Things You'll Need:
- Hermit crabs
- 10 gallon or larger fish tank
- Uncolored calci-sand
- Forest bedding
- Salt
- Dechlorinated water
- Small glass or plastic bowl
- Sponge
- Shells
- Driftwood
- Plastic plants
- Coral
- Plastic reptile ladder
- Hermit crab food
- Humidity gauge
- Under tank heater
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Step 1
Set up the crabitat. Your hermit crabs will need a place to live when you bring them home, so it is best to set it up first. You will need a 10-gallon fish tank, or larger, with a glass lid. The crabs' temperature must not go below 72 degrees, so you will need to attach an under tank heater. You can purchase everything you need at your local pet store. They also need a humid environment. It must be kept between 70 and 80 percent relative humidity. You can buy a humidity gauge and place it in the tank. If you are having trouble keeping the humidity high enough, put a warm sponge in the tank and put the glass lid over it for a while. This should bring it right back up.
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Step 2
Prepare their floor. Crabs like to dig and bury things, so their floor must be made of something they can get into. Get some forest bedding from your pet store. This is coconut husk and it comes in a block. Mix a small amount of salt and some dechlorinated water in a bowl. Soak the forest bedding in the salt water until you can break it apart with you hands. Mix it with some uncolored calci-sand and place it in the crabitat. The sand is made of calcium that is good for the crabs and the forest bedding gives them some moisture and they can dig in it. They also like to eat it.
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Step 3
Put in their water dish. Hermit crabs cannot tolerate metal, so make sure you use glass or plastic. Hermit crabs can drown, so you don't want the water level to be too deep. If you have both large and small crabs, put a sponge in the bottom of the water dish so the little ones don't go under. Always use dechlorinated water as chlorine can kill them. They will not just drink the water, they will get in it and just sit there sometimes. It is important to take the dish out once a day and clean it with a paper towel and refill it. Don't use chemical cleaners or dish soap. Just wipe it out.
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Step 4
Place their toys in the tank. They will need shells and they like to hide. Give them some driftwood and plastic plants. They also like to climb, so provide them a plastic reptile ladder. Put in some coral or rocks.
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Step 5
Now you can put in the crabs. Despite the name "hermit," they really don't like being alone. They travel in large packs in the wild. So if you're going to get a hermit crab, get him a friend or two so he won't be lonely.
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Step 6
Feed the crabs. You can get a commercial hermit crab food, however, you don't need to. They like much of the same food that people do. Fruits, meat, fish and vegetables are just fine. They even like peanut butter, but stay away from the sugary processed foods. Do not give them anything with copper sulphate or ethoxyquin in it. You can give them oak leaves or tree bark but make sure to wash it and let it dry completely first. Again, don't use any soap or chlorinated water.
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Step 7
Play with your crabs. You can take the crabs out of the tank and play with them a little, but watch out for their claws. Pick them up by the shell. If you are afraid of the claws, hold them over a bed or couch so if you get startled, they will fall on a soft surface. You can also put them in a little round hamster cage and let them explore, but not for more than 10 minutes a day. You will also have to keep an eye on them so they don't get lost.
