Transporting a hermit crab 7/10/05
My 7 year old daughter who is currently in Wyoming visiting her dad has purchased a hermit crab.  I am in Idaho and the plan was to drive to Rock Springs Wyoming to pick her up and then on to Bismark, North Dakota for a 3 day family reunion.  At that point we would all return to Caldwell, Idaho where we live.  
Is it possible to transport this crab with us the entire way?
<Yes, certainly>
If so, what do I need to do to guarantee its safe and healthy arrival?
<Keep it and its food, gravel in its container... along with a damp sponge (for moisture, humidity), and set all this down on the floor, level, in the shade. Bob Fenner>

Never Too Young To Get Crabs! - 08/20/2005
I'm twelve years old and recently went to the beach.
<Let me first open with a couple of statements....  I am TREMENDOUSLY impressed, and pleased, with your grasp of basic grammar and spelling.  Let this be a lesson to all those older, more experienced folks out there - make proper sentences, use proper punctuation and capitalization.  Nicole, we truly appreciate this!  Thank you!  (Hey Bob, I got the "truly" right!)> <<Heeeee! RMF>>
I found a shop that sold land hermit crabs, (they seemed happy and well-treated) and they sold some really tiny carrying cages. The lids are plastic, with slits. Mine is probably one gallon, and I have two crabs.
<This is quite a bit too small for land hermits....  though it will serve as an adequate temporary home, if you can keep the humidity very high.>
They have purple claws, though I'm not sure what the type is.
<Many possibilities.  All have the same or similar care requirements, and all make excellent pets.  You will enjoy caring for these guys, I'm sure!>
They seem to get along well, I have:
Sand made of calcium, completely edible
Hermie Food
Water dish, two inches deep but has stones below (No possible drowning, sand inside means they go in)
Climbing surface
Fake plant
<I would strongly recommend that you look into a larger enclosure (10 gallon tank, if possible) with a lid that covers the tank quite well, to retain humidity.  Another requirement, eventually, will be a container of saltwater - contrary to some literature, ALL land hermits available for sale in the US do, in fact, come from marine environments and do require saltwater in addition to freshwater.  I'll give you some links to some good resources at the end of this message.>
Okay. I don't have a spritzer, but I live in Austin and it's pretty humid, plus I bathe them every day.
<I strongly urge you not to bathe them daily - or at all, for that fact.  Once they're in a larger space, make one of their water pools deep enough that they can go completely underwater if they desire - they'll keep themselves clean.  They do not have people bathing them daily in the wild....  This can actually cause them harm in the long run, mostly stress-related, I fear.>
Do they definitely need a spritzer?
<Unless you're dripping condensation off the end of your nose right now, you'll need to get that humidity up.  Covering the lid with some plastic wrap (leave enough uncovered for air exchange) will help, and "misting" their container daily will help, as well.>>
I also don't have a humidifier or thermometer, but our house is always on 78 or 80.
<This temp. is fine.>
And can you use a spritzer from a body spray if it is empty, soaked, and dishwashed?
<I would not....  You can probably get a cheap spritzer in the plant section in your local discount store, or maybe even a grocer's or drugstore.>
They are a big hot pink shelled one (Sebastian) and a small pale pink shelled one (Ariel).
<Make sure to offer them more shells of varying sizes.>
Sebastian is always willing to walk on my hands, and never pinches. He is especially active after bath. Ariel I can see walking but if I am loud she hides, and I cannot hold her, because she always retreats. She does flip over and walk around in bath, though. Anyway, they are always together, and seem to cooperate. But, today at about 9:30 tonight, they were away in their shells hiding (usual during the day) but one of Sebastian's left legs was lying on the sand.
<Possible result of stress....  This may be no problem at all, as the leg will re-grow - but do please let him have some time to rest.>
I removed it, and held him and he still seemed fine, although he was a little off balance. I bathed them and they were fine.
<Again, this may be a major source of stress for them....  let them keep themselves clean, it is better for them.>
Now, the two are together, not fighting, just away in their shells. What should I do? Sorry that I have so many questions! Oh, and tonight I'm going to separate them. Please respond as soon as possible!
<Mostly, I would recommend, as above, try to get a larger enclosure for them, provide fresh and saltwater, get that humidity up (pronto!  very important!), and let them chill out a bit to recover from the great ordeal of moving into a new (and obviously loving) home.  Try the following for more information:  
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com , and http://www.hermit-crabs.com .  Wishing you, Sebastian, and Ariel well,  -Sabrina>

Hermit Crab, Change of Clothes - Good Land Hermit Owner/Information! - 10/15/2005
Hi,
<Hello.>
I recently got a small hermit crab as a birthday present. Well, truth be told, his shell is really small, but Gerald himself is actually quite a bit bigger than his shell should be.
<This is actually not uncommon with newly purchased hermits.... Hopefully in your care he will find something larger/more suitable.>
So, after reading in several places that they need to switch shells, I've offered him a variety of new shells in different sizes, with different openings, painted, and natural.
<Painted shells are extremely rarely accepted, unless there is nothing of the right shape/size otherwise. Just a heads-up.>
From what I've read, hermit crabs seem to change shells whenever they come upon a new one,
<Mm, not that often - not by a long shot.>
but this little guy just wont leave the one he has. I'm a little worried, because I've read that if they don't change into a shell large enough it could be really harmful for them, and I'm not quite sure what I can do to help the situation.
<A bit of information regarding this - there are a number of different species of hermit crabs.... all of genus Coenobita. Of those most commonly offered for sale in the US, a couple of them (C. compressus and C. rugosus) are a touch more hesitant to switch shells than others. C. compressus will hold out a very long time before changing shells, if there is nothing that they really like around. 
The only shells that my own C. compressus will use are Natica/"moon snail" shells.... some are called "shark's eye" or "whale's eye" shells. I would urge you to try to find out what species your hermit is, and if you believe him to be C. compressus, try to seek out these moon snail shells. C. rugosus will take moon snail shells sometimes, as well. Other hermits will usually take readily to Turbo snail shells.>
Also, I was wondering if his present living situation is as it should be. He is in a 1.5-2 gallon plastic aquarium,
<Mm, I would increase this to a 10-gallon tank, minimum.... especially if it is a C. compressus, which is a very active animal.>
with Calci-sand, fake plants, dishes,
<A comment here, regarding water/water dishes - contrary to what some might say, all hermits are at least *somewhat* marine in nature (some more so than others) and require saltwater in addition to freshwater. I would urge you to use a quality synthetic sea salt like Instant Ocean for making up saltwater.... you can store a container of it and use as necessary.>
a sponge, and a coconut to hide under. I've been keeping the temperature between 70-75 degrees and humidity between 70-80%. I was wondering what % of humidity is too high, and what will happen if it does get high?
<Actually, the humidity is fine where you've got it. If it gets too high occasionally, it should not be a major problem. Just don't let it drop below 70% for an extended period of time, lest he suffocate from his gills drying up.>
Thanks! Kat
<One last comment - hermit crabs are quite social animals. I really urge you to move up to a larger container and provide a couple of friends (preferably of the same species, but that's not terribly important). Also, as far as foods and feeding, be sure to include some foods high in iodine and calcium content - you can use a calcium supplement manufactured for reptiles to add to their food. Thawed frozen human-consumption shrimp tails with the shells still on are an excellent food high in iodine. Wishing you and your new pal well, -Sabrina>

Hermit terr. crabs FAQ... NNS    4/10/06
hi , i lives in Singapore and i have a few question that i  cant find on the internet and sincerely hope you could help me with this i would like to know that could it due to my country temperature ( its about 20+ degree Celsius) that make my hermit crabs (species : Coenobita rugosus) inactive ?
<Possibly, yes>
when i buy them , i was given a tank with the sand lesser than 1cm in height , could it due to this that's why my hermit crab does not moult ? do i need to buy additional sand to add on to it?
<Shouldn't be the sand depth. Likely nutrition, moisture/humidity>
i wanted to put some of the dried leaves that i find along the road inside the fish thank but if the leavers is poisonous to human , would it kill my crab too ?
<Too likely, yes. There are some "aquarium safe" terrestrial leaves one can use though>
and erm i tried extremely hard but i couldn't find out the maximum size a Coenobita rugosus could grow up to , and to my knowledge , there are different type of shells in terms of their design , so will they switch home even if the shell design isn't what they use normally ?
<Yes>
lastly , i may emailed to the wrong address , sorry if i did =( but please reply if u can help me =)
your sincerely,
jimmy =)
<Please see here re size: 67 g.: http://www.crabstreetjournal.info/species/Crugosus/index.html
Bob Fenner>

My pet Hermit crab  1/10/07
Hi I am Lauren
<Hi Lauren!>
and I have recently taken in a saltwater hermit crab as my pet on holidays...
<How is he only a pet on holidays?  Is he in a reef tank, salt water tank... what?>
we went on 2 different websites when we got home from our holiday which was a day after we took the hermit crab in it said to supply shells for them so we put in one which was not for the hermit crab to change in to but for it to get to land ..then the next day my dad told me he moved in to it but the problem is it is to big for it and he struggles to carry it.. now what should we do we wonder and hope you can tell us...Thank you
<He will not move into anything he cannot handle.  It may have a problem with mobility but will grow into it.  No worries here.  Jen S><<RMF suggests providing more shells... for this Hermits choosing>>

Freshwater hermit crabs   4/22/07
I can't seem to find much info on freshwater hermits. I know they do exist, but how would I go about finding some? Will they live in an African Cichlid tank?
<All so-called "freshwater" hermit crabs are actually amphibious, and as such, unsuitable for use in an aquarium. The only truly non-marine, fully aquatic hermit crab in the trade I'm aware of is Clibanarius tricolor, the blue-leg hermit crab. It does very well in brackish water aquaria at SG 1.010+. It cannot be adapted to freshwater. Cheers, Neale.>