Hermit Crab Food

---

Hermit crab food can be purchased at any local pet store. It is good to use a mixture of both the solid pellet and the powder. Include fresh fruits and veggies, but do not feed citrus to them. Crabs also need calcium, so always keep a bit of cuttlebone in the tank, away from the water. It is also a good idea to purchase sea salt at your local pet store and place a tiny bit in a corner for the crabs to eat if their bodies need it. The minerals are good for their exoskeleton.

Hermit Crab Water

---

You may read that it is good to completely submerge your crab in water every week or so for a good cleaning. This probably won’t hurt your crab, but we have found excessive water can hurt your crab if they don’t dry out properly. Strongpets has had the best luck by keeping a special hermit crab sponge saturated with water in the cage at all times. Simply wet the sponge twice a day and place it in a shallow dish. Do not leave standing water in your cage if there is a possibility of it tipping. Water can stand in the bottom, causing your crab to be too wet, which will kill him.

Tap water has chlorine in it, which is deposited on their gills and can harm them. Please use bottled (not distilled) fresh water.

Back to Hermit Crabs

Hermit Crab Cage

---

Hermit crabs do well in cages that have bars so they can climb for exercise. One that has a plastic bottom tray but bar sides will be perfect for your crab. Some people like to use fish tanks, which work just as well. You can use rocks in the bottom, but we like the special sand made especially for hermit crabs. You can get a variety of colors, including glow in the dark! Sand is better for quick scat and food cleanup since it is easy to find in the sand.

Your hermit crab loves to climb. You can purchase logs and sticks that work well, or place large beach shells (such as conch) or rocks in the cage for climbing purposes.

Shells

---

Hermit crabs need several different sized shells in their tank. As they grow, they will move from one shell to another. Have several sizes, starting from their own size and increasing ready for them in the tank.

Warmth

---

The temperature in your tank or cage should range from 65-85 degrees F. You can use a heat lamp to warm a side of the cage, or even a desk lamp to warm them for an hour or two. You may find they will climb to the top of the cage if you have a warm light to the side.