FAQs on Terrestrial/Freshwater Hermit Crabs Selection

FAQs on Terrestrial/Freshwater Hermit Crabs Selection

Related Articles: Terrestrial Hermit Crabs, Freshwater Crustaceans, Invertebrates for Freshwater Aquariums by Neale Monks,

Hermit questions How much are hermit crabs and there cages? Do they make good pets? What do they eat < Hermit crabs seem to be all over the place now. I have seen them in malls and pet shops. The cost of the hermit crab depends on the size of the crab and how attractive the shell is. Usually under ten dollars with 5 dollars being the cost for an average sized crab. They really don't require too large a cage so a ten to twenty gallon aquarium would be plenty of room. They need humidity of at least 70% so they need a good source of water to keep them moist. The only real drawback is that they are most active at night. If they in a bed room then they are often heard walking around with their shells tapping the glass every once in a while. There are commercially available hermit crab foods available at the shops where you buy the crabs. ZooMed has a lot of products for hermit crabs so you may want to check out their web site at Zoomed.com.-Chuck> My daughters Hermit Crab needs a friend, sel. 8/12/07 We purchased a hermit crab for my daughter at an outdoor fair a few months ago and we read that they do better with other Hermit Crabs. We have since moved to Monterey and today we noticed hundreds of them in little tide pools at the beach. Is it safe to snag one of those little guys to give Shabby a Friend? Thanks. <No, this won't work. The tide pool hermits are aquatic and marine; the hermit crabs you have as a pet is almost certainly a terrestrial freshwater or brackish water species. In other words, one wants to stay underwater in a marine tank, the other on more or less dry land with fresh or brackish water for the occasional bath. They have nothing in common requirements-wise, and can't be kept together. While hermit crabs may all look the same to the untrained eye, they're really a very diverse group. So, best to stick with finding others of the same species as you already have. Shouldn't be difficult, since these are quite widely sold in pet stores. Do be sure and read up on them though: like goldfish, people often end up with these animals without actually having learned anything about their quite demanding needs. Cheers, Neale> Land Hermits 7.24.05 Good Morning Guys! I would like to start a small Crabitat with a few land hermits. I have scoured your site. Very informative. What a sense of humor you all have! My questions, then are : what type should I look for, what to avoid? I'd like some "friendly" types (although I understand they all have personalities) which are more likely to be peaceful? Also, what should I look for when choosing a crab at a store? I'd like to have maybe 3 or 4...(in a 50 gal tank). Aside: I once had two as a child. one died after a year and the other carried the corpse around until I could pry it away for a proper burial. The remaining lasted a few more months. Is the corpse carrying behavior normal? I was always curious. Thanks, b. <Hmm. . . well as far as what type to get, I have to admit I do not know Land Hermits that well, I would go with the standard pet store variety. From I understand they are very social animals, in a 50 gallon tank I would go for a least 6 or so. Provide a lot of areas for climbing and a deep moist sand bed for burrowing. These animals are peaceful toward each other until they leave their shell, once they leave their shell to mold it is fair game and they become cannibalistic. The corpse carrying behavior was probably related to the cannibalism. For more detailed information on hermit crabs I like www.hermit-crab.com. Best Regards, Gage>

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