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Home: Caresheets
Are You Ready For A Land Hermit Crab?
 As
you would have already guessed, caring for a land hermit crab
is more than just food
and salt.
The initial
set up for a land hermit crab can include much more
than you previously thought. The good news is, that there
will never be a costly vet bill, no real expenses for food
or medicine, no reproduction in your crabitat, or having to
worm and groom.
The main costs are those of the housing;
isolation
kit, heating;
substrate;
gauges,
water dish ,
pond and food
bowl; tank
decorations; background and other items such as seashells,
Sea Sponges,
sources of Calcium and Protein and other items
to keep them happy and healthy. You are trying to offer everything
a land hermit crab needs while in captivity, the essentials
they cannot live without.
If you cannot meet the needs of a land hermit crab, then
it is best to wait until you can. It is much better to have
everything that you will need from the start, than to take
chances with the life of an innocent hermit crab that is depending
on you for their survival. It is far better to be patient
and wait until your crabitat is suitable, than to be in a
panic when your hermit crab is lethargic due to temperature
and/or humidity
fluctuations, your crab losing
limbs, or you have had your first moult.
Most pets have a similar start up cost which enables them
to live comfortably and have a happy home and environment.
Contrary to popular belief, Land Hermit Crabs are not throwaway
pets and deserve the same humane treatment as other animals
do. Before you buy a land hermit crab, go through the checklist
on the next page.
If at any time you find that you cannot meet the needs of
your land hermit crabs, or decide that they are not the pet
for you, please try and find them a happy home with friends
that may care for them as well as their own; or you can put
them up for adoption at The
Crab Street Journal Adoption Centre.
Why have a pet land hermit crab?
Land Hermit Crabs are an interesting pet that when kept healthy
and happy will live for many years. If you are willing to
pay for the essentials
to provide heat,
humidity,
hide spots, good hygiene,
food
and suitable
water, then you are part the way to keeping healthy
hermit crabs.
Choose Carefully
It is important that you choose the hermit crabs that are
suitable for your family and crabitat.
If you only have room for a small crabitat in your home, then
it may be best that you choose fairly small hermit crabs.
Larger hermit crabs need more room to move about within your
tank, and will need larger versions of water dishes, food
dishes, hideouts and the like. It is also important that if
you have small children, that you do not buy jumbo hermit
crabs which may be able to break
the skin with a nip. Many larger hermit crabs are
more wary of being dropped and will latch on if they feel
in danger. It may be wise to choose micro, teenie or small
hermit crabs for toddlers. Even if they do nip, it doesn’t
hurt or cause damage.
Your Family Lifestyle
Land Hermit Crabs need fresh
food and water
every day. If you are not able to be there to provide these
essential needs, it is important that you find someone to
look after your hermit crabs if you are gone for more than
two days. A ZooMed
Repti-Reservoir may be helpful in providing water
during the day if you work, as the reservoir
holds a few days worth of water, and operates like the refillable
dog bowls do, just a smaller version.
Your Home Environment
You will need to find a suitable spot within your home for
the placement of your land hermit crab’s crabitat. Somewhere
out of drafts, and away from any chemicals,
insecticides or fumes. Typical locations are in the
lounge room or in bedrooms, however the noise of nocturnal
hermit crabs partying the night away has kept more than one
hermit crabber awake. If possible, the crabitat should be
placed in an area which does not receive a heavy traffic,
allowing for some privacy and quiet.
Your Time
You will need to spend at least five minutes at morning
and night time refilling
water and food dishes; picking
through the substrate for any food that has fallen
or been dragged out of the food bowl and to check for signs
of any problems or illness.
The Cost
The initial set-up
is something that you need to see as essential. There
should be no cutting corners when it comes to the crabitat
(glass with lids are best);
heating (under tank heater, even through summer);
gauges (tools to enable you to keep the humidity and temperature
at suitable levels); substrate
(to line the tank with and enable your crabs to dig), etc.
They are all necessary expenses and you will need to set up
the crabitat before buying your new pets, or they will not
survive very long.
Where Do I Purchase?
It is important that the hermit crabs are in good health
when you buy them, as it is often very difficult to undo past
damage, especially poor
hygiene and bacteria, fungus. Try to purchase hermit
crabs from a pet store which has a range
of hermit crab accessories, or at least from a pet
shop that will get items in for you on request.
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