Understanding the Basics of Hermit Crab Care
Hermit crabs! Strange little things I know, but believe it or not they are becoming more and more popular as pets. However before you even think about purchasing one of these little critters, it is important that you understand the basics of hermit crab care. So in this article I am going to give you a kind of Hermit crab care 101 crash course.
1) Temperature control
One of the first basics of hermit crab care that you will need to understand is temperature. You see a hermit crab loves and thrives in temperatures of around 72oF. If your crab is continually exposed to temperatures below this, then it will probably not survive.
On the flip side of this, if your hermit crab gets overheated then this will also cause it serious problems. A good indicator to know if your crab is getting a little heated is that it will start to give off a musty odour. It will also give off a brown coloured liquid discharge.
As you can see monitoring and controlling the temperature of your new found friends’ environment is crucial to their well-being.
2) Humidity
Another basic of hermit crab care that is equally as important is humidity. You see, in order for your crabs to feel right at home in their new place, you need to re-create a similar environment to where they come from. The majority of hermit crabs that are kept as pets, come from places such as the Caribbean, Australia and Ecuador. Therefore they are used to tropical like situations where the humidity levels stay at around 70 percent. This does not have to be measured every day but just remember their new home should have a moist tropical feel to it.
3) Environment
In order for Harriet and Herman to thrive you need to look at how they live in the wild. Believe it or not, unlike their name, hermit crabs are incredibly social animals who thrive best in a group situation. So try not to purchase just one crab!
Another item for your hermit crab care which will make your friends feel right at home is adequate substrate. (yes I know! When I first started keeping these critters I had to look it up as well!) In a nutshell substrate is material placed at the bottom of the cage or tank that will help the crab to burrow. The crab loves to dig, and burrows when it is moulting. An easy substrate to get is sand because it is found in their local environment. However if this is not possible then seek advice from your local pet store.
4) Diet
So now Harriet and Herman are feeling pretty chilled out in their new home from home but they are getting a little hungry. What do they Eat? Well, in the wild they would forage for fallen fruit, plants and grasses as well as decaying wood and leaf litter. For a Hermit crab to stay healthy they need nutrients like calcium and carotene as well as a variety of antioxidants.
Here’s a fact for you! If a crab does not get enough carotene in its diet then it will fade in colour after moulting. It will go from a gorgeous reddy colour to a washed out tan/grey. So in effect they tell you when they are carotene deficient. A good way to combat this is to feed them brightly coloured vegetables such as carrots or corn. In a nutshell the best food that you can feed your crabs on is all the healthy food that you eat. This can include small quantities of meat and fish also. Just remember that your crabs really like to crunch when they munch!
I hope I have given you an insight into the basics of hermit crab care and that you will have lots of fun maintaining and looking after these little critters.
