HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I don't have hermit crabs yet but im setting up their tank, better safe than sorry
But i started getting enrichment items and searching things up but i figured asking some pros would be better. What types of enrichment do you guys use? What i've found so far is Puzzles, mazes, saucers. And Leaves, bark, flowers, moss, seeds, green sand, cuttlebone for them to forage. And sometimes scattering their food around the tank. Any ideas or thoughts?

Hermit crabs love climbing. I bought a really big plant for my tank and my crabs love climbing it. A plant can never be too big for crabs they love to hide under the leaves. You should also buy driftwood. They love to climb and molt under it. You can get driftwood in the aquarium section. I think mine is Mopani. I don’t remember. They also love cholla wood (buy cholla sticks instead of cholla logs. They might get stuck inside a cholla log). Climbing is always good enrichment. You can also buy suction cups and make a second level or climbing wall. Just get anything that looks fun for them to climb. Also, make sure to have hiding spots for your crabs (I made mine a coconut hut by cutting a coconut in half and making a hole in it). My advice is to just go crazy. My crabs are super high energy. When I first got them, they would climb upside down on the mesh lid. Just make sure to not over crowd the tank. Make sure there are some spots that are just sand.

Hello! I have a few questions/comments about your upcoming tank setup. How big is your tank? You need to know how many crabs to put in your tank. I recommend keeping 2-3 crabs in a 10 gallon tank, 3-4 crabs in a 15 gallon tank, and 4-5 crabs in a 20 gallon tank. That will ensure it is not too crowded. Also, make sure that all the crabs you get are about the same size. That will making buying shells easier. To buy shells, measure their current shell opening and add about a quarter of an inch to it. Make sure to not buy crabs with painted shells because they are toxic and can kill crabs. Hermit harbor has lots of choices of shells. Other crabbers like Naples Sea Shell Company and Richards Sea Shells. Also, make sure that your crabs can fully submerge in the water dishes. You can use plastic/glass containers for salt water and fresh water dishes. Make sure they have a way to climb out though. I use a container made to fit in lunch boxes with a divider in between for fresh and salt. Most Commercial food is bad for hermit crabs. You can buy mixes from Just2OldCrabs, Hermit Grub, and places on Etsy. Get a small spray bottle to keep humidity up in the tank (Crabs have modifies gills and need humidity to breath). Make sure to have sand that is three times as deep as you biggest crab is tall for molting. Whenever you see a crab digging down, don't touch it and keep other crabs away from it (if molting crabs are disturbed, they might die). Sorry this is a long message. These are a lot of common mistakes I and other crabbers have made. This will set you up for Hermit crab success! Good luck and happy crabbing!

Putting little bits of food around the tank is a great idea. I sometimes do that with berries. Just make sure to take it out before it gets moldy and gross. There is a crab safe food list on this website.

Sorry if I am giving you a lot of info. Love your profile pic. LOL.

I think puzzle feeders is a great idea! I've been trying to get some rat puzzle feeders 3d printed because theres a huge variety for those guys in about the right size range. I've also seen people make tire swings and cocohut swings for them. Other things I've seen are artificial boxwood-style climbing walls, little mirrors, and seesaws.
Coenobita Curiosities on etsy sells little mesh foraging cubes, and Happy Crabby has the busy ball which is a similar concept. Both are like Kong dog toys but for crabs lol.
I saw one person using sisal rope wound around suspension curtain rods as a way to hang different things in a crabitat. You could use this to hang swings or rat foraging toys!
I change up and use novel food dishes (in new locations) when I can, which keeps the tank cleaner and keeps the crabs entertained.
I had a sturdy little glass bottle I hadn't used for anything, I filled it with fish oil and then tied cotton gauze over the top and left it in the crabitat overnight. They went crazy for it! I found shreds of the gauze all over and the little bottle itself had been buried the next morning. DIY can keep things interesting on a budget...

I found inspiration from zoos and reptile keepers!
https://zoosnippets.com/post/environmen ... -checklist

I hope this helps! This has been my thought project all week so I was so happy to see someone else looking for ideas