Your may have seen small cages with hundreds of hermit crabs in them on boardwalks, but do you really know what a proper hermit crab care looks like? Hermit crabs are clumsy, smart animals that make great pets if cared for properly.

Basic Information

Lifespan: 15-30 years, if cared for properly

Diet: Omnivorous

Cost: $5-$20 per hermit crab

Maintenance: water changes

Level: Advanced Beginner

Other: need to be in pairs or groups

Medical Care

While you cant take a hermit crab to the vet, here is something you can look for! 

Molting. Has your hermit crab buried itself in the sand? has it been there for a few days? maybe even a few months? The most likely thing that is happening is your crab is molting! Molting is when hermit crabs shed their exo-skeleton to grow bigger! It's kind of like why snakes shed their skin. Your crab may be under the sand for a few weeks, up to multiple months, depending on the size of your crab (larger crabs tend to take longer). Do not disturb your crab while it is molting, as this can harm them. When they don't have their exo-skeleton, it makes them really fragile. While molting, your crab will take this time to regenerate any lost limbs, and will change to a bigger shell afterwards!

Habitat

Remember the tiny cages we talked about in the beginning that you may get on the boardwalk? These cages are absolutely horrible for your crabs. These "cages" should really only be used temporarily when transporting your crabs. Hermit Crabs need a tank, and as a general rule of thumb you need 10 gallons per crab. Crabs need to be at least in pairs, so 20 gallons at minimum. They need a mixture of Eco Earth and play sand, and it needs to be at least as deep as 3x your largest crab for molting. Another thing they need is shells! Put as many shells in a corner as you can that are larger than your smallest crab, so they can get a comfy new home when needed! The temperature of your tank should be around 72-84 degrees Fahrenheit (22-28 degrees Celsius), and between 74% to 82% relative humidity for your crabs to breathe! They need two pools of water that they can get in and out of, one with fresh water and one with salt water. We recommend Prime to treat both pools for chlorination, and Instant Ocean to add salt to your salt water pool.

Diet

Hermit crabs are omnivores, and they eat nearly everything! Unfortunately, pet store food mixes are not suitable for hermit crabs. Some key parts of a healthy hermit crab diet are worm castings, green sand, and oyster shell/egg shell! We find that the best place to find quality hermit crab food is Etsy.

Enrichment

Here are some easy and common forms of enrichment for hermit crabs!

1. A wheel! Any small, open/disc rodent wheel is perfect for your crabs! They will spin themselves around all the time!

2. Forage! Scattering some treats or food around your tank is an easy way to entertain your crabs!

3. Climbes! Hermit crab legs are great for climbing, so find a net or hermit crab ladder for them!