HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi everyone! I purchased 3 hermit crabs yesterday and I am obsessed with them. I absolutely love them and I want to make sure I’m giving them the best chance at a good life possible. So can you let me know what you think? (I don’t know how to post photos!)

Water - Dechlorinated. One salt bath (capacity to fully submerge) and one fresh water bowl. I am not using table salt, I have bought pet shop “hermit crab salt”. Both water bowls have stones so that my hermies can climb out easier (they’ve had no trouble getting in and out).

Food - Pet store bought “Jen’s Hermit Crab Crunch Food”. I’ve read that certain foods at pet stores are full of preservatives so I’m planning to try an omnivore mix since I’ve learned their diets needs to be varied.

Substrate - Coco peat that goes quite deep, they seem very happy burrowing.

Heat mat - Attached to the side of the tank, always on. Has a max temp of 30 degrees. They seem to burrow right up against the wall so I think they like it?

Shells - Varying sizes scattered around (6 in total). I didn’t realise that painted shells are a no-no so I will have to remove two of the six shells.

Humidity - I have misted the walls of the tank, I can see condensation and when I lift the lid it certainly feels humid in there. I’ve ordered a temperature/humidity monitor online but it hasn’t arrived yet.

Other features - One fake plants, two large sticks and two rocks which they loooove climbing all over.

Behaviour so far - Very active! They move around freely, climb all over things, take dips in the salt bath, climb all over each other and intermittently burrow. Two of the three have changed shells a few times also. They were not shy when I handled them (though I’m leaving them alone now, I want to give them some space to get used to their new home).

I’d really appreciate any advice or critiques I can get - I love my hermies! (lovingly named Hermes, Coco and Sheldon). Thank you!

Figured out how to add photos!

I have since added two large sticks to the enclosure for climbing. I also plan to buy some cuttlefish bone bits. And yes, that is a slice of apple in the food dish.


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Welcome to crabbing!
Unfortunately, 'hermit crab salt' won't provide all the minerals they will need for long term health. You will need to get marine salt, Instant Ocean is a popular brand but there are others (check out the 'water' care sheet for full info).
Does it list the ingredients in that food? You are correct that many commercial foods contain preservatives that can be harmful over time, check the 'commercial food' care sheet for full info. You can feed crabs many of the same foods that we eat, and you are correct that a varied diet that includes protein and calcium daily is needed. Check the 'nutrition' care sheet for more info.
One you get the thermometer/ hygrometer, you will know if you need to make adjustments to the heat and/or lid to hold in humidity.
You are correct about the painted shells. HCA recommends 3 to 5 extra shells per crab, check the 'shells' care sheet for the proper shells to buy.

I'll chip in too:
What size tank are they in?
You may want to add some climbing vines, trees, and such to keep them active and interested. You also could get a hideout or two to give them a place to retreat when they feel scared. Hideouts also offer a great place to sleep.
It is very could that you are leaving them alone a lot because hermit crabs get easily stressed...

Good luck!

I agree with everyone else's advice. I see your cowl looks a Little titled, my crabs have burrowed under and accidentally...or to entertain themselves..made their pool spill out. I'd keep an eye on it since they like to burrow. I've since redid my tank so they cant redesign their pools lol. Not telling you to do that just watch it, it's a mess if it happens lol.mine like cholla logs but I have to plug the sides sometimes because my Lil guy insist on getting stuck inside. I thought I was being crazy and just working over nothing..until I had to cut the log to remove him. He kept wedging the shell into a hole lol i just shove a fake plant in if the opening is large. They have great food list on here and online. I offer mine cuddlebone, I think they have some in bird section of petstores but make sure it's actually cuttlebone. Then again I've heard diff. Ppl offer diff advice on flavor cuttlebone bone. I personally don't give them the flavored bird kind, just reg cuddle. Also egg shells work well to. I grind some up and I also serve them fresh veggies,honey,shrimp fruit, and other food inside an eggshell. I give mine a variety of stuff. Def check out the list of foods. They also have places that make hermit food. I leave mine a shell of store home made food and at night put fresh stuff in, then remove fresh stuff each morning. They also have a list of stores on here. The one I use isn't expensive. It's great you care so much! You will be a wonderful hermit mom, I am sure. I use sand and coconut fiber but that's just my preference, everyone is diff. And it looks like you have a deep substrate for them to enjoy. Amazon has the temp amd humidh gadge cheap. You can get one for 5 bucks. I keep two to make sure I get the right result but you def. don't need to do that. Def. Do need the temp and humidity reader though. That is important

Hi, I'm a bit late to the conversation. I noticed you are in Australia. I know some of the things we can easily get in the US isn't available where you are. @aussieJJDude is one of our admins and is also located in Australia. He can probably give some good tips on what is available and where to purchase it there.

I know shipping is rather expensive for supplies about $30 USD for up to 2 KG. I have heard Australia is also pretty strict with importing some food items as well. We recently shipped some decor items to someone there. The package is still in transit three weeks later.

Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were in Australia. I apologize.

Hi everyone! Thank you all so much for your advice! Yes being in Australia I’ve had to find the equivalents to products that have been recommended and I think they’re good substitutes.
I’ve since added some branches that they LOVE to climb, started using proper aquarium salt for their pool and omnivore mix for their food. I give them cuttlebone pieces and I have had one successful moult! I have been monitoring humidity which sits at 99% and the temperature is usually around 18-22 degrees, they have heat mats that they like to burrow near at times but they come up to eat and explore every now and then.
I absolutely love my hermies, I feel like I’ve got the hang of this now! Couldn’t be happier with these precious little guys!
PS: I’m aware that one of my hermies is in a painted shell and this is not ideal, when he changes shells next I’ll be removing it and putting more natural shells in.




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Alaina wrote:I agree with everyone else's advice. I see your cowl looks a Little titled, my crabs have burrowed under and accidentally...or to entertain themselves..made their pool spill out. I'd keep an eye on it since they like to burrow. I've since redid my tank so they cant redesign their pools lol. Not telling you to do that just watch it, it's a mess if it happens lol.mine like cholla logs but I have to plug the sides sometimes because my Lil guy insist on getting stuck inside. I thought I was being crazy and just working over nothing..until I had to cut the log to remove him. He kept wedging the shell into a hole lol i just shove a fake plant in if the opening is large. They have great food list on here and online. I offer mine cuddlebone, I think they have some in bird section of petstores but make sure it's actually cuttlebone. Then again I've heard diff. Ppl offer diff advice on flavor cuttlebone bone. I personally don't give them the flavored bird kind, just reg cuddle. Also egg shells work well to. I grind some up and I also serve them fresh veggies,honey,shrimp fruit, and other food inside an eggshell. I give mine a variety of stuff. Def check out the list of foods. They also have places that make hermit food. I leave mine a shell of store home made food and at night put fresh stuff in, then remove fresh stuff each morning. They also have a list of stores on here. The one I use isn't expensive. It's great you care so much! You will be a wonderful hermit mom, I am sure. I use sand and coconut fiber but that's just my preference, everyone is diff. And it looks like you have a deep substrate for them to enjoy. Amazon has the temp amd humidh gadge cheap. You can get one for 5 bucks. I keep two to make sure I get the right result but you def. don't need to do that. Def. Do need the temp and humidity reader though. That is important

It’s so funny that they tip their pools over!! Cheeky little things! Luckily mine have not done that yet, I tend to dig my bowls in a little so that they can’t get under very easily. They certainly push substrate into them though! And I will keep in mind not to have anything hollow they can get stuck in, that sounds terrifying!
I didn’t know you could get flavoured cuttlebone but I’m very cautious about using things that could potentially have ingredients that aren’t good for my crabs. These are my first hermies and I’m trying my best to give them the happiest, healthiest lives I can.


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Motörcrab wrote:Hi, I'm a bit late to the conversation. I noticed you are in Australia. I know some of the things we can easily get in the US isn't available where you are. @aussieJJDude is one of our admins and is also located in Australia. He can probably give some good tips on what is available and where to purchase it there.

I know shipping is rather expensive for supplies about $30 USD for up to 2 KG. I have heard Australia is also pretty strict with importing some food items as well. We recently shipped some decor items to someone there. The package is still in transit three weeks later.

Thank you for that, it’s true, in Australia we are pretty limited in what’s available (including the kind of pets you can get period!) And yes, importing anything can take quite a while. I’m just a little jealous!


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Lol I think I fixed the Lil buggers this time. I braced my pool area and it has less sand plus I doubled the pool..one in another. I'm actually worse with getting stuff in it lol. I'm always accidentally dropping moss or sand bits in when scooping. I'm a Lil jelly of your cuddle bone. I haven't seen that kind..now sure if it's a US thing but maybe I need to look harder here lol. They Def. Have such a personality and it gets bigger with time and comfort(in my experience) This site has been a wonderful place if you ever need to know anything or want to share. I'm glad I came across it. I've had crabs on and off throughout my life. It I could have learned more in a day from the ppl here vs a lifetime of internet and merchants. I'm sure your crabbies are loving the new climbing gear. Just keep an eye for the water for spills, spot clean and remove poop (when needed), esp with all coconut fiber so it don't mold and/or I think they call it bacteria blooms. I have to have more sand in my mix but that's because of biggie claws. I'm so excited for you. Keep us all updated!

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Looking at your purchases the Aquarium Salt you purchased is for freshwater fish. In the US we have that same brand in the same box too. It's safe to use,but doesn't contain all the elements ocean salts contain.

Be sure the salt you use is labeled for saltwater aquariums, or marine use.

Here is the HCA's guide to waters. It should help you find what you need and explain everything in more detail than most of us can in a post.
https://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB ... 27&t=92553

Motörcrab wrote:Looking at your purchases the Aquarium Salt you purchased is for freshwater fish. In the US we have that same brand in the same box too. It's safe to use,but doesn't contain all the elements ocean salts contain.

Be sure the salt you use is labeled for saltwater aquariums, or marine use.

Here is the HCA's guide to waters. It should help you find what you need and explain everything in more detail than most of us can in a post.
https://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB ... 27&t=92553

Oh no! Okay I’ll have a read. I don’t want them missing out on anything they’d need.

Just a quick update - I’ve ordered a 65L tank and a whole bunch of fun sculptures and plants for them to climb on. The current tank is fine to start but I can see they would really benefit from more space. Especially since we brought a whole bunch of new shells straight from the beach and they will need the space to conduct a proper inspection!


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Motörcrab wrote:Looking at your purchases the Aquarium Salt you purchased is for freshwater fish. In the US we have that same brand in the same box too. It's safe to use,but doesn't contain all the elements ocean salts contain.

Be sure the salt you use is labeled for saltwater aquariums, or marine use.

Here is the HCA's guide to waters. It should help you find what you need and explain everything in more detail than most of us can in a post.
https://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB ... 27&t=92553

Okay I had a good read and done some searching - this is one of the brands that was listed and it looks like it contains the right stuff. The buckets are so big they’ll probably last a lifetime!


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Thats what you need! I looked it up on the website from your picture. It's amazing how quickly you can go through the salt if you change the water every few days.
We found its way easier to mix a gallon, or several, at a time. We have 7 tanks so we use about a gallon each time we change out waters. With only one crabitat a gallon will probably last you close to a month depending on the size of your pool of course!


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