How to Keep a Hermit Crab Habitat Humid

In the wild, hermit crabs live in warm humid climates and therefore should have high humidity in their pet home as well. The humidity should be between 75 to 80 percent at all times. If the humidity levels drop below 70 percent, hermit crabs can have difficulty breathing. The moisture is needed to keep their gills moist and functioning. There are several modifications that can be made to a hermit crab̵7;s habitat to help maintain the humidity.

Things You'll Need

  • Rag or paper towels
  • Solid lid
  • Water dishes
  • Moss
  • Leaf litter
  • Wood
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Instructions

    • 1

      Use a solid plastic or glass lid that has a small ventilation hole. This will keep moisture in the crab̵7;s habitat.

    • 2

      Put at least two shallow water dishes in the habitat; one with salt and one with tap water. Both will increase humidity inside the habitat.

    • 3

      Put a soaked rag or wad of paper towels in a bowl of fresh water in the tank. This will add more water to the tank that will evaporate and increase the humidity.

    • 4

      Put moss in the tank. Moss helps increase humidity and can also be dampened with water before putting it in the habitat.

    • 5

      Mist the cage twice a day with a squirt bottle. If you see the humidity dropping, this can be a quick fix, giving you time to make other changes to the habitat.

    • 6

      Put leaf litter or pieces of wood in the cage. This will help increase the humidity and give the hermit crabs something to play with. They may even eat the leaf litter.