My new hermit crab?

Question

okay, so i just purchased a hermit crab from ocean city new jersey, from one of those oh-so-cliche shops on the boardwalk.

i am determined to have this little guy live a good long life!

ive researched a lot on him, but im still confused on a few things:

first off, what kind of container should i get to hold it in?

secoindly, what kind of substrate should i use? i heard play box sand works well...

third off... the humidity aspect. how the heck do i deal with that?

also, my hermit crab seems to be TERRIFIED. hes really small, and whenever i go near him, he freaks out and tries to run away in the opposite direction, or goes into his shell completely. and for the most part he's always hiding in his cocoa shell... is this normal?

Answer 1

I went through the same thing.

I bought two crabs and a little plastic tank but I upsized to all necessary supplies in two weeks.

You need and I mean NEED a bigger tank. At least 10 gallons. I was lucky enough to get a 20 gallon tank for free from my uncle, you can get a 10 gallon tank for like 10 bucks at walmart. look here

10 gallon:    http://render-2.snapfish.com/render2/is=...

20 gallon:  http://home.pacbell.net/powerfx/images/2...

Play sand is fine, it would be better to mix it with a bit of calci sand but it isn't mandatory, my entire substrate is COMPLETE PLAYSAND. I also hear that eco earth is a good substrate especially for molting.

It is important that your bigger tank is all glass and has a screen lid. Hermit crabs can escape really good and if there is a possible way to escape, they will investigate it. Plus, screen lids allow you to add a light/heat lamp and also allow you to partially cover the lid with glass/plexiglass/aluminum foil to keep relative humidity.

It is a good idea to get a thermometer and hygrometer for your bigger tank. Good temperature is 24 - 28 degrees Celsius, (I'm from canada, I dont work with Farenheit.) Hygrometer's mesaure humidity. Good humidity is 75% - 85%

TO raise humidity, You can cover half of your lid with glass/plexiglass/aluminum foil, you can mist the tank in the evening, you can place a sponge into the water dish, you can set up a damp climbing background.

Hermit crabs need 3 dishes, one for saltwater, one for freshwater, and one for food. The water dishes should submerge the crab halfway and should have stairs for them to escape. a good image is http://www.petco.com/Assets/product_imag...

Dpn't worry if your crab is shy, he will learn to trust you and what he is doing is completely normal, give him a week to just do what he fells is right, also talk to him. He will recognize your voice.

THIS IS IMPORTANT: GET ANOTHER CRAB. Crabs live so much longer in groups. I only ave 2 but I'm going to get another one.

Also never use painted shells.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

No salt water just bottled water and crab food and a wet crab sponge.Without the sponge the crab will dry up and die.Good Luck and have fun.

Answer 3

i have a hermit crab and u should get a ten gallon tank for him and u should buy small sand bags they should have at the pet store or u could get small rocks but probably sand so they dig. they will dig a small hole once in a while and stay there for a few weeks don't mess with him though they r growing i forgot what its called when they do that my crab is doing that right now. u should buy bottled water im not sure if u could use well water or not but i would buy bottled.that is normal about you crab in his coca nut all the time mine is in there all the time hes just resting he is alive i see him eating and stuff my crab runs away from me alot and he used to go in his shell when i went near him now hes fine. i don't think it really matters about humidity or not just make sure its not too hot. just so u know if u already don't know ur hermit crab might live till 10-20 years that's how long some can live till hermit crabs can eat veggies and fruit and u can also buy food for them i hope this works and good luck!!!!!

  P.S if you get ur crab out one day and hes not coming out of his shell or ur giving him a bath and hes not coming out of his shell he is not dead my crab did that once and we finally got him out g2g!!!!

Answer 4

get a cage with wire on the side so he can climb. they love climbing. play bo sand works great, and at some petstores they sell colored sand for hermit crabs. for humidity.... ive never had a problem with that really. kept them on the kitchen counter so it was warm. its natural for them to be scared, they are prey in the wild to everything, but will open up eventually. always have water! no saltwater, just tap from the well, thats good. you may want him to get a buddy, for company.

Answer 5

Go to a pet store and buy a special hermit crab container, and put wire on the sides so they can climb.Sand works, mine had a mixture of sand and tiny rocks. For the saltwater part, there's special containers for water, and just mix water and salt I geuss? Mine didn't need saltwater. Remember to get a crab sponge and food w/ a food dish. I used a seashell to put the food in for my crabs.Also, stock up on extra crab shells for when he grows, or within 3 days, he'll dry up and die.