How to Set Up a Hermit Crab Cage

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By derbyka
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Set Up a Hermit Crab Cage

A hermit crab cage needs to provide freshwater, saltwater, a place to burrow, a place to climb, and a place for food. These instructions will help you arrange an attractive and useful setup that can be easily maintained. This setup will keep your hermit crabs healthy and make them more interesting pets. For directions on how to create the homemade accessories, such as the balcony, in this article see "How to Make Hermit Crab Accessories" below.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Homemade hermit crab accessories (see article below)
10 gallon aquarium or terrarium (for 3 or fewer small crabs)
12"+ piece of climbing driftwood or cactus
hermit crab or reptile sand substrate
2 small shallow dishes (straight-sides works best for this set-up)
thoroughly cleaned small plastic tub about 2" deep
hermit crab freshwater dechlorinator
hermit crab saltwater additive
2 cleaned plastic milk jugs
water
black posterboard
extra hermit crab shells
packing tape
appropriate wattage heating lamp

Step 1

Wet the hermit crab sand so that it is able to be molded and arranged. Decide in which corner you want your freshwater and set the plastic tub there. Add sand around the tub so that it forms a hill/ramp to provide the crabs walking access to the water. They need to be able to submerge themselves to keep their gills wet and be able to breath. Put in some boiled rocks or shells so that they will be able to climb out.
Step 2

Place the flat side of the burrowing pit (see accessories article) against any of the four walls of your hermit crab cage.
Step 3

Use some water to wet the suction cups of your large climbing screen (see accessories article) and firmly stick to the glass at the top of the back of the aquarium. Do the same with any side pieces of screen. Depending on where your freshwater tub is, you may have to cut the bottom of the screen to shape it to the contour of the hill.
Step 4

Wet the suction cups of your hermit crab's "second story" basket and attach them to one side of the aquarium. Prop the driftwood in such a way that it supports the underside of the basket and will allow the hermit crabs to climb up to it. It is also a good idea to have the basket near a climbing screen. Fill the hermit crabs hideout with coconut fiber or soaked substrate.
Step 5

Place the hermit crabs' food and salt water dishes where it will be easy for you and the crabs to access them. Then, use the rest of the wet sand to cover the bottom of the cage, molding it level with the dishes. The sand will dry and act like clay to keep everything in place since hermit crabs like to mess their cages up. You will be able to gently pull them out and put them back in when they need cleaning.
Step 6

Measure the glass on the back of your aquarium and cut a piece of black poster board the same size. Then tape the board to the outside of the cage to create an appealing background that will help you watch your crabs more easily. The screen will almost disappear in front of the black!
Step 7

Finally, fill the plastic milk jugs with water and add the appropriate amount of dechlorinator to one and salt water solution to the other Don't forget to label them. Fill the two water dishes from their respective jugs. Scatter extra shells of the right size throughout the cage. Put your hermit crabs in their new cage and put on the lid and heat lamp. The water will slowly evaporate out of the sand and help keep your hermit crab cage moist for weeks to come. Later on, when it becomes more dry, you can spray prepared water.

Comments

Mindee94 said

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on 11/17/2008 Wow, my poor crabs of the past were oh so underpriveledged. When we are ready to adopt and become crab owners again this is the first place we are heading! 5* ~Mindee