Many people say hermit crabs are "easy" to care for and take care of them in the most basic way possible, but hermit crabs need some attention too, and this article will help you take care of your earth hermit crab.
Steps
Step 1. Use a suitable fence
The best enclosure to use is a glass aquarium. Size is a very important factor in deciding how many hermit crabs to take. A good rule of thumb is: one inch per gallon (2.54 cm for every 3.78 liters). To determine the size of your hermit crabs, measure the opening of the shell. Remember, the habitat (or as some say the "crabitat", or just the "tat") must be able to hold three plates, climbing toys, hiding places, and space for hermit crabs to move. You don't want an aquarium that is too crowded, but not too open either. An approximately 40 liter aquarium is usually fine for up to 6 small hermit crabs. You may want to consider starting with an 80 liter aquarium, at least. Thus you will make sure that all the necessary space is available. A larger floor space will allow for more games and more space. Sooner or later you will have to change terraio if you start with a 40 liter one. On the other hand, hermit crabs don't grow very quickly. You may not even want to use a completely water-friendly soil, as there won't be any, so a leaky aquarium will do as well!
Step 2. Use the right lid
Hermit crabs are escape artists. If there is any possibility of escape, they will almost always find it. Use a glass plate or screen to cover the roof of the land if there are heating lights. This will ensure that no hermit crabs escape and that moisture remains inside the soil. Make sure there are aerators in the lid.
Step 3. Provide an appropriate substrate
The substrate or bottom is probably one of the least satisfied needs of hermit crabs. Hermit crabs need deep soil that covers at least twice the height of your largest hermit crab, or preferably a little more. Medium hermit crabs (the size of a golf ball) need at least six inches of substrate for the moulting period. Small hermit crabs (as large as a 20 cent coin) need 5 inches, and very small hermit crabs (often called "micro", as large as 2 cents) need 4 inches. These amounts of substrate are the traditional depths for moulting. Sand is usually the best choice, but you can also use compressed fibers known and sold as "eco earth", "bed-a-beast" or "maybe bedding". You can also use a mixture of the two. Sand or coir must be kept at a good level of humidity. It shouldn't be dry, but it shouldn't be soggy either. Keep the substrate the consistency of a sandcastle, you should be able to easily punch a hole in it, but without getting your fingers wet. A substrate with these characteristics will allow your hermit crabs to grow (mutating, or changing exoskeleton) successfully. NOT use wood chips, gravel or newspaper, etc.
Step 4. Place dishes, toys and shelters in the terraio
Make sure your shelter has a large enough space for hermit crabs to get in and out easily. It is a good idea to make more shelters, in case a hermit crab wants to be alone. Despite being sociable creatures, they sometimes want to be true hermits. You can use coconut husks, ceramic pots, large shells, reptile caves, fish decorations and many other things as shelters. It doesn't matter much. Hermit crabs love to hide during the day so they will spend a lot of time in these shelters. Hermit crabs also love to climb! Set up climbing toys to entertain the hermit crabs and yourself. You can use cholla, vine, fig, lumber, mopane, swamp wood, Lego pieces, bark, fake or real plants, rocks, aquatic stones, coarse coal, fish decorations, and more. Following this step is very easy and your hermit crabs will love you for doing it! When placing your dishes, remember one thing: keep them away from heat sources. If the water is kept close to the heat, bacteria will proliferate and it is not good. Keep the water on the cool side of the soil. Make sure the plates are deep enough to submerge 3/4 of the hermit crab's body. The pot should be large enough for the hermit crab to walk around and fill its shell with water. If you keep large and small hermit crabs on the floor, place rocks, shells, small pieces of aquatic wood or plants to help the hermit crabs get out of the pot easily.
Step 5. Prepare the water
Hermit crabs need two types of water. Fresh and saline. Also, they cannot drink tap water. This water is treated with chlorine, which can cause permanent blisters on the gills of hermit crabs (yes they have gills), which can be very painful for hermit crabs. For this reason, all water (including drinking and bath water) must be chlorine-free. Buy a bottle of tap water filter mix from the fish section of your pet shop. Follow the instructions to make about four liters of water. It is much more convenient to have a ready-to-use water supply for the next few weeks than not having to prepare it in small quantities every day. When choosing a filter, do not take the "stress coat", because it is only used to wash the hermit crabs and for the maintenance of the fish and that's it. Find a preparation that removes chlorine and limescale and neutralizes heavy metals. Do not use a filter that favors layers of slime except for the bathroom. Once this is done, you will have a supply of drinking water for the hermit crabs. Now simply make another reservoir and add some aquarium salt to the mix. Usually 8-10 tablespoons of salt are enough. You may hear that only exotic species of hermit crab need salt water, but that's not true. All hermit crabs, including the soldier crab (Coenobita clypeatus), need it. Many hermit crabs drink saline water for hours before moulting. And their shell water supply has a specific level of iron. Providing saline water also allows the hermit crab to choose which water to drink. Let the water sit overnight, so that it becomes room temperature and the salt dissolves completely.
Step 6. Place some food on the plate
Hermit crabs are omnivores and scavengers who take advantage of any possible food both in the wild and in captivity. Give your hermit crab pretty much anything you would eat that isn't sugary, spicy, or full of preservatives. They love grapes and blueberries, and most unsalted walnuts and hazelnuts. Apples are also among the favorite foods. They eat a lot of vegetables, and algae are a top priority in their diet. The best way to make sure they are getting the right nutrients is to feed them as varied a diet as possible. Also give them meat when you can, and you can also give them plain cereals, rice, pasta, and oat rolls. Many hermit crabs love "T-rex" branded fruit and flower foods. The fun thing about feeding hermit crabs is that you can experiment and mark what they like and what they don't like. Hermit crabs eat very little and in small portions. To get an idea, most hermit crabs take a few hours to eat half cheerio. So don't think they are starving, because they are not! But be sure to remove the leftovers after 24 hours to prevent them from spoiling inside the soil.
Step 7. Install a heat source
Hermit crabs are tropical creatures that hail from places like the Caribbean and the Florida Keys. They need temperatures between 25 ° C and 29 ° C. Your home probably isn't warm enough to provide them with the heat they need without an external source of heating. For a 40 liter pot, the best choice to heat it is an aquarium bottom heater (known as UTH). These are small adhesive pads that stick to the outside of the floor and usually raise the temperature by 4-6 degrees, which is perfect. It is advisable to place the unit under the surface of the aquarium. Even through thick substrate, it will have the right effect. Placing it on one side of the soil will heat the air around the soil, but not inside. You can also use heated lights, which work great on large fences and can heat the floor to any temperature required. Heated lights have one major flaw: they dehydrate the soil very quickly. If you use lights make sure you select the right watts, a 40 watt will do just fine on a 40 liter floorboard. Make sure the heat source has a higher intensity side, and is not in the center. In this way the terraio has a warm part and a cooler part so the hermit crabs can stay in any temperature they need. Whatever your chosen heat source, be sure to buy a thermometer / hygrometer to monitor the environment and the air temperature in the soil.
Step 8. Add shells
Hermit crabs don't make shells themselves. They get them from other dead gastropods, such as snails. In captivity, you will need to make sure there is a good variety of shells to choose from. You can understand that a hermit crab shell is the right size if they can enter the opening with their large claw and left hind leg. If the leg comes out a little and you can still see its eyes, the hermit crab will be eligible for a new shell. Simply leave the shells in the pot and the hermit crab will change it when ready. Soldier crabs prefer round-opening shells, while Ecuadorian hermit crabs prefer larger ones. You can periodically bathe the shells in saline water if you want to attract the attention of the hermit crabs.
Step 9. Prepare and wait
Take a small nebulizer and spray the substrate and soil walls with filtered water. Turn on the heat source and wait at least 45 minutes. Moist parts of the soil will evaporate with the heater on, raising the humidity. Hermit crabs breathe through hardened gills that only work well if the air is humid. Hermit crabs seem to love a humidity between 77% and 88%, in any case it should not be below 70% under any circumstances. With moist sand and full dishes, the humidity should remain in a desirable percentage. Otherwise, you can spray the terraio a little more. Once the temperature and humidity reach ideal conditions, move on to the last step..
Step 10. Get the hermit crabs
Hermits are not true hermits. They are very social creatures who NEED at least one other hermit crab to keep company. It is best to gather about 5 of them so that you can observe their group behaviors. Hermit crabs of all sizes, species and sexes can live happily together. Try to find an active hermit crab. All hermit crabs that have antennae that flap at various speeds are generally healthy. A healthy hermit crab quickly retreats when caught. Sometimes, it emerges from the shell while being held, waving its antennae. It still means he's healthy. Try to choose hermit crabs like this. All you have to do now is bring the hermit crabs to your land and you are good to go!
Advice
- Keep a stiff plastic sheet as the enclosure lid to prevent escaping.
- Create a second level using a shower shelf to attach to the glass wall of the terraio. You can fill it with moss or coir. Add a branch to act as a ladder, and there you have it!
- You can add live plants to the soil, which hermit crabs can eat.
- Join a hermit crab forum or bulletin board. You can talk to other "hermit crab friends" about whatever you want!
- Raise a large branch over a corner and sprinkle it with fake plants so that it looks like a tree hermit crabs will enjoy hiding in. Hermit crabs are ALSO called tree crabs!
- Add lots of fake plants to attach to the soil walls for a natural look. Plus, hermit crabs will have fun climbing!
- Release your hermit crab every now and then. Pull it off the floor.
- Do not use sponges to moisten the soil. Sponges need to be cleaned often. Use moss. It works great and does not need to be cleaned.
- Place the floor heater on one SIDE.
Warnings
- Never use wood from coniferous plants in the soil. They are a natural repellent for arthropods and are not safe for hermit crabs.
- Do not use table salt to make the water salty, it contains an iodine that is harmful to hermit crabs.
- Never try to force a hermit crab out of its shell. They are very strong creatures and you will end up tearing the hermit crab in two.
- Make sure you have a lid to prevent hermit crabs from escaping.
- Do not use painted shells, the paint will peel off and may be ingested by hermit crabs.
