Land Hermit Crabs and Sea Shells
>> Nov 27, 2010
It’s not empty shells. There are living things –hermit crabs- inside those beautiful houses. Last Sunday, one seller at a temporary market in Sempur field (Bogor, Indonesia) sold them. It’s just quick shots, as I had to rush to catch up my husband in the crowd ahead.
Hermit crabs will use empty seashells as shelters for their soft bodies, and they will retreat back into their shells if threatened, leaving only the hard tips of their claws exposed. As they grow, they will have to find larger shells.
If you are interested to buy few hermit crabs as pets; here is information that you should know first (compiled from several sources). Having hermit crabs as pets is both a fun and educational experience. They are clean, low maintenance pets that can live up to 60 years of age if properly taken care of.
- Don’t place your hermit crabs in a small plastic container. It’s one of the major reasons why so many hermit crabs die early on in captivity.
- Hermit crabs need lots of space, so buying a large glass terrarium is a must.
- You should also have at least 2 as hermit crabs are very social animals and live in colonies of hundreds of crabs in the wild.
- The temperature in the terrarium should be kept at 70 degrees or more. Humidity should also be higher than 70%, anything lower and your hermit crab will start to slowly die. Buying a temperature and humidity gauge will help you to keep the temperature and humidity in the terrarium at an ideal level.
- At least 6 inches of sand at the bottom of the terrarium as hermit crabs love to dig and burrow themselves in the sand.
Food and Water
- Avoid commercial hermit crab food at all costs. It contains lots of preservatives, cheap fillers, toxins and more. Hermit crabs are omnivores meaning they eat both meat and plants. Substitute commercial hermit crab food with organic fruits and vegetables, meal worms, crickets, etc.
- Avoid giving any processed foods.
- Provide both a saltwater bowl and a fresh water bowl for your hermit crab pets to drink and bathe in. Don’t use tap water as it has chlorine and other chemicals in it. Use filtered water only. To make salt water add a dash of cooking sea salt to fresh filtered water.
If you’ve done it all, your hermit crabs will live healthy and happy!
