Taking Care Of Hermit Crabs – A Beginners Guide

Do you remember how years ago, when you were small

, hermit crabs were those tiny creatures bought on a whim during a seaside trip, and then thrown away once the novelty had worn off? Well things have changed a lot since those days and hermit crabs are growing in popularity for the discerning pet owner. Nowadays the humble crab needs to be shown the respect he deserves, and taking care of hermit crabs is a little more complicated than it was then!

Since this is a beginners guide, I am just going to cover the basics of taking care of hermit crabs, but I'm sure you will quickly get hooked on your new little friends and be eager to devour all the information you can find.

Purchasing a hermit crab is the easy part, and if you buy a small one, then it literally costs just a couple of bucks. Most reputable pet stores not only stock hermit crabs, but will also be able to provide you with most of the kit that you need for taking care of hermit crabs.

As a brief background history, it is worth knowing that first of all the hermit crab is born without a shell, and has to find a discarded one in which to make his home. Secondly, he originates from the tropics and needs a temperature of at least 72o F coupled with around 70% humidity in order to survive. Thirdly he is a social little critter and likes to hang around with several pals, being fairly inactive during the day, but coming alive once dusk falls. These points are highly relevant when learning about taking care of hermit crabs.

Before you go ahead and buy a couple of crabs, take time out to set up his new home. To be successful at taking care of hermit crabs you need to re-create a "home from home" environment. The easiest way to do this is to house your crab in a glass aquarium and I would recommend that you start off with a 10 gallon tank which is a good size for 2 crabs. If you've purchased a land hermit crab then you will need to provide him with both shore and water. This means layering his tank to a 3 inch depth with sand and providing a salt water bathing area that he can easily climb in and out of. You'll also need to heat the tank with an undertank heater and provide the humidity levels that he needs. Make sure that you get all of this up to scratch before installing your new pet.

As with any pet, taking care of hermit crabs is not just about housing and feeding them, you also need to keep them amused and provide them with things to do. A very important element here, is to provide a good supply of empty sea shells in varying sizes because as your little critter grows, he will need to move into a much larger home and he can be extremely picky when choosing a new shell! The hermit crab is an avid burrower, particularly when he is molting, but he also enjoys climbing and exploring and would appreciate some rocks and wood, on which to climb and hide behind.

Naturally food is an essential part of taking care of hermit crabs but rest assured they are very easy to feed. They can be fed on a mixture of commercial crab food, which contains certain supplements that are vital for their well being, such as carotene and calcium, together with a good variety of nutritious "human" food such as meat, fish, vegetables and fruit. They even like junk food, peanut butter and chocolate, although this must be given in moderation.

Well that's about it a pocket guide to taking care of hermit crabs for beginners. Hopefully this has wetted your appetite for more and you will spend many happy hours with your own little "hermies".

Taking Care Of Hermit Crabs A Beginners Guide

By: Jerry Montgomery

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