Hermit Crabs?

[BeyondHorizons]

My family acted the same way!
I'm such an awkward person.. Haha

 

[SarahRN]

Hi Shelby, I had 9 hermit crabs for several years. I saw your tank on your apartment thread. A few pieces of advice for you...the tank you have is not big enough. Kritter Keeper type tanks are almost always too small unless you have two micros...you shouldn't have more than 4 hermit crabs in a 10 gallon tank. I kept my nine in a 20 gallon long tank, and even then it wasn't really big enough. Hermits need a LOT of care, most people think they're easy pets but that couldn't be further from the truth. For them to thrive they need the following:
*a tank with 1/2 sand, 1/2 EcoEarth (to be found at any pet store), deep enough for them to burrow all the way down to molt (at least 3 inches deep)
*a shallow dish of special salt water (found at pet stores, table salt will kill them...I used Oceanic brand) that is deep enough for them to submerge their shell, and a dish of fresh water (NOT tap, the chemicals in tap water kill crabs) for drinking
*fresh veggies, krill, fresh and dried shrimp, calcium, certain barks, flowers, etc...bottled hermit crab food is actually terrible for them
*a temperature and humidity gauge...temp should be at least 80, humidity at least 70%
*LOTS of things to climb on and around
*extra shells of various sizes for molting. they get bigger with every molt, and they love to shell shop

Check out this website, it helped me a lot when I got my hermies...there are also links to proper hermit crab food and care.


Good luck!

 

[SarahRN]

need one more post to post the link

 

[SarahRN]

Here's the hermie link:
www.landhermitcrabs.com

 

[SarahRN]

Also Shelby, painted shells are toxic to hermit crabs. Isn't that awful? Places that sell crabs would rather risk their lives to make them look appealing than to put them in regular shells for their welfare. As soon as your hermies change shells get rid of the painted ones.

 

[SarahRN]

Hermies molt as often as they need to. I had ones that molted twice a month and ones that molted every six months. To keep the humidity up warm up bottled water just past leukwarm, pour it into your tank and then cover the tank completely leaving just a corner exposed for a few hours. If you have your humidity gauge high up in the tank you get a less accurate reading. Make sure the water gets to the bottom layer of your sand/EE to keep the moisture locked in.

 

[Sparx]

Hi Shelby, I had 9 hermit crabs for several years. I saw your tank on your apartment thread. A few pieces of advice for you...the tank you have is not big enough. Kritter Keeper type tanks are almost always too small unless you have two micros...you shouldn't have more than 4 hermit crabs in a 10 gallon tank. I kept my nine in a 20 gallon long tank, and even then it wasn't really big enough. Hermits need a LOT of care, most people think they're easy pets but that couldn't be further from the truth. For them to thrive they need the following:
*a tank with 1/2 sand, 1/2 EcoEarth (to be found at any pet store), deep enough for them to burrow all the way down to molt (at least 3 inches deep)
*a shallow dish of special salt water (found at pet stores, table salt will kill them...I used Oceanic brand) that is deep enough for them to submerge their shell, and a dish of fresh water (NOT tap, the chemicals in tap water kill crabs) for drinking
*fresh veggies, krill, fresh and dried shrimp, calcium, certain barks, flowers, etc...bottled hermit crab food is actually terrible for them
*a temperature and humidity gauge...temp should be at least 80, humidity at least 70%
*LOTS of things to climb on and around
*extra shells of various sizes for molting. they get bigger with every molt, and they love to shell shop

Check out this website, it helped me a lot when I got my hermies...there are also links to proper hermit crab food and care.


Good luck!

i knew about the tank. i'm getting a 20 gal one very soon, but i didn't want to get it and then move it, i wanted to wait until i got into my apartment. thanks for all the advice.

 

[samsprincecharming]

Good starter animals

 

[samsprincecharming]

I've had them before, but now i have fish turtles and newts

 

[samsprincecharming]

i think i'm going to try a salt tank this summer