HOW TO CARE AN HERMIT CRAB

1. Buy one or more! Despite their name, hermit crabs are VERY social animals, and do
well in groups. They are often found in the hundreds in the wild. You can better observe
their social patterns with at least 3, although you can most certainly get more! And
remember, crabs can bully smaller crabs.

2.

Give them a good home. The proper home for your crabs (the "Crabitat") should be one that
holds in humidity, but still lets in fresh air. A fish tank usually does nicely. You can even rinse out
that old leaking tank from the attic and use it! See the Tips below for ideas on how to modify it
accordingly. Plastic critter keepers work also, if they hold humidity, though glass tanks tend to be
cheaper.

o You could Buy a hygrometer (humidity gauge) or thermometer. These will help
you to monitor and maintain an optimal temperature and relative humidity of
around 73-85 degrees F, and 75-85% relative humidity.

o Hermit crabs breathe through (hardened) gills, and can't breathe properly unless
the air is humid enough. The ideal range is at least 70% relative humidity.
Humidity lower than 70% will cause suffocation, which kills slowly over several
weeks or months and is extremely painful.
o Hermit crabs are tropical animals and need warm temperatures. 70-85°F is the
proper temperature range. Heat damage is irreversible, and temperatures that
are too low slow down a crab's metabolism. An improper environment can cause
your crab to become lethargic and inactive, lose limbs and ultimately, die.

1. 1

Get substrate. Your substrate should be at least 2-3 times the height of your largest crab, and
should be a material the crabs can easily dig and build caves in to relieve stress, hide, and molt.
Playsand (found at stores such as Lowes, Home Depot, or Toys-R-Us) or beach sand are a good
and low-costing choice. If the Playsand bag has holes or is wet, than return it as it may have
bacteria in it. Use dechlorinated salt water to wet the sand to a "sand-castle" consistency. You
also can use compressed coconut fiber (Sold as Eco-Earth or Jungle Bedding). Expand the
cocofiber in the same salt water you would give your crabs to prevent mold/mildew. Substrates
that crabs can not dig in, such as aquarium gravel (can not hold caves) or calcium sand (clumps
and can have a foul odor) are not acceptable as a substrate. Many crabs also like to bury and
even molt in damp moss such as Fluker's Reptile Moss (not decorative or Spanish moss!)

2. 2
Keep their substrate clean. Change it every 6 months, or sooner if you see mold, or have an
ant, mite, or other infestation. It's a good idea to "spot clean" any dung and food the crabbies
have dragged from the food bowl or buried.

o Play sand can be sterilized in the oven. Put the sand in a large roasting pan (one
used only for this purpose!) and place it in the oven. Set the temperature to 250
degrees (F), (120 degrees Celsius) and leave it be for about 2 hours.
o Once every two to three weeks, boil all the shells and dishes in a pan of
dechlorinated water. Allow to cool before placing them back in the "crabitat".

3. 3

Get play-toys. Hermit crabs love to climb! In fact, in the wild, they will climb large rocks exposed
by low tide to search for food. They are sometimes called "tree crabs" because they will climb
trees to eat insects and vegetation. Some ideas:

o Giving them things to climb on is a must; choya logs or stumps are great for this.
It is not toxic, and has holes in it for them to grab on to. You can lean it in a
corner of your tank, just don't place it too high or your crabs will climb out. Legos
and hemp nets work well too.
o Natural rocks and seashells that you pick up at the beach are great things to
scatter around the "crabitat." Clam shells even make great food dishes.
o Plastic plants made for reptiles are great for crabs to climb and hide in, just
remember to use the lid of your tank so the crabs can't climb out. Make sure they
aren't eating the plastic, and remove it right away if they are!

o Never use reptile "half pine logs", as pine is an irritant to the crabs and can be
toxic.
o A hiding place is also a must! You can use a half coconut shell that they sell at
pet stores for small crabs, or use broken pots, large shells, etc. Just make sure
that the crab won't get stuck and, preferably, is able to dig out if it does.
o Live plants can be added as well; bamboo (make sure it's real bamboo and not
Dracaena Sanderiana, which is sold as "lucky bamboo"), Venus fly traps
bromleiads (air plants) and spider plants are among the safe plants. Although, be
forewarned your hermit crabs may snack on them, so there's no guarantee the
plants will have time to grow

4. 4

Molting And Extra Shells If your crab digs under for a couple of weeks, don't worry. As long
as it doesn't stink like dead fish, he's OK. Please do not disturb your crab during this time. He will
need to be alone and if he is bothered, the stress could kill him. Once in a while, a crab's
exoskeleton gets a little tight, and like a snake shedding its skin, a crab will shed its exoskeleton
and grow a little bit. Don't take the exoskeleton away from the crab! He will need to eat it in order
to harden his new exo. This is where the shells come in. When they grow, they need bigger
shells. It is important to keep plenty of extra hermit crab shells similar to your crabs' sizes in the
tank at all times. Once a month or so, rotate a few undisturbed shells out with different styles of
shells. NEVER buy painted shells! Although companies may claim the paint is safe, the paint can
chip off, and if the crabs eat it, it can be toxic. Most hermit crabs, when presented with a choice,
will pick a "natural" shell over a painted one, even if it's not the right size. See the Warnings for
information on what kinds of shells to a avoid.
5
All species of hermit crab need to have access to both freshwater and saltwater. You will
need to provide two water dishes for the crabs.

o Hermit crabs need to balance the salinity of the water in their shells; the dishes
should be at least deep enough that your crab can get water in its shell (C.
Perlatus, A.K.A. Strawberry hermit crabs, need to be able to submerge
themselves), but make sure they are able to get out. If you have large and small
crabs together, you can put small rocks or a small natural sponge in the water
dishes so that it is deep enough so large crabs can let water in its shell, but small
crabs will not become trapped in the water dish and drown.
o You can buy aquarium salt for marine fish (not freshwater fish) from most pet
stores and a little goes a long way. Never use salt intended for human
consumption because the anti-caking agents can be harmful. Most hermit crab
brand salts are also table salts. Pre-mixed "hermit crab water" does not have the
correct salinity. Use a brand like Instant Ocean, Oceanic, etc.
o The water needs can dechlorinated. The chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals
in most tap water can kill hermit crabs by causing the gills to blister (causing
eventual suffocation). Aging the water will remove the chlorine, but not the
chloramines, so dechlorinator is a must if you use tap water. Zoomed water
conditioner is a good brand to use.#*If you don't want to dechlorinate tap water,
you can use spring water instead. However, make sure nothing has been added
to the water. For example, Dasani water contains magnesium sulfate "for taste",
and that is bad for the crabs.

6
Provide a steady and varied diet. Hermit crabs are scavengers by nature and will eat almost
anything. Beware of commercial food, as it has many preservatives, such as copper sulfate, that
may harm your little hermit.

o Don't feed them anything spicy, hot, or with preservatives in it.

o They love silversides and shrimp that are fresh, freezedried krill, bloodworms,
etc., and other seafood.
 o If you have more than twenty crabs or so, try getting a fish head from a local fish
market. They are usually happy to give them away. You can put all of your crabs
in a large tank or a large clean Rubbermaid storage container, (clear, no lid, or lid
with VERY large holes cut in it) drop in the fish head, and a water-bowl, and
leave them in there to eat for a few hours. I don't suggest doing this very often,
because the smell can be very strong, but your crabs will love you for it!
o If you cook, set aside a piece of steak or chicken, non-marinated to grill lightly for
the crabs. They also eat raw meat.
o Hermit crabs love fresh fruit like pineapple, apple, pears, grapes, cantaloupe,
watermelon, mango, papaya, strawberries, bananas, etc. If you aren't sure that
pesticides have been used, it is best not to feed it to them, but if you can't find an
all-natural grocer, wash your fruit thoroughly before you cut it.
o Crabs will go crazy for coconut shavings.
o They will also eat natural peanut butter on whole wheat toast, hard boiled eggs,
egg shells (boiled), popcorn (plain, unsalted and unbuttered).
o Don't feed your crabs the same thing two times in a row. Mix it up a bit.
Remember, they eat whatever they come across in nature.
o Remember to change their food almost every day/night. Hermit crabs love to
bury their uneaten food, and this can cause molding and is messy.
o Avoid anything from the Allium species of plants (onion, garlic, etc.).

1. 1

Play with them. Some Hermit crabs love attention. When they are up, carefully take them out of
their crabitat. What do they like to do? Climb! Let them climb all over your shirt while you are
watching TV or exercise them as they walk across both your hands (like a crab treadmill). It is
important that they never fall, and are not out too long, because remember, they need humidity.
Falling from a height of 3 ft. can be fatal for them, and fear of falling is the number one reason
crabs pinch. Keep them in a position where they aren't going to fall and they likely won't pinch.
Just make sure to watch your crab when out, and only take one out by yourself. While "playing"
with them may seem fun to you, typical house humidity is only 40% and even less with AC and
heat. Crab's gills being exposed to low humidity is like us holding our breath too long. Please
remember this when they're out of their habitat. Also, they may pinch for no reason; be prepared.
It hurts and misting or running tap water on crabs can hurt them and will likely result in them
holding on longer and tighter. Please be very careful when handling them. You can avoid being
pinched by holding your hand flat and tight so that the hermit crab will not have (as much) skin to
pinch on to.2
Also handle with care, if you just got them put them in a well natured habitat otherwise
they may be unhappy and not move therefore you cannot tell if they are dead or alive.
Have stuff inside the cage to climb. This is where people make mistakes. They don't put anything
to climb on and they will start to panic. When you get your hermit crabs leave them in the cage for
a few days. Then they get use to you being around. When you see they don't hunch into their
shell when you pass by then wait another day and try to hold it. Never hold it out of its cage or
they will pinch. Change the food and put fresh water in almost everyday or every other day. At
 your local pet store you might find some hermit crab salt. if you want you can every other day put
a sixteenth of salt in five teaspoons of water inside a medium sized bowl from your local pet store.
Put the salt in their water. If the habitat is big enough you might want to put fresh water and salt
water in. Salt water they bath in and fresh water is where they drink.

2. 3

Most hermit crabs are not bred in captivity for commercial purposes. They are taken from
the wild, shipped to the wholesalers then to the retailers. This is incredibly stressful on these little
guys. Once you get them home, they go through a "de-stressing" period that can take as little as
a few days and as long as two months. During this time, change out their food and water regularly
and do not disturb them. Sometimes, even with the best efforts of even the most experienced
crabber, hermit crabs can succumb to Post Purchase Stress (P.P.S.), and die.

1. 1

Hermit crabs are good for people who want a pet that is active but not high maintenance.
They are only $5.00 each at your local pet store. These are good pets for everyone, especially for
pre teens (11 & 12) who are responsible enough to care for a low maintenance, living creature.

editTips
• Adopt/Buy crabs that are lively, not lethargic. Lethargic crabs may be sick. However,
some crabs may just be stressed or naturally shy, not sick.
• There are six types of hermit crabs available for sale in the United States. All of them are
in the genus Coenobita. The most common type out there is the Caribbean (Coenobita
clypeatus,) which is also called "PP" for purple pincher due to, you guessed it, its large
purple pincher. Wild Purple Pinchers are found in the Caribbean Islands. Most likely,
when you see a hermit crab in a store, you will be seeing one of these guys. The other
types are Rugosus "Rug" or "Ruggy" (rugosus), Strawberry (perlatus), Equadorian or "E"
(compressus), Cavipe or "Cav" (cavipes), Komurasaki "Viola" (violascens), Indonesian or
"Indo" (brevimanus). The PP is the best one to start with because the others are more
delicate and require much more detailed and intense care.
• A good way to keep the humidity in a fish tank without cutting off circulation of fresh air is
to use Plexiglas over most, but not all, of your tank. You can buy it cheap, and most
home improvement stores will cut it for you. First, you will notice a lip that looks like it will
hold a lid or a piece of glass just inside the plastic. Take these measurements. For
example, if it is 10" wide x 20" long, you should ask for a piece to be cut as follows: 9 and
15/16"wide x 18" long. This will make it easy to get it off and allow free transfer of air
while retaining most of the humidity.
• If you have a sick crab, don't panic. Keep an isolation tank in a closet with enough
substrate to dig under completely and ample food and water. If a crab is acting sick, he
may be about to molt.
 • A dead fishy smell may indicate a dead crab. But, before you start searching, look for
other causes of an odor. Did you serve them any seafood recently? Even months later,
there may still be bits of food in the tank. Crabs like to bury food. That is why you should
change the substrate once a month or so (unless you have a crab dig under the sand).
• Hermit crabs CANNOT breed without special equipment. They must have a tropical
climate and most importantly the ocean in order to breed. So unless you have a 100
gallon tank set up expressly for the purpose, you will never see a zoea (hatchling).
• Do not "rescue" hermit crabs from a pet store with bad conditions. They will just be
restocked. More hermit crabs will be brought into the situation than saved. Instead, work
on spreading information about the pet store.
• If your hermit crab is starting to shed, keep an eye on it because it could be dead and you
wouldn't even know it.
• When moving your crab to a different habitat be very gentle.

editWarnings
• Crabs are exactly that. Crabs. They can produce a powerfully painful pinch! Supervise and
instruct children on behavior while handling hermit crabs!
• While they usually don't pinch unless they feel like they are going to fall, they will pinch if
provoked! Most times when a crab does pinch they will not often pinch, but if they do, do NOT
Some people suggest running the crab under tap water- please don't do this! The chlorine
and other chemicals in the tap water are harmful to your crab (which is why you use a
dechlorinator in their drinking water) and will most likely make the crab hold on for longer.
Sitting as still as you can with your hand on a table or floor is the quickest way to get them to
let go. Or even putting your hand in their tank can help since they will "smell" their normal
habitat and calm down quicker.
• If you have exterminators visit your house on a regular basis, do not have them spray that
room. Put a towel under the door to keep fumes away. Put them in a closet for a few days if
possible. They are not bugs, but are related enough that pesticides will harm them.
• Never use gravel, wood chips, synthetic fiber, cedar, or gel! Crabs need to dig. Gravel makes
it impossible to dig. Most types of wood chips are of pine or cedar type. Any sappy wood like
pine or cedar aren't good because the sap is toxic. It is also hard for them to dig in this
material. Gel is just wrong. It is toxic!
• If you are considering decorating with driftwood, "furniture" or wood items, or live plants,
make sure to do your homework! Many type of wood and plants are poisonous, such as
Lucky Bamboo and evergreen trees.
• Avoid buying painted shells or shell painting kits. They are toxic to the crab. They put "non-
toxic" on the kits but they mean non-toxic to children. Painting a shell is a good way to kill
your crab. Most of the paint will even come off when your crab goes into the water, or the
paint will chip off and they can (and will) eat it. If the crab(s) you buy already have a painted
shell, that's OK as they will eventually change out of it and into a natural shell that you
provide. Natural shells that have been polished to a shine are OK as there are no toxic
coatings, and they are quite pretty.
 • Don't use soap to clean crabitats or toys! Once the crabs and sand are removed, you can use
a white vineger spray and THOROUGHLY rinse!!! Toys, shells(EMPTY!), and choya logs
should be boiled in salt water (to prevent mold) for cleaning and set out on towels to dry.
• If there is something that you ever come across, and you aren't sure of the answer, DON'T
GUESS - ASK SOMEONE! Someone at one of the hermit crab sites listed below will be
happy to answer any question not answered here.
o Adopt from hermit crab web sites if possible instead of buying them from pet
stores. Pet stores get them shipped in horrifically stressful conditions and also
often house them in stressful conditions. Also, humans often cannot mimic their
habitat completely, so captivity often kills hermit crabs if they are not housed
correctly. Since most people don't even know how to treat hermit crabs, including
pet stores and suppliers, if you buy the hermit crab, you will be supporting the
inhumane business.
• Don't drop the crab it could lead to injures or death
• Do not handle your hermit crab too much or it might die because of the oils on your
hands.

Things You'll Need

• A glass tank or a plastic tank
• Solid lid for tank (glass or plexiglas or plastic)
• Two water dishes or you can spray them with water and they'll drink water
• Spring water or salt water (do not "make" salt water with table salt) (Do not use tap water
which contains harmful chlorine - a few drops of liquid dechlorinator works well)
• Water dishes large enough for your largest crab to submerge themselves, but not so
deep as to drown your smaller crabs (open clam shells work fine)
• A hide-a-way (half of a coconut with a door cut out, or a flower pot half-buried on its side
provides a good place for alone time)and for a hideaway you can bring them a bridge and
they'll stay under it
• Extra shells, at least one slightly smaller than a crab's current shell, one about the same
size, and one slightly larger than their current size but always make sure you have extras
• Substrate, at sand castle consistency (at least 2 inches in depth)
• White vinegar (for cleaning)(optional)
• Organic, Fresh foods (commercial foods may have harmful preservatives in them)
• A sponge with cold water so they will stay moist
• Spray bottle (to keep your crab moist and to spray your sponge and you can use a small
bottle)
• Something to climb on (such as choya wood or a little bridge)
• A poop scooper (a plastic spoon will work)
• Toys (you can get good toys at Walmart and PetSmart too)
• Gloves (just in case they pinch! you need to be very careful with their claws)
• Play with them so they can get out of their cage.
• Make sure you don't have anything hard at the bottom of the cage or they will fall and get
hurt.
• Also need an extra shell always.