OT: Need help...hermit crabs

[Mellie2162]

Sorry for posting this here but I really dont go to any other forums beside the Dis. Do any of you out there in cyberspace own a hermit crab who can give me some tips on how to care for them and where to get cheap supplies? We have one now that we got from the beach and are actually thinking of getting a couple more. Thanks.

 

[DsnyDrmr]

I will be surprised if it lives. I personally would not have taken something out of its natural environment. Also, it's illegal to take something from a designated National Seashore or Natl Park. I think the ones from the pet stores are probably acclimatized to an indoor environment.

 

[Zim]

This site looks like it might be helpful...

Hermit Crabs

 

[eeyore45]

We have hermit crabs - dd 2nd grade teacher had a kiddie pool in the middle of the classroom filled with play sand and stuff for them!! They are scavengers and they had popcorn, and cornmeal to eat, as well as the commercial hermit crab food from the pet store - make sure you have lots (lol 2 or 3) shells for them to move into, it helps them...

they are social creature and would rather have more than one - you must provide a moist environment, and you must keep it clean, but be careful with the water, tap water can have too much chlorine in it - just let it sit out overnight and its better!!

I love that website - that was terrific!!

 

[sorcerermick]

We have three hermit crabs we purchased at the Jersey shore two years ago and they are doing fine! They do need shells of varying sizes in their cage because as they grow, they will move into a larger shell, or die trying to find one. Also, we take them and submerge them in a bowl of water every three or four days to keep them moist. We have also provided "hermit huts" for them to sleep in. they are actually very social animals and like to sleep in tight quarters with other hermit crabs. They eat very sparingly..in fact, we are still on the amae bottle of food for two years. it can also be purchased at Petco. We also feed the crabs a slice of apple, or lettuce occasionally. Lastly, place a piece of eggshell in the cage too. they will eat the shell to provide them with a certain nutrient which is transformed into something the crab can use to toughen its shell. We keep our cage ona stand in the bathroom. they love the heat upstairs in the house, and the steamy bathroom!

Oh yeah...also don't be overly alarmed if you wake up one morning and find a stray claw lying in the cage. Crabs will molt heir entire exoskeleton as they grow.

Hermit crabs are also the only hypoallerganic pet you can own!

Good luck

 

[JuneChickie]

Word of caution ,,, **THey can also Drown and die ** ,, so leave a bowl of water in their tank that they can crawl into easily and crawl out of .. mY daughter had them for over 10 years . She kept hers in a 10 gla. tank with a sand bottom and all sorts of cute things. If you are interested ,, The Mall of America here in Minnesota has their
own little store with all kinds of fun stuff for them. let me know and I'll be happy to see if they have a site or a catalog for you.

They also need to be kept clean ,, as they can Stink ,, llike a fish smell , lol

 

[Zim]

Oh! That drowning comment reminded me - we were at a kid's museum and they had taken a large wide clam-type shell and places a natural sponge in it and it was sort of a safe shallow watering hole.

 

[pezheadmeg]

The pet stores sell sea sponges especially designed for hermit crabs, they work. My last one used to like pretzle, I would put a whole one in the tank and he would work on it until it was crumbs.

 

[WhoopyPie]

We have a salt water tank and they live in that...... we have a few different kinds. In our tank they eat a lot. Find a good pet shop that sells Marine fish, they can help you.

 

[lisaross]

ago down in Jersey Shore.

I have a natural sponge which we wet 2x daily. It is in a small cage that he can climb up and down - i thought a tank would not be ok since they like to climb! We use a bottle cap and fill it with left overs each night - we throw whats left out in the morning. We are probably over feeding him. He changed shells on our drive home - so i need to buy him a new shell to leave in his cage. His name is Mr. Crabs. Also they do like the humidity, so we take his cage out on the deck for a few hours each morning.


lisa

 

[Mellie2162]

Wow, thanks for all the great information. I have been reading over that website and it has a lot of helpful info on it. At least I have some idea now how to take care of it. Ours has been doing well but I do need to get him another shell to change into. I also scavenged the beach for some driftwood and made him a little hut out of that and he stays in there most of the time. To the person who mentioned the Mall of America store, thanks for that info, Im going to see if they have a catalog.

I personally would not have taken something out of its natural environment. Also, it's illegal to take something from a designated National Seashore or Natl Park.

I just wanted to address this because I may have misled in my original post..we bought this from a store on the boardwalk at the beach.

Thanks again for all the help!