All hermit crabs start out in a marine environment, however land hermit crabs have adapted to live on land rather in the water. Once they complete the developmental cycles they will make their way onto land. Once ashore, land hermit crabs go through a metamorphosis, developing modified gills that act as lungs to enable them to breathe air. Once on land, they live in a variety of environments including trees, mangroves and areas up to 1-2 miles away from the shore.

They are hypo-allergenic - If someone in your family has allergies to fur of any kind then the hermit crab is a wonderful pet because they not only are they fur-less but they are clean animals. They are suitable for apartment, dorm living, bedroom spaces - this was one of the contributing factors in my purchase of land hermit crabs over six years ago.

If you live in a cold environment and you cannot afford to heat the crabitat then you will find that they will soon die. Hermit Crabs are cold-blooded creatures which rely on the warmth of the environment around them. When it is not provided they will become inactive and if the situation is not corrected they will ultimately die. Another disadvantage is that the set-up required may be much more than you were led to believe.

While not impossible, it is quite rare that land hermit crabs reproduce in captivity. There has been recordings of the spawning of eggs within a captive enclosure, however the aquatic larval development of land hermit crabs requires that the eggs be fed brine shrimp and spirulina wihtin a set-up which mimics the environment of a tidal pool.

There is no easy way to answer that question. It depends on several factors, which will be different for each situation, unless a standard tank developed with the same items, the same dimensions. Because this is not the case for the majority of land hermit crab owners, perhaps we need to revisit the rule of thumb and bring it into line with the 21st century.

A 10 Gallon glass tank with lid is the minimum recommended housing. Hermit Crabs fare better in larger crabitats such as 40 Gallon tanks or custom made tanks which have a square base, allowing for more surface area.

Mites - if your hermit crab has mites or is affected by other pests then you will need to gently submerge the crab

To sex your land hermit crabs you will need to look for sexual openings, known as gonopores. The gonopores are present on the second pair of legs in a female land hermit crab, and on the fourth legs of a male land hermit crab.

You should adopt at least two hermit crabs, but three or more is much better. In the wild, hermit crabs live and travel in groups of about 100 crabs, and if you only keep one hermit crab, it will be very lonely.

In the wild, hermit crabs are scavengers. They'll whatever they can get their claws on or starve. They love eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Never feed your hermit crabs commercial food only. It's like eating plain bread everyday and for every meal. Hermit crab food alone is not enough for a hermit crab's diet. Never give them any canned food. Tin is a metal and there could be signs of rust which will cause your little crustaceans painful problems.

Plastic tanks are recommended only for transportation, temporary accommodation or as a play pen during handling. If you must use a plastic tank purchase an under tank heater specially made for plastic tanks and cover the vented lid with saran wrap, allowing for a small amount of ventilation. Wire cages are NOT suitable, nor are cardboard boxes or other enclosures that hermit crabs can climb out of.

There are two types of land hermit crabs sold as pets in the United States. One is the Caribbean Hermit Crab (purple pincher/ Coenobita clypeatus) which are more commonly found in the Caribbean and is nicknamed for its purple colored pincher. They primarily drink fresh water, although they can drink salt water, and they live inland, away from the shore. The other type of Hermit Crab is the Ecuadorian Crab( Eccie/ Coenobita compressus).

A simple adaption of the 'per Gallon' rule would be 'per Gallon divided by the percentage of vertical height used'. That is, if you only use the bottom third of the tank, calculate how many Gallons your tank holds, then divide by 3 to deduce how many hermit crabs you might comfortably keep within that crabitat.

Land-based (or terrestrial) hermit crabs are of the family Coenobitidae. In some parts of the world they are also known as tree crabs as some like to live in and can be found climbing trees. In the wild, they can live for many months out of water but usually return to the shore quite regularly to wet themselves, change shells and release larvae from hatching eggs. Land hermit crabs are arthropods of the order Decapoda and Infraorder Anomura.

Hermit crabs are nocturnal, so they are never going to be as active as cats or dogs. However, there are several things you can do to promote activity. First, you must start with healthy land crabs and a warm environment. Second, water induces activity in the form of bathing or misting. And third, make their habitat a playground setting with a dry bottom medium and plenty of coral, driftwood, sea fans and lava rock for climbing and exploring.Back to Top

Hermit crabs come from the region of Darwin to Broome, as such, they like a warm, humid environment. When keeping crabs in Melbourne, it is important to use some form of heating, such as a coloured light or heat pad to keep their tank at 20?C or above. Crabs should be kept on sand or shell grit, not gravel and they also need a sea salt bath daily. Always keep spare shells in their tank and feed a variety of foods.

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In the continental United States, there is only one native species of land hermit crab, the purple pincher, or C. clypeatus. Most people do not consider that species, at least, exotic. However, many people do refer to less commonly found species, like strawberries (C. perlatus) or indos (C. brevimanus) as exotics - and since they're not found natively in the US, they are!

They do mate, in a manner of speaking, but they cannot breed in captivity, so this should not be a major concern for hermit crab owners. When hermit crabs mate, the male hermit crab positions the female hermit crab in front of him and passes spermatophore packets into her gonopores, where the female hermit crab's eggs are fertilized. In the wild when a female hermit crab is ready to release her eggs, she releases them into the ocean.

Hermit crabs do have blood of a sort, but it is not like mamallian blood because their physiology is so different. It is very unlikely you'll ever see blood on your hermit crab because any time a wound is bad enough that it doesn't quickly clot, the hermit crab tends to drop the wounded limb to avoid bleeding to death.

Mites can certainly be hard to get rid of. The most common method is to completely remove any substrate, and very thoroughly clean the crab tank, especially any corners or trim where they may be hiding. Substrate should be temporarily replaced by a thin layer of sand or another inorganic substance.

Like humans, all hermit crabs are going to like different things, but here are some of our crabs' favorites: natural honey, raisins, sweet potatoes, tahini (sesame seed paste), rose petals, shrimp, and coconut. They are also big fans of freeze dried crickets and krill.

There are fresh and salt water crabs, and if you have some from both categories you'll obviously allow them to have access both fresh and salt water. Salt water helps the hermit crabs to retain moisture, and they need some sea salt in their shell water. Don't worry if you find that your fresh water hermit crabs (such as the Purple Pincher) are drinking the salt water. It's not that they are 'stupid' and can't distinguish between the fresh and salt water. They know what they are doing.

Both. While it is fascinating to watch their antics, it is equally exciting to gently handle hermit crabs and eventually have them respond to you. Just like other pets, hermit crabs become familiar with their owner's voice and touch. They have been known to eat out of their owner's palms, ride on their shoulders and come out of their shell when called. Shy crabs have been trained with frequent misting. Each day they come out looking for their showers.Back to Top

Yes, aquarium sand (as opposed to aquarium gravel) makes a very good substrate for hermit crabs. It does tend to be expensive though, so if you do want to use aquarium sand, you may want to buy some play sand from your local hardware store as well, and mix them together, especially if you have a large tank!

Land hermit crabs can eat fish flakes and various other fish foods, like bloodworms, krill, or algae wafers. These foods, however, should not be the only food that a hermit crab is fed. Hermit crabs need a wider variety of food than most fish, though they do have certain favorites in common. One of the best places I know of to find shells in a specific size is Naples Sea Shell Company. If you aren't sure what size to buy, you can even email them for help!

It isn't easy to tell whether hermit crabs are male or female. The only real distinguishing outward feature, the gonopores found on female hermit crabs, are usually hidden by the shell a hermit crab is wearing. If your hermit crab stretches very far out of its shell, though, they may be visible.

All hermit crabs are going to have different favorites, but our hermit crabs really love sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, peas, and eggplant.