How to Take Care of a Wild Hermit Crab

Hermit crabs make an excellent pet for children and adults who are allergic to cats and dogs. They can be found in the wild crawling around beaches near an ocean. Hermit crabs average 3 inches in length and live to be 20 years old. Even though hermit crabs are small, they require special care. If they do not have the proper living conditions that resemble their natural habitat, they will not survive.

Things You'll Need

  • Multiple wild hermit crabs
  • Sand
  • Tank
  • Plastic dish
  • Sea sponge
  • Food
  • Toys
  • Heater
  • Larger shells
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Instructions

    • 1

      Visit the beach and collect a few wild hermit crabs. You can care for just one, but hermit crabs are social creatures that enjoy interacting with other hermit crabs.

    • 2

      Purchase a tank that is big enough for the number of wild hermit crabs you picked up off the beach. Use a small tank for up to three hermit crabs, a medium tank for three to six hermit crabs, and a large tank for six to 12 hermit crabs.

    • 3

      Fill the tank with a layer of sand that is deep enough to allow the hermit crabs to bury themselves. Hermit crabs like to burrow.

    • 4

      Fill a shallow plastic dish with water and set it to one side of your tank. Wet a sea sponge and place in the middle of the dish. Do not use metal containers--hermit crabs are sensitive to metal.

    • 5

      Feed your hermit crabs hermit crab food from a pet store along with a little bit of fresh fruits and veggies. Hermit crabs like kale, chopped apples, broccoli, bananas and even grapes. Make sure you change their food and water dishes once every other day.

    • 6

      Place some toys in the tank. Hermit crabs like to hide and climb on things, so giving them toys is key to keeping them active. Driftwood, hermit crab huts, seashells, plastic plants and coral are all excellent toys to add to your tank.

    • 7

      Keep your hermit crab tank temperature around 72 degrees Fahrenheit or higher with 70 percent humidity. If you don't live in a tropical area, chances are you will need to pick up a heater to use in your tank to keep your hermit crabs alive. Hermit crabs can die if they get too cold.

    • 8

      Add some larger shells to your tank. Hermit crabs will grow and molt. They leave their small shell and search for a larger one. It is important to keep an extra large shell in your tank in case you don't notice your hermit crab going through this stage.

    • 9

      Teach small children to be careful when handling your wild hermit crabs. Hermit crabs will pinch if they get scared, or they are hungry. Children also shouldn't poke at the hermit crab or handle it too much. This is scary for the hermit crab.