How to care for your Hermit Crab

Here are some basic tips for keeping your hermit crabs healthy and happy. Keep in mind the two biggest factors are the temperature and humidity of your crabariums.

Keys to Hermit Crab Survival:

• Keep temperature inside tank between 72-85°F.
• Humidity should be between 70-80%. 
• You must use de-chlorinated water for your crabs fresh and salt water.
• Salt water (1 tsp. non-iodized salt per cup of water)
• Commercial food should be supplemented with fresh foods, like those listed below. 
• There must be enough sand for you largest hermit crab to burrow and molt.
• Give each of your crabs two extra shells. 
• Friends - hermit crabs are very social animals and do really well when they have lots of friends.

Materials needed for your habitat:

• Sand
• Tank with lid 
• Shelter/hiding places 
• Thermometer 
• Hydrometer 
• Materials to climb on 
• Tank heater 
• Food dish 
• Salt water dish 
• Fresh water  dish 
• De-chlorinator 
• Salt (non-iodized) 

Tips for maintaining your habitat:

• Change food every other day to prevent mold growth.
• Spot clean tank every other day. 
• Every three months change the sand, you can buy new sand or you can bake the old sand to sterilize and clean it (350°F for 30 minutes). 
• The water dishes should be deep enough for the crabs to soak in but not so deep that they can't crawl out. 
• The sand should be the consistency of sand used to make sand castles. 
• If your tank’s humidity gets too low you can take a squirt bottle and spray the tank down with de-chlorinated water.