Clams for hermies???

Question

I got a clam shell from my lake that i am going to use for my hermit crabs water dishes. I soaked them in a TINY bit of bleach and LOTS of water and then let them air dry then soak them in water for about 2 weeks to get all the chlorine off. Will they be ok to use? Will the outside of the shell be bad because of the lake water? Please help.

Thanks!

Answer 1

With any kind of shell even if it is store bought you should boil them before offering them to your crabs. 5 minutes at a rolling boil should be Good.



With a 10 gal tank I would recommend no more than 4 small crabs I have a 100gal tank with 9 small to medium crabs. The general rule is 1-2 crabs per gal. I think this is too crowded considering everything you need in the tank for basic care.

The first link is to a crab forum, you do not need to make an account to look through and find all the info you will need for the care of your crabs

the second is a link to the crabbagepatch they also have very useful info on hermit crabs as well as a store front with very reasonable prices especially on shells! Good luck!  

Answer 2

I have no idea if it will okay or not. I personally would never risk it. I'd be too afraid of exposing my crabs to toxic chemicals. If you insist on using them anyway, I wish you luck. I hope it doesn't kill your hermit crabs.

If you are determined to use the shells, I suggest boiling them in de-chlorinated water for ten minutes first (I assume you already know that the chlorine in tap water burns hermit crabs' gills).

Anyway, about your tank... I'd say it sounds like it's about as full as it should get. Maybe you could add like one more if he's little. I personally would stop getting more hermit crabs until you upgrade to a bigger tank, though.