat algae, fish waste, and extra food that falls down to the bottom of the tank. With the right tools, this animal is an easy pet to care for, due to it's non-aggressive and non-poisonous nature.

Things You'll Need

  • Glass aquarium
  • Aquarium sand
  • Crab structures and toys
  • Natural sponges
  • Humidity gauge
  • Water conditioner or bottled water
  • Marine salt
  • Hermit Crab food
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase a glass aquarium with a lid. Glass is the easiest to clean. It's important that your aquarium has a lid to keep your pet cabs from escaping, and to maintain temperature and humidity.

    • 2

      Add sand to your aquarium. The sand should be deep enough that the largest Scarlet Hermit Crab can bury itself underground while it molts.

    • 3

      Place crab toys on top of the sand. This includes something the Scarlet Hermit Crabs can use as a shelter to sleep in, something to climb on, and cork bark to snack on.

    • 4

      Maintain a warm temperature. 78 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. If temperatures get too low, the crabs will become less active. If temperatures are too high, it will lead to overheating and death.

    • 5

      Maintain a high humidity: 60 to 80 percent humidity is ideal. Natural sponges soaked with either bottled water -- or tap water that has been treated with water conditioner -- work best to keep the air moist. Installing a humidity gauge on the side of the aquarium will help.

    • 6

      Place a dish of saltwater and a dish of fresh water in the habitat. When creating the saltwater dish, use marine salt. The fresh water dish must be made with either bottled water, or conditioned tap water.

    • 7

      Keep food readily available to the crabs. Hermit crab pellets are convenient, but raw unseasoned meat can also be used.

    • 8

      Keep the Scarlet Hermit Crab habitat somewhere it will be seen and not forgotten. This will ensure that the crabs are taken care of, and played with often.