Should you be looking for a small and easy to maintain pet for yourself or your children, why not consider some hermit crabs? These wonderful little crabs have become increasingly more popular as of late, and for good reason they are one of the most effortless pet endeavors you can find. Another wonderful thing about keeping hermit crabs is the cost, not only are the crabs themselves relatively cheap but the food and care products are next to nothing.
Your biggest investment for your crabs will be the dwelling that you place then in. most people place their crabs in a small fish tank, anywhere from 2 ½ gallon to 10 gallon will be just fine depending on how many hermit crabs you intend on keeping. Filling the bottom of the tank with gravel or sand is an excellent source of substrate. Placing a small shallow dish for water and another for their food is all that the hermit crab really needs, as they really do not play like many other pets that you would own.
When it comes to feeding hermit crabs, it could not get easier. Hermit crabs are omivores, meaning that they will eat just about anything ranging from plants and fruits to small insects. It is also possible for you to feed them dry oatmeal; it is very nutritious and cheap to purchase. The oatmeal can stay in the dish all the time, any fruits and vegetables should be in the dish no longer than 24 hours as they will start to rot. Hermit crabs really do not eat very much so the cost of feeding these little creatures is low. One large bag of Quaker oatmeal could easily feed 6 hermit crabs for a period of 5 years; this makes for a very cost efficient pet project to say the least. The hermit crab will eat Mealworms from the local pet store as well; this should be nothing more than an occasional snack rather than a continual diet.
It is always a good idea to gently mist the hermit crabs with Luke warm water from a spray bottle once a day or every couple days to ensure that they do not dry out. You will want to keep the temperature of the tank in the 80-85 degree F range, as this is the normal temperature that they are accustomed to in the wild. This can be done with a good heat lamp or heating pad under the tank. This will keep the crab or crabs active, and they will be more prone to move around so you can enjoy them more. If the temperature in the tank is below this level, your crabs will become sluggish and will more than likely bury themselves under the sand or other substrate that you have chosen. You will not really need to concern yourself with a lid for the tank, as hermit crabs are not the best of climbers and they will likely never get out of an aquarium. What hermit crabs are good at actually is digging, it is always a good idea to have enough substrate for them to burrow and hide should they feel a little shy or chilly.
Hermit crabs will shed their old exoskeleton, this period on how much they are shedding depends on their age. When the hermit crab is young they will shed once monthly, when they get older the likelihood of them shedding anymore than once in an 18 month period is low. It is best to ensure than you have a new home for the crab lined up prior to this shedding period, they do not survive long should they not have a new shell to take over. Many people will go to the place where they bought their hermit crabs and buy a bigger shell for them. The most popular shell on the market for the hermit crab is the Whelk shell. When buying a shell for your hermit crab, you will want to make sure that it is at least 1/3 larger than the shell that they currently occupy. This will give them room to grow and the process will start again come molting period. Hermit crabs can be very tame and enjoy interaction; the more you hold them the better.
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