How to Make a Hermit Crab Habitat

Video Transcript

"The next thing we're going to talk about, is the hermit crab habitat. Now, this is a little bit different than just the cage, because when we talk about habitats, we're taking all the environmental things into degree, so we have our cage here, with our cocoa bedding, a suction tray and a water bowl, some cork bark, and a little food dish. Now, when we're talking about habitat, we need to make sure our humidity is kept relatively high in this enclosure. Seventy percent generally is a good humidity, and that's relative humidity, not actual humidity. Most gauges you buy, are going to gauge relative humidity. It's very hard to find one that gauges actual humidity, so you want to make sure you mist that daily, to keep that humidity high. It's very important for the hermit crabs, otherwise they will suffocate, because their gills will dry out. They are a gilled animal, despite the fact that they are land dwelling. The other important thing to remember, is the, when we talk about the habitat, is the heat. Hermit crabs need to be kept at least seventy two degrees, and preferably, no higher than seventy five degrees. I know it's kind of a small window right there, but you can go all the way up to eighty degrees, but that seventy five degrees is the sweet spot. That's when they're going to be the most active. They're going to eat the most, they're going to be the most healthy and happy, so that's what we're really shooting for. You definitely don't want it to get any lower than the sixty degree area, because then we're talking about hibernation temperatures for these animals, and that can cause serious detrimental effects in the long run, especially if you're not properly preparing them for hibernation, so that's important to remember. Also, when we're talking about habitat, these are land crabs, or tree crabs we're talking about here. They're also known as Caribbean Crabs, Purple Pincher Crabs. They are generally the most accessible, and most readily available hermit crab, on the market. These guys do not live along the shoreline. They live along the tree line, before the shoreline, so lots of leaf litter is good. You can use leaves you find outside. Just make sure you bake them in the oven first, at 300 degrees, for about 45 minutes. That's hot enough to kill any pesticides and insects on there, but not hot enough to destroy the leaves. That same goes for any tree, any branches, bark, whatever you find out there, you want to use, rocks. You can incorporate all that into the habitat for your hermit crab."