Basic Hermit Crab Care In A Nutshell!

If you want a pet that is slightly different from your common dog, cat or rabbit, then you could do a lot worse than considering a hermit crab. So why would you contemplate getting one or two of these as pets? The answer is simple: they are cheap to buy, cheap to maintain and at best, have a longer lifespan than any of the above! With all that said they do have certain requirements to make sure they have a long and happy life. So you will need to make sure that you administer the right hermit crab care that is needed. So here are a couple of pointers to help along the way.

Firstly the main kind of proper crawly pet practice that they are going to need is for you to regulate the temperature within their environment. You see, the little guy lives in mainly tropical conditions which are warm and humid so it needs this in order to survive. You need to make sure that the temperature remains at around 72oF and the humidity stays at around 70%. If your aquarium is placed in a warm room then this temperature should be fine. However, if your tank is placed in a cool or shady room then you might want to consider purchasing a small heater that you can put under the tank. In order to control the humidity it is possible to buy a natural sponge from any respectable pet dealers. Put this into the tank wet, and you will find that you should be able to keep a constant humidity level.

Another important part of the crawly companion care guide is that it needs to be able to change shells frequently. The shell is changed, either when the little fellow outgrows one, or the shell that the little guy is in becomes damaged. In the wild it forages for discarded shells and moves into them for protection, simply because it isn't born with a shell attached to its body. It's kind of like the cuckoo of the crab world. Having said this, your little crabby companions can be pretty fussy about the kind of shell that they like, and to make life a little more complicated each individual critter is different. Things like size, cleanliness and damage or comfort play an important part in the crabs selection process. However, until you have monitored the individual critter for a while you will not be privy to this information. So a good selection of shells is important. Seek advice from pet stores if in any doubt.

Providing substrate is a vital part of proper pet care. This is basically a material placed at the bottom of your tank (usually sand) with which the crabby crawler can burrow into. They burrow when they are being threatened or when molting. A rough guide is to aim for about 3 inches in depth. This will give the crawly critter sufficient space in which to burrow. Crabs also love to climb, so try adding some toys or bark wood to your tank so that they can clamber up or even over. Even an old upturned flower pot will suffice

Finally the tank or aquarium! An ideal tank would be about 10 gallons in capacity and preferably glass, as these tend to retain the heat better. This should provide ample space for your crabs. Notice I say crabs and not the singular! This is because these little critters are in no way hermit like and are indeed very social creatures. They tend to live in small groups or colonies and are happiest this way. So for the best crabby companion care tip, be prepared to buy at least two of the little critters.

Land species of these crawly critters are fascinating creatures and can make great pets. With the right amount of proper pet practices they can live over 20 years in captivity. So if you know and follow the basic care procedures then you will make sure that your crab stays happy and healthy for a long time to come.

Tod Schaffer is a Hermit Crab enthusiast who has vast experience of raising Hermit Crabs. For more information about Hermit Crab Care, Visit Hermit Crabs.