Pet Information: How to Care for a Hermit Crab

Land hermit crabs are the cousins of sea hermit crabs. They make good pets for busy people or children with pet allergies to cats and dogs, but they cannot be kept alive for long in the small enclosures in which you can buy them on the boardwalk. Before bringing your new pet home, prepare his habitat so you can enjoy a healthy crab for a long time. Caring for a hermit crab or two will help you develop an appreciation for creatures that normally live on a beach.

Things You'll Need

  • 10-gallon tank
  • Play sand
  • Forest bedding
  • Sea shells
  • Glass dishes
  • Bottled water
  • Sponge
  • Fish tank net
  • Crab toys
  • Crab food
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Instructions

    • 1

      Position a 10-gallon glass aquarium in a warm place in your home. Do not place your crab's new home in a location with full sun. Crabs can overheat if not offered any relief from the burning sun. A large plastic carrier with deep sides is also a sufficient habitat.

    • 2

      Fill the bottom of the habitat with 3 to 4 inches of clean play sand, enough to allow the crab to burrow and hide. Do not use colored sand in the crab's home. Plain playground sand works fine.

    • 3

      Soak a block of forest bedding in warm water. As the brick of coconut fiber absorbs the water, shred it with your hands. Mix several handfuls or the entire brick into the sand. Forest bedding makes molting easier for crabs and keeps the humidity at the desired percentage. Forest bedding made from coconut shred is also a favorite snack of hermit crabs.

    • 4

      Position clean sea shells in the tank for your hermit crab to wear. You may have to offer him several to find him the one he likes the most. As he grows he will need larger shells to accommodate his growing body.

    • 5

      Place a glass water dish in the crab's new home. Fill the dish with bottled water that does not contain chlorine. Choose a dish that is not so large that tiny crabs will drown, but not so small that large crabs cannot use it. For tiny crabs, place a sponge in the bottom of the dish to give little legs a boost and keep them from drowning. Wash the dishes out frequently to remove scum.

    • 6

      Provide a bathing dish of salt water to crabs that recently molted. After molting, crabs enjoy submersing themselves in water completely. Always consider the smaller crabs. They will need a piece of sponge or pebbles to climb on to get back out.

    • 7

      Shake out sand occasionally by using a small fish net. Scoop out unused shells and hidden food.

    • 8

      Give crabs toys to play with like driftwood, plastic plants, hermit-huts and clay flowerpots.

    • 9

      Feed crabs with crab food from the pet store. Place shallow food dishes in the habitat and fill when empty.