Did you just buy some hermit crabs? Well, you need to know how to create the perfect habitat for them to live in.
Steps
Step 1. Give the crabs a glass tank
Plastic does not retain heat or humidity well, and should only be used as a temporary means of transportation. The tub will need a lid to keep the moisture inside. The crabs may also climb on the glue in the corners of the tub and escape, so many owners use a mesh lid covered with plexiglass.
Step 2. Install the substrate
It should be made of aragonite sand (the best choice) or coconut fiber (Eco Earth brand in USA). Aragonite sand can be found in stores, coconut fiber should be dilated with salty ocean water. Never use cedar or any other conifer in the hermit crab tank.
Step 3. Install a moisture meter and two thermometers, one for the cool end, the other for the warmer end
Hermit crabs need a temperature range as they are cold-blooded creatures and rely on the ability to move to the area of their environment with the temperature their bodies need most. The humidity should be between 70 and 80% at all times. A few sprays will not be enough.
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A moist substrate will help keep moisture up, as will a container of terrarium moss. DO NOT use peat moss. Sponges are a bad idea, as are the bacteria they carry that can make both you and hermit crabs sick.
Create a Hermit Crab Habitat Step 3Bullet1 - The temperature of the cooler end of the tub should be around 21-22 degrees, that of the warm end of 28 degrees. Extended cold periods could make hermit crabs sick or kill them.
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You can create a warmer end by placing a stove under the tub, under the bottom of one side of the tub. Make sure you set a thermostat so the temperature doesn't rise above 28 degrees. The stove could reach temperatures above 38 degrees even though they don't feel as hot as you do, which could cook a crab buried in the sand. You can also place a ceiling light with a heating bulb. Some use a clamp lamp or reptile hood made just for infrared lamps. Crabs need a day and night cycle, so if you need to heat them at night, use a lamp that doesn't emit UV rays.
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Step 4. Give the hermit crabs places to hide and an abundance of things they can climb on
Avoid any conifers and never use metal in the tub.
Step 5. Place a plate of fresh water and a plate of sea salt water in the bowl
Occasional studies have found that "hermit crab salt water" has no salinity and lacks the vital nutrients found in ocean salt water that hermit crabs need. Provide the crabs with a dish of sea salt water. You can buy salt at a pet store in the aquariums section.
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Make sure the water dish is at least half as deep as the largest crab, and give the smaller crab a way to climb out of the bowl, such as small glass pebbles or unpainted river pebbles.
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As for fresh water, chlorine will cause crabs' gills to blister, so you need to use a purifier that removes chlorine and heavy metals, as many homes use copper plumbing and hermit crabs are very sensitive to copper.
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Step 6. Make sure you have other shells inside so the crabs will have a chance to change the shells if they want, and familiarize yourself with the type of shells your hermit crab species prefer
Keep in mind that painted shells can be dangerous for crabs. Often the crabs will forcefully enter the shell and the paint will begin to chip and peel; crabs will eat this paint, which may not be good for them, even though the paint is not "toxic" to humans. It has not been tested on hermit crabs, so you have to keep in mind that it can be harmful to them.
Step 7. Have a wide variety of foods
Hermit crabs are scavengers and will require a very different diet. Hermit crabs cannot live on commercial foods alone, and there are many people who argue that the preservatives currently found in commercial foods contribute to the spread of anomalies and toxicities that accumulate in crabs.
Step 8. Make sure you offer frequent servings of seaweed, meat proteins, calcium-rich foods, worm compost, sources of chitin, such as mealworms and shrimp, and fresh fruits and vegetables
Crabs also need cellulose, which is found in things like cork bark, so add it to the tub for them to climb and eat, and vine wood and cholla cactus wood would also be good sources of cellulose, and will help the tub. to look natural and interesting. You can also find hemp nets made from natural hemp that crabs will love to munch on, as well as climb on.
Step 9. Keep increasing your knowledge about your crabs and have fun
Advice
- Make sure you offer an abundance of seaweed, chitin, calcium, protein, and fresh fruit and vegetables!
- Hermit crabs generally eat in very small quantities. You may not be able to tell that the crab has eaten anything, but if you smooth the sand near the food plate you may see us inside the tracks the next day, or you may find a substrate in the same dish as the food. Watch the crabs carefully for other signs that they have eaten.
- Change their food daily and never offer raw shellfish, as they could carry diseases that would kill the crabs.
- Since the tub is not like an outdoor environment, with all the "good" and healthy bacteria that help keep disease away, it would also be a good idea to never offer raw meat, but put it in the microwave or steam it a little., as raw meat could spoil quickly and carry bacteria that may not be safe for crabs.
- Search the internet for a list of "safe foods" for hermit crabs. Epicurean Hermit is a good source for learning about safe and unsafe foods for crab. There is also an excellent novice list in the Crab Street Journal; just search for "Epicurean beginners". Note: results in English.
Warnings
- Do not stare into the tub in direct sunlight. A glass tub can amplify the sun's heat and overheat really quickly, causing heat damage and discomfort to crabs.
- Hermit crabs love to "swim" in water dishes and this is how they refill their shells with water and balance the salinity within them. Give their water dishes that are at least half their height deep. They won't drown as long as you give them a way to climb out.
- Never dig up a buried hermit crab. A buried hermit crab may be molting and disturbing it could mean its death, as it is very vulnerable at this stage. Hermit crabs are very susceptible to stress.
- Do not use tap water. Use a purifier that removes chlorine and heavy metals, or use distilled water. If you use distilled water, you must use sea salt water to replace the electrolytes missing from the distilled water.
- New hermit crabs will need to fix their new one at home and should not be held or disturbed for two to three weeks after placing them in the tub.
