What more do i need for my hermit crab?

Question

What more do i need for my hermit crab?

ok so i want to get two hermit crabs i have a 5gal and a 20 gal tank which should i use i have water bowls i have bedding i have a log i am going to buy more shells i have a dish sponge what else do i need i have a paper on them i would like to do this with budget in mind

well i am going to buy food too and i already have a thermometer and humidity thing

can i just use a new dish sponge or do i have to buy one of thos hermit crab sponges

can i make to salt water (if so how) or do i need to buy it

i plan on buying two "small' hermit crabs at the pet store near my house to other crabs were called large medium and fancy if that make a difference

Answer 1

Use the 20 gallon and get a glass or plexi glass lid if you don't have one already.

What bedding are you using. Sand and coconut fibre are best. bark is no good and the bedding called forest bedding ( sort of like bark) is known to carry mites. Make sure you bake the sand and make your coconut fibre in boiled salt water.

make sure your shells are natural and not painted. Shop at craft stores to keep the cost down.

Rather then buying hermit crabs food that contains dangerous preservatives feed them table scraps. Most fruits and vegetables are safe. ( they love apple cores and grapes) Egg and egg shells, natural peanut butter, honey, shrimp tails, fish, chicken bones, and small amounts of meat are safe. Search online for a safe food list. there are way too many for me to list here. They like new things, like people they get bored with the same foods if that is all they eat. Make sure you give them a well rounded diet and do not leave food in the tank too long. especially if you're feeding meats.

Do not bother with a sponge. They're a waste of time. Hermit crabs like to wade in their water dish so they can wash out their shells. ( that's why you find p**p in their water dish)  It's a myth that a hermit crab has to drink from a sponge. they enjoy standing water. Just make sure you're dishes are deep enough for your crabs to walk though but not deep enough for them to drown. Also no metal bowls.

I used sponges for a week and the crabs shredded them and they got filthy. After that I gave up on it and none of them have suffered because they do not have a sponge.

To boost humidity get a spray bottle ( get it from a dollar shop not a pet shop) and spay the substrate daily. Many crabs do not like to be directly sprayed.

You can make salt water yourself. You'll need aquarium salt. most pet shops sell this. You also need a product to remove chlorine and heavy metals from water. As for a product that does this for animal drinking water. You don't want a product that adds stress coat or slime coat.  Get one that allows you to mix small amounts rather then 10 gallons at a time.

Fancy crabs usually refers to painted shells. Painted shells cause lots of problems for hermit crabs. Please do not support this it is cruel to the animals.  You can mix sizes provided the animals have lots of space to move.

other things to buy:

hiding places. the cheapest option is non-painted flower pots. I've found them as cheap as 30 cents each. if you're only getting 1-5 crabs get one for each. you can arrange them in lots of ways.

Climbing toys or a second level. Get some suction cups and netting from a craft shop and the crabs can climb. Or you can get some plants from a pet shop. Or a small plastic or wooden basket and attach it to the tank with suction cups.

I bought a corner shower shelf for $6 at a hard wear store. I attached it using the suction cups it came with. placed some plastic on the bottom to cover the holes then filled the shelf with coconut fibre. I used a net to let the crabs climb up to the top

works great

Answer 2

You have most stuff, but I'd go with a 'natural, hermit crab' sponge for them.

And I wouldn't recommend pet store crabs, as usually they aren't in the best of condition on where they are kept.

Mall kiosks that sell the crabs are the best based on my experience, and I've had so many I can't even count how many.

Good luck!

They're great and interesting pets!

Answer 3

sounds like you have it all

Answer 4

You should buy the hermit crab sponges they work very good.

And making salt water didn't work well for me so I would just buy it.

Answer 5

Ok so like i have had like tons of hermit crabs and wat i found the works best is to keep it simple....

This is wat i would do ....

Even know you have all that stuff ....

Ok so ,

Try using the smaller tank it would be fine. Since you are trying to stay on a low budget try using a peace of net or fence of some type so that they can climb they do not do well in just a glass or plastic tank they need to climb.

Then like make sure you get fish tank gravel. you should change it up prob. like every month. they do produce alot of waste and to keep them healthy you need to keep it clean

YOu can just  use regular  water you don't really need  to feed and water it everyday i would recomend a real sponge just because they work best.

This is wat i would i would do hope you have the best of luck and that they live to there fullest lol :) have fun....