mlinden84

I was interested in getting hermit crabs. Does anyone have them? Any good advice for keeping them?

Cherrry123

Yup! I have one hermit crab, Nate, and mostly he hids. In a cave, but at night...... thats a different storie, he comes out and if you listen closely you can hear him. I dont know how, but he makes a noise. Tons of fun these little guys are! They do pinch though, so I would be careful. One time I had an evil one, May-May, and she would pinch my finger so hard that she woulnd't come off! I don't know why she was so mean, but anyway these are great little pets! Hope you get one!

mlinden84

Do they like human interaction?

What supplies would I need (other than a tank...lol thats all ive got to start with)

Kiwwi

I used to keep 2 hermit crabs. All you really need for them is

- A small cage
- Sand or gravel
- A few decorations
- Shells for when your hermit starts to outgrow his/her old one.
- Wet sponge
- Food with vitamin and mineral supplements
- Possibly a heat source (However a hermit crab will be alright in room temperature, however they will live longer and be happier with some kind of heat)

A good cage to get are the kind that is often used with keeping feeder mice. The small small plastic ones that have a removable top on the top. Fill it with either sand, or gravel, or coconut shavings. I find sand to be the best. And please save your hermit crab from any humiliation and do not get him the panted or the glowing ones. Natural is always more beautiful. Always keep that sponge wet so it can drink. Also they sell powder and pellet food go for the pellet as I think it's better for them. Also misting them with a squirt bottle helps too just not to much. Also never keep the shells in the tank. Only offer it to your crab when he/she is ready. Some will move in the bigger shell but are not able to freely walk around with it. Good decorations would be something It can climb and hide under it like those hermit crab huts they sell and plastic plants that are made for hermit crabs that allow them to grab on to it.

Hope that helps.

mlinden84

Would I be able to use a 10 gallon glass fishtank ?
I've read that you should keep shells in the tank, can you explain why I shouldn't?
Do they like a dish of water, so they can get wet?

Thank you so much for the info, it helps a lot!
And I totally agree on everything being natural, I'm not a big fan of all the painted/glow in the dark nonsense.

Cherrry123

Yes when they get to big for their shell they go into a bigger shell, which is why it is important to get shells a little bigger then your hermit crabs current shell.

Cherrry123

And yes to your other questins

mlinden84

So is it a good idea to keep larger shells in the cage at all times? Or, if not, how do I tell that the hermit crab is "ready" for a new one?

Cherrry123

It is best to keep slightly larger shells in the tank, I'm not sure if you can tell when there ready to change, but when the do change it's always a surprise to find out what shell they moved into!

mlinden84

Thank you so much!
Another question... is there anyway to tell if one is healthy/not healthy when purchasing it?

Lucy

I've had hermits crabs off and on for many years. Currently, I have 4. I love them! Everyone has given you great advice.
The only thing I would disagree with is, not having extra shells in the tank with them.
I've always kept several size shells in their tank and found some like to try them on, switch and switch back again. (They are really freaky looking without their shell)

They do molt, and this is their most vulnerable time, as their new exoskeleton will be soft. Depending on the temperament of the other crabs, you may want to separate him for a little while. I've never had to do that. Leave the discarded exoskeleton in the tank, as they will eat it.

If you handle them often, they will get used to you and not be shy. Sometimes you have to be very patient....hold them on your FLAT palm and wait for them to feel comfortable enough to walk around. If you don't keep your palm flat and they could get nervous about falling and grab hold.

Along with hermit crab food, you can offer corn meal (mine have always loved this), a bit of fruit and vegetable. I had a few that loved popcorn. They are scavengers and will eat most anything. Just be sure to keep their cage clean, because sometimes they will bury their food.

Good luck and have fun with your hermies.

Drea

Hey Michelle, I had hermits up to about 2 yrs ago. I find they are intense high maintenance pets. Don't get me wrong they are fun to watch, but they caused me a lot of worry. They need day/moon light bulbs. The humidity being kept stable at 80 percent is very important, as they do breathe through gills. They do like to be kept warm to (imagine the sand in the carribean)bury themselves in, and they do need water w/sponges in the tank too, and they should get a bath once a week. Extra shells should be in the tank always, even though sometimes the hermies will just bury them. The most stressful time is when they molt. You see them one day, they nest the disappear for days, or weeks. You can't dig em up to see if they molted, and did die. You just have to sniff the tank for the smell of death. Gosh, I could go on for 3 more paragraphs. I just am trying to give you a full look at my experience, to help with your thoughts.
There are fights, shell stealing, pulling of limbs from weaker/smaller crabs if you get a tank full of varying sized crabs (not somethin I reccommend).
I dunno, it's messy to keep clean, sand can get everywhere in the house. I tried everything to find a good cleaning system,didn't master one. My hermies were in a 20g tall, so they'd have climbing height on some chicken wire I installed. They aren't hard to feed, just messy. I was always cleaning their food dishes, water sponges, and the make a decent amout of poop. They need salt too, so it was something to keep mixed up, ready to wet their sponges with. Have to keep a tight tank top, but slightly ventilated, so they don't get out and lost in the house. That's a constant thing they try over and over.
If you think fish keeping requires a committment, then to me, hermies as a comparison are ALOT harder. There was a good web site that I would refer to, as none of the places that sell hermies tell you how much of a vigil of care is necessary (sounds familiar ?)I think it was based in Florida, I googled it.
Sorry for the length here, and if you want any more info from me, just send me a PM.

Lucy

Wow Drea, your experience with hermies is so different than mine. I've kept up to 9 at one time and through out all the years, I only had 1 that was a bully, which I quickly seperated from the rest.

As far as the salt is conerned, it depends on which kind of hermit crab you get. I'm sorry I cannot recall if the purple clawed or the other kind need salt. I have the purple clawed and have never added salt.
Gravel is easier to clean and they can still borrow in it.

As with any pet, there is work involved in keeping them healthy and happy.

The 4 I have now, I've had for over a year.

Cherrry123

Check to see if there is a crack in the shell, if there is and they don't move, that means that they might die. It happened with me with my first hermit crab, it had a huge crack in the shell, more like a hole, and then a few nights later it didn't move into a new shell and died. So when you get one, check to see if there are cracks, or large holes in the shell.

mlinden84

Wow, the amount of info is beginning to get overwhelming. LoL maybe I am getting in a little over my head with all of this. I think I have a lot more research to do... I don't want to get one and find out I don't have time for it. It's too dang cold out anyway to bring one home (HIGH today is 0, with windchill -40... burr!!) so it looks like i'll have some time to properly research this.

Kiwwi

I will explain why I said you should not keep shells in the tank.

I have had a few hermit crabs die from going into a shell that was to big for them then they roll over and get stuck from the shell that is above them. Now I admit that maybe the 2 hermit crabs that decided to do that may of have been dumb but I can see that being a problem with other hermit crabs as well. So after that experience I would place shells inside when I felt they were ready and made sure that the shells in there were not to big.

angelfish220

I love hermit crabs!! I had 2, Joey and Joy, for years. I have never had any trouble, cept when my little sis let Joey out and he crawled away I found him 2 months later in my hamper! he was put back in the cage and nothing was wrong I would suggest starting out with smaller ones and let them grow, dont buy the huge ones they are already old and die easyer. Also watch them when you give them vegtables as Joy would always bury hers and they would rot if I didnt get them back. Over all they are a fun pet

mlinden84

Thanks for all the great info! (sorry for not responding sooner, it's been a crazy few weeks at school!)
I think I might hold off getting one for now, as I can't seem to find any in stores where I live. Maybe once it gets warmer out they will start to carry them again.