ARE YOU READY FOR A LAND HERMIT CRAB?
by Vanessa Pike-Russell
1. ESSENTIALS
Hermit crabs are advertised as cheap and easy to maintain,
which is not necessarily true. To keep your hermit crabs
happy and healthy, you will need to provide a lot more than
food and water. The following is a list of the essential items your pet
hermit crabs will need:
Glass tank with lid:
A glass tank is preferred over plastic tanks, which will
scratch and will not be able to hold the humidity within the ventilated
lids. A glass lid on a glass tank helps keep the
temperature and humidity within hermit crab's habitat, allowing for a slight gap for airflow. This airflow of fresh air into the humid environment will help to cut down on
mould and bacteria, which can cause illness and even death
among hermit crabs, often detected by a musty or ammonia
odor.
Substrate:
Substrate is what we call the material that lines the bottom
of the tank, and creates the 'beach' within your crabitat.
The most popular substrates being: sanitised beach sand; damp coconut fiber (eg. T-Rex Forest Bed),
quality play sand (eg. Tropical Play Sand, Aragonite sands, Play Box sand and others not used for concrete or building industry); crushed coral; fine river pebbles; and other hermit crab-safe substrates suitable for your
climate. You will need enough of a depth to cover your largest
Land Hermit Crab; often twice the height is sufficient for
them to bury.
Under Tank Heater:
An Under Tank Heater or U.T.H. is a heat pad made especially
for small animals and reptiles. Popular brands are: Euro-Rep (UK/Aus); Four Paws(U.S.); PetZone (Australia); ZooMed(UK/Aus
and US versions). An U.T.H. is used to keep the hermit crabs
warm by gently warming the glass floor of the tank, in turn
warming the sand. You may need a thermostat with probe to regulate
the warmth of the sand at the glass level within your tank
if the artificial heating temperature rises above 26oC or
75oF.
Food:
It is important to feed a balanced diet, with new foods offered on a daily basis. Hermit Crabs require sources of cellulose, calcium, protein, vitamins and minerals and like to have a variety in their diet. It is important to not rely on one commercial product for their dietary needs. Please view the Food caresheet and read the articles related to diet. There are also many product reviews on safe foods.
Three Dishes:
Use non-metallic, non-porous dishes for your fresh water
dish, another for your ocean water pond, and one for food.
Sea Sponges:
Natural Sea Sponges are added to the water dish to provide
humidity and moisture within your tropical crabitat. Place
one in your water dish to minimize spills and maximize humidity. Take care to clean them regularly, squeezing out all the water after rinsing and alternating between two sponges daily.
Thermometer:
A thermometer is used to observe the temperature inside
the tank. Thermometers come in three main types: the adhesive
fish tank style, based on a sticker that changes colour
as the temperature at the glass raises; the circular reptile-type
thermometers which are based on a coil which contracts or
expands; a digital gauge which uses a probe and allows you
to measure the temperature at more than one location.
Hygrometer:
A hygrometer is used to observe the humidity inside the
tank. Just as with temperature, humidity is very important.
If the humidity drops and the air is dry, your land hermit
crab will have difficulty in breathing through their modified
gills, which act as lungs when moistened and correctly functioning.
Water Ager/Conditioner:
Water Ager or Conditioners are very important if the quality
of water is not suitable for use with fish in an aquarium.
It is important to removes harmful substances from tap water
such as chlorine and heavy metals, which can make hermit
crabs ill.
Ocean Salt:
A brackish (between fresh and sea water) solution is recommended for the "Ocean Water" pool within your tank. Philippe de Vosjoli recommends 5 tablespoons of synthetic sea salt (such as Instant Ocean) per Gallon of dechlorinated water.
Optional Extras:
Bathing Tub:
A bathing tub used to bathe your hermit crabs in. It needs
to be deep enough so that the hermit crabs cannot climb
out.
Mister Bottle:
A mister bottle produces a fine mist of water, to moisten
the hermit crab's gills You may know them as facial misters.
Stress Coat:
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Stress Coat with Aloe ® is used by many hermit crab owners due to the fact that Aloe Vera helps to repair the damage to tissues as 'natures bandage' as well as create a layer that helps to protect skin from drying out. You will only need one or two drops in
the luke-warm bathing water, so one small bottle will last
a long time. It is your personal choice whether to bathe your hermit crab or not. Many only bathe their crabs when they are first purchased and if there is the presence of mites or other pests and prefer to keep a bathing pond in their tank. One of the perceived benefits of Stress Coat with Aloe® is that it aids it replaces the natural oils that are often lost in captivity, especially after being kept in a dry environment. If you provide a diet rich in natural oils and a habitat that is humid with the crabs able to bathe themselves then Stress Coat with Aloe® may not be needed to 'aid in the healthy maintenance of the gill
function'.
2. CHECKLIST OF CARE: Daily/Weekly/Monthly
Daily
o Refill water dish and salt water pond
o Empty and clean the food dish (no chemicals)
o Offer a different food each day
o Rinse sponge in water free of chlorine
o Check the humidity level is within range
(50-60% or relative humidity 70-80%)
o Check the temperature of air and substrate
(21-27oC or 70-80oF) and that it is stable
Weekly
o Clean the bowls and dishes without chemicals
o Pick through the substrate for food and feces
o Give your sea sponges a good clean, squeeze
water out and leave to dry for long life
o Sterilize seashells and re-offer them to crabs
Monthly
o Where needed, remove all items from tank
(substrate, wood, toys, dishes etc) and clean
o Wipe down walls of tank with vinegar and
water, or ocean water mixture.
(Avoid cleaning chemicals eg. bleach)
3. THE BIG PICTURE
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; protein and calcium sources... the list goes on. 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
an isolation unit set up and ready, than to be in a last
minute panic when there are moulting signs 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.
Alternatively, you can put them up for adoption at The
Crab Street Journal Adoption Center. Land Hermit Crab owners
from all over the world participate in the free online society
known as the Land Hermit Crab Owners Society, with the main
forum at Hermies Yahoo! Group and Auslandhermitcrabs Yahoo!
Group. There is an online version of the Society's journal
which is also printed every three months, with the website
version updated monthly.
For more details visit The Crab Street Journal for more information about
how to sign up to adopt hermit crabs, or place your own
hermit crabs up for adoption.
4. RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP
Why have a pet land hermit crab?
Land Hermit Crabs are an interesting pet that when kept
healthy and happy will live for a number of years, if you
are willing to pay for the essentials. If you can 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 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 distress.
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. View the checklist for more information
on what is needed each day, week and month.
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.
5. STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT PERIPOD (FOOT)
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 which leads to 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. If the store
keeps their hermit crabs in wood shavings or other unsuitable
substrate, I would either try and recommend a more
suitable one (sand, coral sand, playsand, etc) or find another
pet store which will provide you with healthy hermit crabs
that start off on the right foot.
Studies have shown that poor conditions and bad hygiene
have led to bacteria contamination, which can cause limbs
to drop off, mould and fungus, leaving them stressed and
in many cases, they will not make it through a moult. Check the Pet Store Report at The Crab Street Journal for quality pet stores in your area.
6. IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS
Does each have a place where it can de-stress?
Each crab should be able to retreat within the security
of a hiding hut,cave or space where it can feel comfortable
and secure within its surroundings.
Will each hermit crab have enough space to dig down and
moult?
Moulting is responsible for most of the deaths of land
hermit crabs in captivity They need to have adequate moulting
conditions or they will not survive The substrate should
be deep enough so that it is double the height of the largest
hermit crab at least one section of the tank. You should
also make allowances for a small isolation unit for each
hermit crab, and have it prepared beforehand if possible.
Do I have three seashells for each size of hermit crab?
Each hermit crab should have access to at least three seashells
of its size and shape, and they should include some of the
more popular seashells for land hermit crabs for that size.
If it cannot find a seashell to fit, your hermit crab may
become very crabby. If you cannot take responsibility to
find quality seashells for each hermit crab, then you should
stick to hermit crabs of the same size. At least then, they
will have a range of shells to choose from.
Aggression
Larger hermit crabs are often more aggressive than small
hermit crabs. It is not a good idea to pick a hermit crab
that is overly aggressive, as it may continue its aggressive
streak in your tank.
Signs of Illness
If you see a hermit crab with signs of illness in a pet
store, it is often not a wise idea to take it home, especially
if the signs are of mould, bacteria, mites, fungus or other
illness that may spread to your current hermit crabs. Pet
Stores are not allowed to sell ill animals. If a hermit
crab dies within twenty-four hours, take it back to the
pet store and ask them for a replacement.
7. How To Help
If your local pet store would like more information on
how to care for land hermit crabs as pets, please let them
know about The Crab Street Journal and its mission to help, either by sending them out some free caresheets or pointing them to our product reviews section.
To learn about good pet stores within your area, or if
you know of a petstore that is doing a wonderful job with
their hermit crab display and well-stocked range, why not
visit Pet Store Report at The Crab Street Journal. http://www.crabstreetjournal.com/petstores
The easy to remember website addresses are:
Caresheets
Caresheets, eCards, FAQs, Photos, Teacher Lesson Plans
and more!
http://www.aboutlandhermitcrabs.com
Magazine
The Crab Street Journal - your portal to everything crab-related
http://www.crabstreetjournal.com
Support Group and Society
Land Hermit Crab Care, Inc. and Land Hermit Crab Owners
Society
http://www.landhermitcrabs.org
