HCA: Hermit Crab Association

So I’ve had my hermit crab for around five years now and he grew up with salt water and a sponge but I took away the sponge because he was ripping it up and he once got some sponge stuck in the shell. But I was away for about a month and my mom is taking care of him and she was refilling has salt water dish with just regular filtered water. So when I came back she just kept taking care of him because he was in her room so about three months later he came back in my room after we moved and he hasn’t had salt water for about a year now and everywhere I’m reading says he needs salt water or he’ll die in two weeks but somehow he’s alive. So what do I do Should I add salt water every single day or do I just keep doing what I’m doing because it’s working and how is he still alive?

If you can, adding salt would be beneficial. While some species of hermit crabs arent reliant on the ocean compared to others, they do make semi-infrequent trips back to the ocean where its safe that they would restock with said water.

Salt water just helps ensure they still having plenty of access to a variety of minerals that their diet would lack. So yes, I'd suggest if you can, to offer salt water again!

In all honesty, I've gone years without giving mine saltwater. It is beneficial, I would never tell anyone not to do it, but please don't be scared over their lack of it for this short amount of time. There is also documented proof of a crab that lived 25 years without any access to it (belonged to a scientist, kind of a tragic crab) so we know it's not a vital addition to longevity for PPs at least.

Thanks so much!! I have started giving him salt water and it really just is dried up by my heat lamp and leaves some residue but I refill it every time.

Beara1012 wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 30, 2022 1:33 pm

Thanks so much!! I have started giving him salt water and it really just is dried up by my heat lamp and leaves some residue but I refill it every time.

I tried this salt water too... And it really dried

how big are your guys' salt pools? Mine never actually fully dries out.. level goes down but not dry dry

Yes, hermit crabs need saltwater. However, it depends on what species you have- purple pinchers apparently rarely venture to the ocean and are capable of living without saltwater. It's still important to provide it though; they need to be able to regulate their own salt levels especially for molting. Sidenote,

Beara1012 wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 30, 2022 1:33 pm

Thanks so much!! I have started giving him salt water and it really just is dried up by my heat lamp and leaves some residue but I refill it every time.

make sure your heat lamp isn't drying out your tank. You need a humidity level of 80% so your crabs can breathe properly. Heat lamps can dry out the air and substrate.

setaegin wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 31, 2022 12:14 pm

*snip* You need a humidity level of 80% so your crabs can breathe properly.

While 80% is commonly toted as the minimum or ideal, crabs will do fine with the humidity consistently being above 70%. They can handle short stints below (shell water helps), but prolonged exposure below 70% can cause issues.