I was wondering what else should I add or change? I want to convince them that crabs actually do need this care.
Here are some tips on owning a happy & healthy hermit crab:)
Hermit crab experts all agree that the seller of the hermit crabs doesn't not tell the correct information to the buyer. The things below are correct.
Hermit crabs make great pets and you will enjoy watching these critters!
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Spacing: hermit crabs NEED to have enough room in their aquarium or they might die and/or eat each other. Depending on the size, hermit crabs need about 5 gallons. If they are about the size of your hand they will need more space.
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Food: Hermit crabs are omnivores so they can eat things like fruits, veggies, & unseasoned meats. But all should not have any pesticides. For a complete list on what they eat check out hermitcrabassociation.com's safe food list. There are also some places online where you can buy dried food that you can use for hermit crabs that will be listed at the bottom. Make sure your hermit crabs always have enough protein & calcium, especially when they come up from a molt. (Molting explained below)
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Hiding/Climbing: Hermit crabs need things to climb/hide in. Like with climbing you can use cholla, drift, & cork wood. You can get all of those at the pet store in the reptile section or online (websites at bottom) For hiding you can get use coconut huts, you can find those online or make your own(search it up on YouTube)
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Plants: For plants in your hermit crabs tank you can use fake plants from the petstore in the fish or reptile section. You can also do live plants but there are only a few crab safe ones. You should include at least 1 fake or real plant.
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Water: hermit crabs need 2 bowls a saltwater & a freshwater. And they both have to be deep enough that your crabs can fully submerge but make sure they have a way to get out buy making a ramp or putting some shells in. To make saltwater get instant ocean from the petstore or online. For freshwater you can use bottled water or tap water. Just make sure to dechlorinate the tap water. Do not use sponges in their aquarium as they will carry harmful bacteria.
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Shells: Hermit crabs need at least 3 shells per crab that they can change into. DO NOT GET PAINTED SHELLS. They will chip off into their invirement and they might eat it. You can get shells off some websites that I will comment below at the end of this. You can also find some shells at petstores, & craft stores. Most hermit crabs will prefer the turbo type of shell.
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Substrate: hermit crabs will molt underground so you need to have atleast 6 inches of coconut fiber or sand. You can get eco-earth (coconut-fiber) for about 5 dollars a block at the petstore. You can get sand at lowes for 5 dollars a 50 pound bag. It is recommended to do a ratio of 5:1. The 5 as sand and the1 as Eco-earth. If the crab every happens to molt on the surface cut a soda bottle and cover the crab so no other crab can get to it and eat it.
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Humidity & Heat: Hermit crabs need humidity and heat to be 75-80% you can get a gauge at the pets store to measure this. To keep heat you will need a UTH or a lamp. If you get a UTH do not stick it under the crabitat. Stick it on the side. To keep humidity spray the tank with dechlorinated water or you can use a humidifier.
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Molting: as mentioned in the substrate part, hermit crabs need 6+ inches to molt, more depending on the size. Molting is when a hermit crab goes underground and sheds it's skin to grow bigger. During the molting time crabs are very vulnerable so make sure no hermit crabs dig down towards it. If you have any emergencies please direct message me on Instagram which I will put below.
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Is your hermit crab a male or female?: check the underside of your crab when it is out of its shell check the last pair of legs. If there is a dot on each back leg those are called gonopores and it is a female. If it doesn't have them it's a male.
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Places you can go for shells, food,& supplies online
The hermit crab patch
Alaska hermit
Naples sea shells
Hugsforhermits(on eBay)
Deltona sea shells
Livehermitcrabs.com
