Land Hermit CrabsA Guide

Written By

Elizabeth Dallmann

Thanks

I could not have written this without the help of The Hermit Crab Patch, a site with a rich and beautiful source of hermit crab knowledge. I must thank Tammy Weick, the owner of the site, for her hard work in collecting that knowledge and putting it out on her site so that people like me

can access it and use it to better the world of hermit crab care.

I also want to thank The Epicurean Hermit and its owner, Julia Crab, for making the safe and unsafe foods lists.

Introduction

Land Hermit Crabs are unique and wonderful animals that both captivate and amuse us with their hi-jinks and daily activities. They clamber about and trash tanks that their owners dolefully set up again and again. They worry us into premature old age when they disappear into the substrate to molt or when they are sick and/or injured. They are the perfect pet for anyone that is allergic to anything with fur and feathers. They don’t have any contagious diseases and are a great source of responsibility for a child who wants a pet as they require only minutes a day to take care of when properly kept. They, however, can be quite addictive and costly but not always.

However, they require more care and equipment than the average seller says that they do or is willing to admit. This brings me to the reason why I am writing this guide. I want to educate you the consumer and potential land hermit crab owner on the right and wrong way to handle, care for, and keep land hermit crabs. With this guide, you will be well versed in the anatomy, the different species, and the needs they require. Remember though, it’s all about the crabs.

HAPPY CRABBING!

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1: Anatomy and the Lifecycle

What’s Behind the Shell

How to determine Gender

Reproduction

Growing Up and Molting

Part 2: Species and Distribution

Brevimanus

Clypeatus

Cavipes

Compressus

Rugosus

Purpurous

Varibalis

Violascens

Part 3: From the Wild to the Store to Your Home

The Great and Terrible Journey

Where to Purchase and What to Look For

Bringing Home Your New Crabs

Part 4: Captivity and Proper Homes

Tanks vs Plastic Carriers

Heat and Humidity

Substrate

Toys and Hides

Isolation

Part 5: Shells

What’s Hot and What’s Not

Types

Size Selection

Part 6: Food and Water

Water

Safe Foods List

Unsafe Foods List

Part 1: Anatomy

What’s Behind The Shell

Hermit Crabs aren’t actually members of the crab family. They are more closely related to lobsters and crayfish. Unlike their well protected cousins, the hermit crab has no exo skeleton covering its soft and vulnerable abdomen. For this reason, they wear the remains of mollusks ( snails and conchs ), their shells. Since they are so vulnerable when they are without their protective shells, a hermit crab would allow itself to be torn into two before it would go without wearing one. With this in mind, one should never force a hermit crab to come out by pulling it. Below is a list of the various body parts and their functions.

Abdomen: This is the soft and vulnerable part of the crab on which no exoskeleton grows. A hermit crab must find a shell to protect it.

Gill Area: Hermit Crabs have modified stiffened gills that allow them to breathe air so long as there is sufficient humidity. The crabs carry around with them a supply of water in their shell to keep the gills moistened and functioning properly.

Cephalothorax: The head and back of the hermit crab. This is protected by an exoskeleton.

Compound Eyes: A hermit crab has two compound eyes with which to see. It is believed that they can see their immediate environment quite well. They also react more so to moving parts of their environment rather than the stationary ones.

Uropod: Limblike appendages that secure the abdomen within the shell.

Telson: The tip of the abdomen or tail that ends in the anus.

Exoskeleton: The hard exterior of the hermit crab that holds in the organs and muscles as well adding protection to the body. A hermit crab has no true skeleton like we do.

Setae: Sensitive hair like projections that cover the body. They take in sensory data and help the hermit crab to navigate its environment.

Antennae: Commonly referred to as “feelers”, they are not only used to smell and taste the environment in the search of foodstuffs, they also help the crab navigate through its environment. They are also used to identify and communicate with other crabs.

Pleopods: Located on the left side of the female’s abdomen, these feathery looking appendages are used to carry eggs once they are fertilized.

Gonopores: Female reproductive organs that look like black dots. They can be found on the underside of the crab at the beginning of the third pair of legs.

Grooming Appendages: These are found after the fifth set of legs and are used by the female to place the fertilized eggs within the pleopods.

Maxillipeds: These are the commonly referred to as the “Mouth Parts”.

Pereiopods: These are the hermit crabs legs. A hermit crab has 5 sets of legs in all. The first set end in pinchers or claws . One is larger than the other. The second and third pair are used for walking and the fourth pair are used to move in and out of the shell. The fifth pair, ending in small pinchers or claws are used to groom the gills and clean out the shell.

*Thanks again to The Hermit Crab Patch for all this useful information*

How to Determine Gender

The gender of a crab can be determined quite simply by examining the underside of the crab at the beginning of the third set of legs. To do this you can put the crab in a small clear

plastic container and lift it up to look underneath. If you see the gonopores, they look like two dark spots, then the crab is female. Despite this being simple to do, it often takes time for the crab in question to be comfortable enough to come out far enough to see the place where the gonopores are. In some cases the crab may never come out that far at all. Whatever the case may be for you, never under any circumstance try to force the crab to come out. As I have said before, the crab would rather be pulled in two than be forced out of their shell.

Reproduction

When a female is ready to reproduce she admits a strong pheromone that attracts any males within a mile radius. Once a suitable male is chosen the female and male come out of their shells partway and the male inserts his spermatophor into the female’s gonopores. The female and male then part ways. The female then lays the now fertilized eggs and using her gill grooming appendages, places them within the folds of her pleopods. The female will carry the eggs as the develop over the next few weeks. When the eggs are fully developed, she will return to the sea and release the eggs into the ocean’s water. Upon contact with the ocean water, the eggs hatch into larvae and float along the currents molting and changing until they resemble something that looks like a cross between a lobster and a crab. They molt one final time, this time they are a juvenile hermit crab and thus find a shell to wear, and then journey to the shore where they spend more and more time out of the water for the next month until they are fully terrestrial.

Growing Up and Molting

Throughout their lifetime, a hermit crab goes through a series of molts. This is when they shed their protective exoskeleton to grow a new larger one. Before the molting process begins, a crab will consume large amounts of food and water to compensate for when the crab is unable to do so during the molting process. The water is often stored in what is known as a molt sack, located behind the fifth pair of legs. When a hermit crab is about to molt they begin to dig down into the ground and completely submerge themselves within it. They then tunnel and tunnel until they find a suitable spot and begin the process. The actual shedding of the old exo may take up to a week depending on the size of the crab. The larger the crab the longer it takes to shed and regrow their exoskeleton. Any limbs that were damaged or lost are now regenerated and repaired. Then the crab then hardens after a while and consumes the old exo to regain nutrients and minerals lost during the shedding process. During this time the crab is extremely vulnerable and easily stressed out. Sometimes if a hermit crab is unable to dig down below due to illness or injury, they will molt on the surface. This is known as a surface molt. This

is extremely risky and the mortality rate is higher than below surface molting. The larger the crab the older it is and the more likely they are to suffer molt related deaths. Moving or disturbing a crab mid-molt is extremely risky and highly discouraged. In some case, when a crab that can’t bury down or is unwilling to pull a surface molt, they will hold off molting. This is dangerous as the hormones’ involved in molting will build up and cause death.

Part 2: Species and Distribution

There are more than 30 known species of land hermit crabs or Coenobita throughout the world but only a small handful are kept as pets. The species that are commonly kept as pets are Brevimanus, Cavipes, Clypeatus, Compressus, Perlatus, Purpureus, Rugosus, Violascens, and Variabilis. Some species are only available in certain regions of the world.

Brevimanus

Often referred to as the Indo or Indonesian land hermit crab, this crab is the largest species of land hermit crabs that are kept as pets and the largest of the coenobita family. Some have been known to reach the size of a coconut. They also have the thickest and strongest exoskeleton in the afore mentioned family to help keep in moisture. They are the most terrestrial of the family as well, rarely journeying to the ocean.

They can usually be identified by their wide bodies, long, tubular eyestalks and left pincher that is seemingly too large in proportion to the rest of the crab. They also commonly, but not always, have lilac coloring on their celphalothorax and big pincher.

Indos are often docile, though they will react aggressively to a threat by rearing up and waving their pinchers. Finding one of these crabs at your local pet store ( if you live in ther US ) is uncommon but not unheard of. They occur naturally in the wild from Zanzibar to Tahiti and Tuamotu Islands. This includes the islands of Indonesia where the species gets its nickname.

Cavipes

Cavipes, or brown land hermit crabs, are a medium sized dark brown to black crab species. As with the other species they eat omnivorously, preferring mostly fruit. They can be found naturally occurring on the east coast of Africa, the Philippines, China, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Polynesia and Micronesia.

Clypeatus

Clypeatus, or the common purple pincher, is the most commonly found hermit crab in US pet stores. They are also known as Caribbean hermit crabs, Atlantic hermit crabs and tree or soldier crab. They have a large big pincher that is purplish in color, hence the nickname purple pincher. This species can be found in a variety of colors including reddish-brown and violet and brown. They have small, dot-like eyes that are often described as being in the shape of a comma. You can find them naturally occurring on islands in the Caribbean Sea including the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Cuba as well as the southern tip of Florida, the Florida Keys, Venezuela, and Bermuda.

Purple pinchers are the easiest species to take care of. They are hardy, easy going ( aggression in this species is uncommon but not unheard of ) and take to their new surroundings somewhat easily. This is the perfect beginner crab for those wanting to delve into the world of land hermit crab keeping.

Compressus

Compressus or Ecuadorian land hermit crabs are the second most common species found in pet stores and gift shops. These are believed to be the smallest of the pet hermit cab species, although there are Ecuadorians that reached abnormally large sizes. They are brownish beige in color with some a golden brown and others with a blue tinge. They have large, oval shaped eyes and thick eye stalks with an orange smudge at the base. These crabs are known to be climbers, acrobats and explorers of their surroundings. They will, given the chance, even walk upside down on mesh lids.

This species can be found naturally occurring on Pacific shores of Ecuador and Chile. They are the most adapted to beach life and can consume larger amounts of seawater than other species.

Perlatus

Commonly refered to as the Strawberry land hermit crab, this species is almost always a bright red with white spotting on the legs and eyes that are shaped like dots. This species is hard to keep in captivity and is only recommended for those with great experience. This crab can be found exclusively in the Pacific islands off of Australia. This species is hard to find in US pet stores and wasn’t available for those in US until recently ( late 90’s early 00’s ).

The beautiful red coloring of this species is attributed to their diet which is high in keratin. It is often hard to reproduce this diet in captivity thus the red pales into white. This crab also requires a higher salinity in their salt water to thrive.

Purpurous

Purpurous, also known as the Japanese land hermit crab or Blueberry, are renowned for their lovely deep blue-purple coloring although some have been known to be an orange-blue. As a juvenile they are white with a tinge of blue or blue-orange. This species is rare and considered practically endangered. They can only be found in Japan and are not available for sale in the US.

Rugosus

This species is almost always confused with the Ecuadorian as they are similar in size and appearance. There, however, is one striking difference that often can be over looked when identifying the crab. This is a stitch like pattern on the big pincher. Rugosus or ruggies as they are affectionately called, are usually brown and tan colored with variations of blue, pink, and black. Like the Ecuadorian, this species has thick eye stalks with brown smudges at the base and large oval shaped eyes.

These hermit crabs naturally occur in Australia and the east African coast to the south Pacific. These are uncommon to find in a US pet shop as they have to be shipped from halfway around the world, but they can be found.

Varibalis

Known as the Australian land hermit crab or Crazy crab, this species is almost exclusively sold in Australia. It is sadly, most often purchased for hermit crab races in Australian bars. This is only one of two species native to Australia with the other being Perlatus or the strawberry

land hermit crab. This species is also similar in color and size to the Ecuadorian as well as rugosus. This crab is usually a light to medium brown color with oval shaped eyes.

Violascens

Violascens or viola hermit crab is at maturity a lovely purple or violet color. Juveniles however are orange-brown with dot shaped eyes. This crab is rarely found in US pet stores and is native to Nicobar Island, Thailand, the Philippines, several Japanese Islands, Tanzania and Zanzibar.

Part 2: From the Wild to the Store to Your Home

The Great and Terrible Journey

Imagine that you are a land hermit crab, sitting on a nice stretch of tropical beach in a chain of islands somewhere. This sun is shining and the sky is clear. Not one single cloud can be found. It’s the perfect day for the beach. You scuttle along and find a nice coconut that has fallen off of a tree and has hit a rock protruding from the sand. It is cracked wide open and the meat from inside smells heavenly, enticing you towards it. Other land hermit crabs have already found the coconut and are enjoying it immensely. You settle down to a nice meal of the meat and perhaps the fibers of the shell when suddenly a large foot appears above you and stomps the ground sending sand and waves of vibrations your way. You duck into your shell instinctively and just in time. A large beige hand comes down and picks you up. You become frightened, thinking that the strange hairless creature will eat you and it will all be over. As you wait for what you assume is an inevitable death, you become surprised as you are moved through the air and placed in a strange smelling container that is full of the sounds of your fellow crabs desperately trying to find their way out. You emerge from your shell and see a horrible sight. Dozens of hermit crabs, like yourself, stuffed together in a box with no way out. You try over and over again to climb out of this nightmare but you can’t. There is no way back to the warm sands and the sweet coconut of your beach. The next thing you know, the box is lifted up, and begins to swing to and fro. The movements jostle you and the other crabs. You decide to tuck back into your shell until it is safe. Unfortunately, it will never be as safe as your beach. Time passes as more and more crabs are placed into the box. They each try as you did to escape, but to no avail. Finally, after what seems like forever, the box stops moving and the lid is closed. Darkness and peace finally descend on you. You are finally feeling secure enough

to poke your head out and take a look around. Your antennae search your surroundings for anything that is familiar. Nothing. Just a couple dozen other crabs like yourself, wondering what has happened and what is to come. You feel a vibration that lulls you into a trance and you welcome it. It is distraction from your nightmare.

You are awakened some time later, though you can’t be sure how much later, when the lid of the box opens and you see light. Startled, you tuck back into your shell. Another hand closes around your shell and picks you up. If you are lucky, you get to keep the shell, if not, they put you into a painted one that is very uncomfortable, by means that are seemingly inhumane yet still allowed to go on. Then you are boxed again and sent further along to an unknown destination. You become hot, thirsty, hungry and tired. The crabs around you feel the same way. Some have already died from lack of food and water, others from the shear stress. Some have abandoned their shells in a state of either stress or panic. Most are scared senseless as you are. After an eternity of jostling vibrating and shaking, the box finally stops moving. The lid opens and once again you tuck back into your shell. This time when you are picked up, you are put down soon after on sand. It feels somewhat familiar yet somehow different. There are others here that seem to have been here for a while and others that came with you in the box.

You immediately fire off all your senses and find that you are in a container with walls that are see through and sand that smells funny covering the bottom. You find the food, some bland generic pelleted food that has no appeal to you, yet you are hungry enough to eat it. You find some fresh water, yet it is trapped in a sponge and you can’t find a way to get it out to drink. You then try to dig down to the calm soothing darkness of the sand to unload but you hit the bottom of the container all too quickly. Its then that you notice the rapping and screaming of creatures beyond the glass. You hear them shout. “Ooh! I want the one in the pretty painted shell!” “Look, that one has Spiderman on it!” Again luck plays a big part in where you will go. If you are fortunate, you will be bought by a smart and experienced crabber that knows what you need and will provide it. If not, you’ll live a life, dramatically shortened, in a small plastic container with little of the things you need.

Where to Purchase and What to Look For

When selecting your land hermit crab from the pet store, keep in mind that you should look for ones that are active, reasonably intact, and still in their shell. If you want to go ahead a resuscitate a sick and or injured crab from the store, aka one without a shell or missing limbs,

only do so if you have the time, patience, skills, and experience necessary. Beginners are not advised to take one on. Try if you can, to not buy one from a beach shop or mall kiosk as they are kept in conditions that leave them greatly weakened and therefore more likely to die.

Bringing Home Your New Crabs

A new crab is almost always likely to be stressed and or weak from their journey and new life in captivity at the store. Therefore, a length of time to acclimate and de-stress is needed. This varies from a few weeks to several months depending on the crab. When, if possible, you bring home one new crab or several, keep them in a different tank than the rest of your crabs so that they can recover and de-stress in peace. If you are bringing home your first crabs, then isolating them in a different tank than the main one that you use isn’t necessary.

During the length of time they are acclimating, try to handle them as little as possible and only disturb the tank when refreshing the food and water. After the recommended time of acclimation, they will seem more relaxed and happy. They appear happiest when they are sitting around waving their antennae. You can then start to handle them but only do it a lttile time each day until they are used to it. Some people spend all their time as crabbers just watching them, while others like to be more hands on. Whether or not you want to leave them be or handle them is up to you.

Part 4: Captivity and Proper Homes

Tanks vs Plastic Carriers

When you buy your first crab, the unavoidable decision arises as to what to keep them in. You may be told by the seller that a small plastic carrier, or Kritter Keeper, is a suitable solution. It is, sadly, not. A KK is far too small and cramped to keep even the smallest of crabs in ( unless you have ones that are as large as a pinhead, which is exceedingly rare ). A much better solution lies in buying a glass tank. It is highly recommended that you buy the largest tank you can afford. The more roaming space a crab has the better. You should, however, avoid getting tanks that are smaller than 10 gallons.

Heat and Humidity

Now that you have a proper tank, the question now is what kind of climate you should have within it. Since crabs are from the tropics, the answer is obviously a tropical climate. This means plenty of heat and humidity. These are crucial in keeping hermit crabs. If you can recall, they have modified stiffened gills that require a lot of moisture in the air to function properly. Without this moisture, their gills will dry up and they won’t be able to breath. They will then suffocate and die. In order to make sure that you have the heat and humidity set correctly, gages are necessary. Just guessing won’t due. You will need a gage for temperature and one for humidity. You can find them in the reptile section of your local pet store.

Now onto how to keep the temperature and humidity at the right levels. In order to keep the tank warm you must have a heating pad or two attached to your tank walls. You can find them again in the reptile section. It is recommended that you use a heater that is meant for a tank that is twice as large as the one you have. This is because of the deep level of substrate needed. In order to keep the humidity in, which will soon come after introducing heat to the tank and placing moist substrate in it, you will either need a glass lid, or a mesh lid with siran wrap covering it completely.

Substrate

The next step in setting up the tank is adding substrate. This is sand or Eco Earth that is placed on the bottom. You may see other substrates available but only a small percentage are actually usable. Gravel, woodchips, and forest bedding are all not acceptable substrates. Hermit crabs can’t burry into the gravel and woodchips and they can’t hold moisture properly. Forest bedding can contain pine tree pieces which causes severe irritation in crustaceans. Calci-sand, more popularly known as Hermit Crab Sand, is a popular choice, but unfortunately is also unsuitable. It not only stains, but clumps and hardens when dry, after moistening, and smells strangely musty when wet and can’t hold moisture properly. The best substrates are play sand and EE or Eco Earth. Coir is another substrate that can be added to existing substrate to keep in humidity. Make sure you have the substrate twice to three times as deep as your largest crab is tall. Also make sure that the substrate is moist and able to withstand being molded. This is known as sand castle consistency.

Toys and Hides

When choosing the decorations for your crabs tank, make sure that they are made out of either a hard durable plastic or a substance that can be ingested by the crabs without fear of its toxicity. Hermit crabs are veracious little climbers and explorers and can and will get to almost any and all places within the tank and or out of it if you don’t have it securely and properly lidded. They also go about tasting any and every surface they come across to test its edibleness as they would do in the wild. Remember too, that the tank is under a constant barrage of moisture from the humidity needed so anything made of metal should be avoided at all costs.

It is imperative that you also avoid anything sharp and potentially injury inducing as well. This is just a safety precaution as we don’t want to hurt them anymore than they already have upon getting to the store and then your tank. Proper hides and toys include those made out of plexi-glass, plastic, and poly-resin materials they make fish decorations out of. Also remember to include a few plastic or silk plants ( the kind without metal in the stems ) to the tank for a nice wild and jungle-like appearance. I like to add grapevines that I have harvested from the wild to my tank to give it an extra jungle-like flare. These are perfectly safe.

Make sure that your tank decorations, toys and hides are all sanitized with a dip in hot salt water before you put them into the tank. This is just a precautionary measure. It helps to wash off any harmfull residue, mold spores, and bacteria. You may also want to have extra decorations, toys and hides available to switch out with the current ones in your tank. This keeps the atmosphere in there fresh, new and exciting for the hermit crabs.

Isolation

Its important to have an isolation tank for emergencies. You never know when a crab will become injured, sick, or just need time to themselves. An isolation tank should consist of the same things the main tank has- toys and hides, nice deep, moistened substrate, salt and fresh water pools ( I’ll get to water types in a bit ) and of course heat and humidity. This is usually kept on a smaller scale than the main tank, but it is up to you how you want it to be.

Some people like to isolate new residents to their hermit crab colonies that they have either purchased from the store or adopted from another person. This is a preventive measure just in case the new hermit crabs may be carrying any diseases or mites. Yes, hermit crabs can be ridden with a small pest known as a mite. It usually lodges itself into any crevice it can and feeds off of its host, the hermit crab. It is of course harmful and suggested that a bath in dechlorinated salt water every few days be taken for the hermit crab to remedy the situation. More info on hermit crab diseases and pests can be found via the Hermit Crab Association Forums. I will provide a link later on.

Part 5: Shells

A hermit crab, land dwelling or marine, has a hard covering known as an exoskeleton to protect its soft and vulnerable insides. However, this does not cover the hermit crab’s entire body and leaves it’s abdomen soft, vulnerable and exposed. This leaves the hermit crab no other choice but to seek protection for its abdomen in that of discarded mollusk, or snail, shells. As the hermit crab ages and grows, the shell becomes smaller and smaller as it is not part of the hermit crab. Therefore, the hermit crab is in constant search of a larger shell to occupy.

When a hermit crab finds a shell it likes, it sticks its larger pincher into the opening to gage the size and shape of the shell. If the shell is of a suitable size and shape then the crab will release it’s grip on the shell it is currently wearing and quickly insert it’s abdomen into the new shell and latch into it. It will then remain holding its old shell as it “tests” the new one out for a while. If it likes the new shell it will then scurry off and leave the old one behind. If it does not like the new one it will quickly change back. For the soul reason of the need to keep changing shells. A variety of shells should be provided to your hermit crabs in the tank.

What’s Hot and What’s Not

There are a great variety of shells that can be given to your hermit crabs. Some are colorful and some are unusually shaped. There are, however, some types of shells that should never be given to a hermit crab or never used in shelling one. A perfect example of this is the ever popular, but badly misused and highly dangerous painted shell. It may look very inviting with its bright, cheery colors and fun cartoon character faces and designs but be wary, these shells are a death trap in disguise.

Some hermit crabs are actually chosen to have their shells painted while wearing them and can be, in fact, “glued” into the shell via the very paint applied. They then can’t move in and out of their shell as needed and in the worst case scenario, are stuck while withdrawn into their shell and can’t come out to eat or drink. They can’t even come out to walk around. They are stuck in their shell like a prisoner. In cases like these, drastic measures are needed to ensure that the hermit crab will be able to come in and out of their shells. This includes chipping away at the shell and paint with cuticle trimmers until the crab is “freed” from its painted prison.

Some crabs are even more unfortunate when it comes to being selected for a painted shell. They are either gassed or put in the refrigerator until limp easily removed from their old shell and put into a “new” painted shell. This is not done with delicacy in mind. They do it quite hastily and many hermit crabs are killed due to stress or to being gassed/refrigerated.

If the crab is lucky enough not to have died while being put into a painted shell, or it hasn’t been painted into one and therefore stuck, it will have to live with a burdensome shell whose paint will eventually chip away, despite being repeatedly told by the manufacture that it won’t, and look awful and in disrepair. If this isn’t bad enough, the paint chips will be discovered by the hermit crab and ingested by them, as they test it to see if its edible or not. Of course these paint chips aren’t edible and will harm the crabs and, in large enough quantities, kill them, due to their toxicity. This is again despite manufacturers claiming that the paint is non-toxic. Though it may be non-toxic to a fifty-some pound human child, it will be toxic to a considerably smaller crustacean. The sad thing about this whole painted shell industry is that, because of their popularity among the younger crowd, they will always be used and therefore the hermit crabs will be abused. You can however, help to stop this by refusing to by them and hopefully enough people boycotting them will stop their being used and manufactured. Also educating the sellers of the hermit crabs if you can is a big help as well.

Another popular trend in hermit crab shells is putting the shells in helmets or adding horns and googly eyes to the exterior parts of the shells. This of course is not at all good because it not only adds unnecessary weight to the shell and therefore becomes more cumbersome to the hermit crab, but will fall off in chunks, be consumed by the hermit crab and once again we come to the same result as the plain painted shell. Death.

Dyed shells, artificial shells and glow in the dark shells are also on the market as viable hermit crab homes. These are most likely not a good choice as they all contain toxic chemicals within the shells that can leech into the hermit crab’s soft, vulnerable abdomen and there fore get into their bloodstream and kill them from within. When choosing the right shells for your hermit crabs it is best just to stick with all natural or polished shells. Even shells that have nice carvings in them can be used. Just make sure that the shell can withstand the everyday wear and tear the hermit crab will put it through when wearing it.

Types

Because of the large selection of shells available and the different needs shell-wise of each species I will now break it down for you so that you will know which shells are preferred among which species of land hermit crab.

Coenobita Perlatus, Coenobita Brevimanus, Coenobita Clypeatus, Coenobita Varibalis and Coenobita Purperous: These hermit crab species prefer shells that have a large round, or “O” shaped, opening and curl to the left as their abdomens are round and tend to curl to the left. This includes turban shells, pica shells, and murex shells.

Coenibita Compressus, Coenobita Rugosus, Coenobita Cavipes and Coenobita Violescens: These hermit crab species prefer shells with a flatter, or “D” shaped, opening. This includes most land snail shells, fox shells, and nerite or moon shells.

I highly recommend not buying your hermit crab shells from the stores in which you buy the hermit crabs because they are most likely either painted or in poor condition. They are also very expensive to buy at about 3 dollars a shell, regardless of size. A great place to buy shells is in craft stores, where they sell a bunch together in a mesh bag, or online at places that sell sea shells. You can even find hermit crab shells for sale in specialty online hermit crab stores. Just take a look and find what suits you the best.

Size Selection

Due to the fact that a hermit crab is constantly growing it has a constant need for a larger shell. If you want to know what size your hermit crab needs just measure the opening of your hermit crab’s current shell and add an additional quarter inch when buying a new one. If the current shell the crab is wearing is by far too small, then add another quarter to a half inch to the measurement. Remember to supply the crab with at least three shells of the required larger size so that it has some choice in the matter when choosing a shell and to vary the shell type that it can choose from. If the hermit crab is not changing shells and its in a shell that is far too small then switch out the three shells for another three shells from your shell box. You should have a hefty supply of shells for your crabs stored outside the tank in a shell box. This is so you can switch out the shells currently in the tank with the ones in the shell box on a regular basis.

Part 6: Food and Water

A hermit crab, like any other animal needs to have food and water available to it on a regular basis. I usually have the food out all the time and refresh it every one to two days. Some people only keep food in the tank over night, some for a few hours. It all depends on what you and your hermit crabs are like. Water should be available at all times and should be given as both salt and fresh water. I will, as I have said before, get into further detail with it in a moment.

Water

It is now time to discuss the water needs of your hermit crabs. Hermit crabs will need to have access to both fresh and salt water. It is important to add water conditioner to remove any heavy metals and chlorine and chloramines from your water if there is any in it. Most city water will contain the afore mentioned items. Well water most likely won’t, but will have other things in it that may be harmful. If you want to play it safe, or you don’t have access to water conditioner ( it can be found in any fish section of any pet store for about 3 or so dollars ) you can use bottled water. This, however, can be costly and the amount of the discarded plastic bottles will add up. Some people have then turned to using distilled water. This has been a controversial topic as distilled water can be more acidic than tap water and lack the essential vitamins and nutrients that tap water can provide, being that distilled water is water in its purest state. Nothing more than Hydrogen and Oxygen combined. Whatever water you will use is up to you. I would recommend treating the water with the afore mentioned water conditioner and providing the crabs with that.

For salt water, use only marine grade salt water. You can find marine grade salt water mix in any pet store, in the fish section. Using anything else is not recommended. Table salt is discouraged because it contains iodine, which is toxic to hermit crabs. Using human grade Sea Salt found in the grocery store is also discouraged because it most likely contains an anti clumping agent which is harmful to crabs. There is, available at most major pet stores, a brand of salt and fresh water specifically designed to be sold for hermit crab use. This is not recommended as the salt water mix does not contain a high enough level of salt and minerals and the fresh water treatment contains a blue dye which is questionable at best. For my crabs I use API Tap Water Conditioner in my city water for fresh water and I add Oceanic Sea Salt Mix to the water for my salt water. You can also use Instant Ocean and API Salt Water Mix for making your salt water as well. Just make sure that your salt water mix has been treated for heavy metals and chlorines and chloramines.

Safe Foods List

“A happy hermit crab is a well fed hermit crab” or so the saying goes. Hermit crabs are omnivorous, which means they can eat pretty much anything out of the five major food groups. These food groups are: Fruits ( citrus included ), Veggies, Meats and Protiens, Grains, Berries, and Fats. You can find things from these food groups lying around your kitchen. Just make sure that they haven’t been treated with any harsh chemicals or contain preservitives. That would include the prepackaged, all in one, bottled and labled as “Hermit Crab Food” type items. They contain an unnaturally high amount of preservitives and chemicals that are not at all good for feeding your hermit crabs. All natural, organic foods are the way to go. If you want a list of foods that you can feed your hermit crab, please go to http://www.epicurean-hermit.com/index.php?board=21.0 for further information.

Unsafe Foods List

Along with the safe food list in the link provided in the previous section, you will find that there is a list of things that you cannot feed your crabs. Things like toxic plants and flowers found around the house and garden. Also be wary of feeding them foods that are highly processed and full of sugars and fats.