Hermit Crabs Are Pretty Cool Pets

About a week ago my sister-in-law gave our kids two hermit crabs as a pets. I’d grabbed an unused 10-gallon aquarium from a friend. Poured sand in the bottom, placed a food and water shell on the sand, and then put a cup on its side for the two crabs to seclude themselves into as needed.

I’m not one to be ignorant about pets. Did you know the average life span of a goldfish not kept as a pet is about 80 years? Yeah, being put in the goldfish bowl is like "Dead Fish Swimming" to them. I started reading up on hermit crabs and uncovered a wealth of website that are just loaded with information.

Here’s some of the information I’ve found out that have changed how I’m taking care of these guys.

sand is actually a bit irritating to them, they like more mulch, debris coverage to dig down into
they need much more water than I expected
they enjoy company, we now have six crabs

… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg really. I keep reading and learning more. The more I learn, the more I like just sitting and staring at them in their "crabitat".

Here’s a list of the sites I’ve uncovered with information about hermit crabs and their care:

Whether you’re allergic to cats, too small of a house for dogs and just don’t like fish, give hermit crabs a try. They’re really cool and more active than you might think. Just do your homework and give them a good home and take care of them.

Image: strollers on flickr

Comments

By Michelle

Thanks for the link. I did want to mention that sand is a very adequate substrate as is coconut fiber bedding or am mix of the two. Wood mulch is problematic for hermit crabs due to the fact that it molds easily and is sometimes made of types of woods toxic to hermit crabs.

I would also like to thank you for doing your research! It’s the hallmark of a responsible pet owner! That’s a lovely looking Ecuadorian in the photo as well! C. Compressus.