Thin Striped Hermit Crab Information

Hermit crabs are commonly found on the beaches of the Eastern United States, Jamaica and many other locations around the world. These crabs are difficult to breed in captivity, so it is a common practice for pet stores to acquire their hermit crab supply from suppliers who take them directly from their natural habitats.

  1. Basic Information

    • The striped hermit crab is one of the most common types and is also known as the thin striped hermit crab, the thin line hermit crab and by several other names as well depending on the color of their stripes, which can be red, brown, black or greenish-blue.

      Thin striped hermit crabs are aquatic but can live outside of the water for several days and are often seen crawling on beaches and sea walls and in tide pools. For this reason, they are fairly easy to catch and are often picked up by beachgoers who mistake them for land hermit crabs.

    Habitat

    • Aquatic crabs, like thin striped hermit crabs, are just that: aquatic. They cannot survive indefinitely outside of their natural saltwater environment and should be kept in saltwater aquariums when they are in captivity. Most salt water tanks need to set up in advance of bringing a crab or any other salt water animal home, so plan ahead and ask your pet store about achieving the proper water salinity for your crab.

    Diet

    • In the wild, thin striped hermit crabs are scavengers, eating dead fish and other animals, and also preying on small fish and shellfish. In addition, Hermit crabs eat seaweed, algae and other aquatic plant life. Many people purchase aquatic hermit crabs as algae cleaners, or "tank janitors," for this reason. Pet thin striped hermit crabs can be fed commercially prepared food as well.

    Aquarium Concerns

    • Because of their omnivorous nature, thin striped hermit crabs can pose a problem for saltwater tank owners because they often kill small fish, shrimp, snails and clams and have also been known to destroy and eat live coral. To combat this problem, purchase fish and other animals that are significantly larger then the aquatic hermit crabs in your tank, keeping in mind that these crabs molt frequently and will increase in size. Avoid placing a hermit crab in a tank containing live coral.

    Considerations

    • Thin striped hermit crabs engage in many behaviors, including molting, changing shells and interacting with one another in ways that can be interesting and entertaining to watch. Make sure you provide plenty of shells for them to inhabit as they grow, and never, under any circumstances, try to forcibly remove a hermit crab from its shell.