Land Hermit Crabs

[SPLiSH]

I have finally decided to apply for a part time job... at McDonalds. Anyway, as a reward from my parents I will be allowed to spend my cash on anything I want. Even more pets! So I have decided to get hermit crabs, if I get the job of course.

So I've been looking around on Google, but I couldn't find the answers to these questions:

1. Is a 7 gal big enough? If yes, for how many crabs? I will have a second level of some sort, and lots of driftwood and fake plants and some big shells for decor.

2. Do I need an under tank heater? The temperature in our office is always well above 20 degrees celcius (70 degrees farenheit) all year round. Living on the Sunshine Coast, next to a state rainforest, low humidity is never a problem.

3. I discovered that you must dechlorinate the water. But, I use a dechlorinator that buffers pH to 7.5. Will this still be safe for the hermits to drink?

Thanks in advance.

 

[GuppyDude]

well how big is the tank, like the measurements? they dont require alot of moveing space but they can be pretty active at times. as long as u have plenty of places for them to climb and crawl around they should be fine. cant really say how many crabs untill i know the measurments thogh, could you get a pic

you probably will not need a heater, but they do sell these lil heater/mister things for frogs that kind of puts off a misty steam and provides drinking water (the water does not get hot, just warm).

you should also probably use bottled water if u are on city water, the crabs wont drink a whole lot, so its not like u will need to spend a whole lot of money on water.

 

[SPLiSH]

Cool, thanks GuppyDude. The dimensions of the tank are:

L = 45cm (17") H = 25cm (9") W = 25cm (9")

Here's a pic of the tank with an A4 excercise book for comparison:

And some of the decorations and stuf that could go in:

Thanks again for your help.

 

[nmonks]

Hello Splish --

Hermit crabs aren't difficult to look after, and there are plenty of web sites, as well as a few good books. If you do a search on Amazon.com you'll find books about them for under 3 dollars. Surely a useful purchase? Or maybe get such a book through your public library?

http/aboutlandhermitcrabs.com
http/www.hermit-crabs.com

Hermit crabs are amphibious rather than terrestrial, so the main thing is that they have a mixture of land and water. They don't swim, but they do need a 'bath' that they can step into to wet their gills. The water in this bath can be either fresh or brackish (i.e., with a bit of sea salt) depending on the species. Use a book or web site to identify the hermit crabs available to you, and act accordingly. For freshwater, a high pH and hardness will do no harm at all. Note that brackish water hermits offered only fresh water die eventually. You must identify your species as quickly as possible, and if you need sea salt, visit a marine aquarium store and buy real marine mix.

They need a lot of humidity. Essentially, a covered tank is the best. Talk with your friends who keep things like frogs, hermits are much the same. The flip side is that if the humidity is high but the ventilation is poor, you can get fungus (mold). Mites and other pests are also a problem.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with the big shells and ornaments. These crabs need things they can climb, and since they have pincers rather than sticky feet, that means bogwood or fairly rough stones (like limestone). You must also have a variety of small shells the hermit can use. Some hermits need cone shells (Conus spp.) while others will use regular, round shells.

I'd also go for a bigger tank the 7 gallons (I assume you mean US gallons?). Look at "long" aquariums since height is irrelevant. Something 60 cm long and 30 cm across would be an ideal baseline (i.e, a 20 US gallon tank). Then you could keep several crabs without fear of fighting. Bear in mind they can grow fairly big, in some cases the size of tennis balls (including the shell). So eventually you may need a bigger tank. A fair depth of sand is useful, too, as they like to dig.

It's a shame these animals are so often sold in shopping malls as cute, tiny pets in small plastic aquaria. This gives totally the wrong impression of what they require. Mind you, they are extremely cool pets, and should bring you plenty of enjoyment.

Hope this helps,

Neale

 

[SPLiSH]

Thanks very much Neale - you seem like a real hermit crab expert!

Unfortunately getting a bigger tank is out of the question. My parents aren't really thrillled about getting more pets but they don't mind as long as they are cared for by me. But I want to make it clear that if the 7 gallon won't keep the crabs happy, I simply won't get them. Or I will put off getting them until I can afford a bigger tank.

But I have heard some people say a five gallon is fine, others reccomend a 10 and so on.

Thanks again Neale. Does anyone else have hermit crabs or knowledge of them?

 

[soritan]

A 5 is fine... as a temporary home. Most people, websites, and hermit crab specific forums recommend a 10 gallon tank, with the usual, "more is better" philosophy found in pet-owners whose pets live their entire lives in a box. Hermit crabs can get as big as soft balls, and need their living quarters to be big enough should they decide to go for a good... uhn... scurry.

I have an empty 5 gallon, myself, but I refuse to purchase hermit crabs until my 10 gallon is available to them. I'm tempted every day. Especially when people post pictures of their hermit crabs and talk about them. I'm awake at all hours if the evening, so having nocternal pets generally doesn't annoy me. Plus, while some people think they're "creepy" (who can find them creepy? ><) I think they're massive cute.

 

[SPLiSH]

Thanks soritan. Yikes, I've heard about them growing softball sized... hard to imagine! It's also hard to imagine that people don't like hermit crabs!

So, say for about... 3 small crabs, would the 7 suffice until I could buy a 10 or bigger? We're talking crabs the size of a Coke bottle lid... they're the size my LFS sells. I would aim for a 15 or bigger because upgrading from 7 to 10 isn't worth the money.

How long would it take them to reach a size when they require a new tank?

 

[soritan]

I'd say a 7 would be fine for a while. I honestly don't know about their growth rate. Heck, if someone could comment on that, I'd be greatful. I've seen hermit crabs as small as coke lids, as well, and every time I see them I think, "I can keep that! .... can't I? "

I think they are relatively slow growing.

*edit: I think with the both of us staring, eventually someone will respond. O.O

 

[SPLiSH]

Thanks very much. And if they had a sudden unexplainable growth spurt in the next few months, I have some 11 gallon tidy-tubs with clear sides that would be ugly but crab-friendly. But lets hope there's nothing in their food to make them grow that fast. As for their growth rate, from what I found on Google they only grow as they moult, which is on average once every 18 months but smaller ones do it more often.

Thanks again soritan.

 

[soritan]

Weeell, since I'm on a 1 year wait for hermit crabs -- I want to make sure it's not another one of my 'phases' -- I'd love it if you'd talk about your crabs. Often. Serious, though. I'm curious about how quickly they grow. If I can keep them in my 5 gallon for a time, or perhaps for a full year, I'd love that.

Mostly because I'm greedy. My 5 gallon fits just right into the empty spot on my desk.

 

[SPLiSH]

I doubt it's a phase - that's what I thought about myself at first and I have been eyeing off tanks on eBay for a year or so. For my own sanity, I hope hermit crabs aren't as addictive as bettas or I'm doomed. Although I only have two boys and intend to keep it that way.

But back to the crabs... I'm seriously novice and all my knowledge is theoretic, but I'm sure a small group would be okay in the 5 gal for a while, with lots of climbing room which I hear is important.

I wish I had an empty spot on my desk... but Jerry and Rio would think the crabs are some new food offering. I think I'll put the crab tank on the cabinet behind my desk.

Thanks again for all your help, soritan and everyone else - I'll post again when I get the crabbies!

 

[wuvmybetta]

That's a very nice looking tank, Splish. I think you could get away with a couple/few hermies in there for about a year or so, until you upgrade. We've had ours for a little over seven months and they've never molted once, let alone grown (I take it molting and growing are one in the same?) Since they live for 10+ years I would imagine it takes quite a while to reach their full potential.

My favorite thing about crabbies, aside from their cuteness, is their appetite. They like almost any and everything as far as "human" food goes. They're very easy to feed, happy with some scraps of fruit or a sliver of meat- basically whatever we're eating that day the crabs get a morsel of. Good luck with your crabs!

 

[SPLiSH]

Thanks wuv! I will update once I get the crabbies.

 

[alanl]

Hi i am a owner of hermit crabs and i have had them for a few years now.

Here are a few points the sand/eco-earth needs to be damp with de-chlorinated water and 3 times the depth of your largest hermie,

Provide a fresh water bowl and salt water bowl change this daily you can buy these from thesit below

Provide shells that they can grow into

Cuttle fish for a source of calcium

Your new hermies will ned quarintining for 2 weeks and bathed in salt water on a daily basis in case they have mites. I would recommend doing this in a seperate tank until your a 100% sure they havent any

Always have a heat mat i put mine on the side so it helps with humidity.

There is really good site i know of where herme lovers go to get advice and food, plus they have links to recommended sites

www.absolutelycrabulous.co.uk

Good luck

Just to add if you feed them any human food it has to be little and not very often, i tend to buy mine from absolutely crabulous.

They have list of does and donts for your hermie needs

 

[alanl]

Oh another bit to add make sure you have a lid so you can keep your humidity levels up!!!

If you get micro hermies you can have more than a few and they will get more active the tamer they get.

Remember they can live upto 30 years or longer if you look after them right.