# Hermit crabs



## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

I've been thinking about getting a few hermit crabs. From preliminary research I understand for 3 I'd need a 15 gallon tank with sand, a heater, fresh and salt water, and to monitor the humidity. Has anyone kept hermies? Pros and cons?


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## charliegill110 (May 19, 2014)

Tealight03 said:


> I've been thinking about getting a few hermit crabs. From preliminary research I understand for 3 I'd need a 15 gallon tank with sand, a heater, fresh and salt water, and to monitor the humidity. Has anyone kept hermies? Pros and cons?


my family kept hermit crabs when i was young. they were really interesting to watch but ours died kind of often because we didn't know what we were doing and the internet wasn't quite a thing yet so alls we could go on was pet store advice. their molting is a definite con. when ours molted they half buried there molted claws (and possibly the legs? can't remember if they molted the legs too) so it was kind of gross having to dig out body parts. 

we had one hermit crab that would sleep with his claw hanging out of the shell, so i used to take a clean dry paint brush and tickle his claw and he would snap it shut, it was pretty cute. oh also sometimes it was kind of hard to tell if they had died or were just molting. i remember my favorite and last hermit crab "died" and i was so heart broken i couldn't bring myself to break down the tank, so about a week later i'm staring at the tank and all of a sudden his shell started moving, it turned out he was just molting. 

if you have any questions i can try to answer them


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

Molting does sound traumatic. Lots to still think about.


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## charliegill110 (May 19, 2014)

well its not that bad if you don't mind cleaning up molted crab parts. if you don't mind that i think they would be a good pet.


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## SplashyBetta (Jul 28, 2014)

In my experience they eat most of the molted parts.^^


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## charliegill110 (May 19, 2014)

SplashyBetta said:


> In my experience they eat most of the molted parts.^^


really? mine never did that. but i don't know if the parts were left in there long enough for them to be eaten.


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## rubbie5837 (Dec 22, 2014)

I had 2 for a very short time. I wasn't informed about all their requirements, nor the creepy noises that they made. I ended up with nocturnal ones and the hissing scared me to death. I swore there was a snake in the house. They were kinda cute though. I wasn't able to meet their requirements, so I rehomed them. They were an extremely impulsive buy. Like literally, I was walking around the mall, saw them and was like "oh! I want them!" My last gerbil died, so I had an empty tank and didn't want to go through the loss of another gerbil, so I bought them. So, yeah. Not very smart. But all I can say is to do as much reasearch as possible from as many sources as you can find and see if you are able and willing to meet their requirements.


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

Thanks for all the replies. I think I read somewhere the hissing is a sign of a fight? That would immensely creep me out. I'll try to look into that more. If it's normal that would be a deal breaker. More so than the molting. 

I want them impulsively but want to make sure I do my homework so I know they're a good fit.


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## rubbie5837 (Dec 22, 2014)

Yeah. It completely caught me off guard. I didn't even know that they made any noises. So when I heard it in my room in the middle of the night, it scared the crap out of me. I was afraid to leave my bed for fear I was going to step on a snake. So after I finally figured out where it was coming from, they had to find a new home the next morning.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

There is a Hermit Crab Association you might want to check out.


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## charliegill110 (May 19, 2014)

rubbie5837 said:


> I had 2 for a very short time. I wasn't informed about all their requirements, nor the creepy noises that they made. I ended up with nocturnal ones and the hissing scared me to death. I swore there was a snake in the house. They were kinda cute though. I wasn't able to meet their requirements, so I rehomed them. They were an extremely impulsive buy. Like literally, I was walking around the mall, saw them and was like "oh! I want them!" My last gerbil died, so I had an empty tank and didn't want to go through the loss of another gerbil, so I bought them. So, yeah. Not very smart. But all I can say is to do as much reasearch as possible from as many sources as you can find and see if you are able and willing to meet their requirements.


that is exactly how i got mine! there was a kiosk at the mall. from what i remember that kiosk was short lived. i never heard my hermits hiss though.


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

Yes I've looked at the association. Lots of good information. I might go see if Petco has any just to check them out in person.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

The Hernit Crab Association is an EXCELLENT place to get hermit crab info! Super reccomended, its where I learned pretty much every thing I know now.
I have 9- 4 purple pinchers (the most commen/easy to care for species) and 5 ecudorians (may have spelled that wrong)- in a 20 long. Had them for about... 2 or 3 years now? I started almost the same way- bought a couple in a wire cage at a little store on the boardwalk at my trip to New Jersey. Didn't know a thing about them. Well, when one of them died, i went online to try to find out why. Boy, did I see what i was doing wrong! It was a long process, but now they are in their well-set-up tank.

While molting is a very important part of their life, I woudn't worry about is TOO much. They should bury themselves for it, and they almost always eat their molted parts (to gain back the nutrients they lost). If they dont bury themsleves, well thats a suface molt. Its stressful for them- you have to make sure you know what you need to do in case that happens. Its never happened to me, so far.

They're fairely easy to care for- I'd say about the same difficulty as an average fish tank. They're fun, quirky little guys. I reccomend getting the biggest tank possible- they're addicting! Plus, it gives you more room to design their tank. I'm always wishing for a bigger tank.

A drawback is that they can be very shy, and they're also noctornal, which means you might not get to observe they're behavior a whole lot.

Despite those points though, I reccomend them. Just make sure you do plenty of research first. If you have any questions about them, just ask! :3


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## Laurenie (Aug 5, 2010)

I highly recommend joining the Hermit Crab Owners FB group and at least reading the Care Guide and related documents available under the group files section. https://www.facebook.com/groups/itsacrabthing/


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## Obi1Goosie2043 (Oct 22, 2013)

Hey guys! I am also into hermit crab care and keeping. I have had Hermit Crabs for at least 6 months now. I currently have my crabs in a 20 gallon long, but tomorrow, I am upgrading them to a 66.6 gallon tank, because someone informed me online that my tank was too small for 11 crabs.So It took me a few months, but I can finally afford to get a new tank. I went online and found one for 60$! Pretty good deal! It's used thought. But in still good condition.
I was just wondering, how many crabs can you fit into a 66 gallon tank? I am thinking of maybe getting five more? What do you think?


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## SplashyBetta (Jul 28, 2014)

Obi1Goosie2043 said:


> Hey guys! I am also into hermit crab care and keeping. I have had Hermit Crabs for at least 6 months now. I currently have my crabs in a 20 gallon long, but tomorrow, I am upgrading them to a 66.6 gallon tank, because someone informed me online that my tank was too small for 11 crabs.So It took me a few months, but I can finally afford to get a new tank. I went online and found one for 60$! Pretty good deal! It's used thought. But in still good condition.
> I was just wondering, how many crabs can you fit into a 66 gallon tank? I am thinking of maybe getting five more? What do you think?


Depends on the crabs' size. Of course crabs grow, so you will likely have to upgrade again, but not for a few years at least. What size are they? Like, inches across when standing?


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## Obi1Goosie2043 (Oct 22, 2013)

SplashyBetta said:


> Depends on the crabs' size. Of course crabs grow, so you will likely have to upgrade again, but not for a few years at least. What size are they? Like, inches across when standing?


I am not sure what their sizes are. My small ones are like the size of a quarter and my medium crabs are big enough where they fit in the palm of my hand. That's the best description I can give you for their sizes. I don't a tape measurement on me...  
I just want to get a couple of more. Maybe four more? Five? Would 16 crabs be okay in a 66 gallon tank?> i will stop there of course. And I will also upload my new tank and show pictures of it. I am getting it tomorrow.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

Perhaps this page could help? http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=92541&sid=64977708691e61394ca5f4ce22723306 /
It seems like your biggest ones are medium/large sized? So, for around sixteen crabs similar sized or smaller... a 40 breeder would be good minimally. So a 66 gallon should have plenty of space! Man, you're lucky, I only have a measly 20 long.... have fun furnishing that tank!


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## Obi1Goosie2043 (Oct 22, 2013)

THATDragonLovesBettas said:


> Perhaps this page could help? http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=92541&sid=64977708691e61394ca5f4ce22723306 /
> It seems like your biggest ones are medium/large sized? So, for around sixteen crabs similar sized or smaller... a 40 breeder would be good minimally. So a 66 gallon should have plenty of space! Man, you're lucky, I only have a measly 20 long.... have fun furnishing that tank!


I did have a 20 gallon long too. I didn't pay full price for this tank though. I got a really good deal on kijiji and bought a used reptile tank for 60$. The tanks in stores are way too expensive and I could never afford them. if you want to upgrade, my best solution would try kijiji! But thanks for the comment!


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## BubblesTheBlueBetta (Jul 15, 2015)

Should I get some?? I've heard how some of the pet stores capture them from the wild, and I don't want to support a company that does that.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

All pet store hermit crabs are wild caught, because breeding in captivity is extremely difficult. Crabs will usually only lay their eggs in the ocean. I would say try to find a pet store that treats their crabs well. A couple inches of sand, salt and fresh water, extra shells. Of course, if you're seriously interested in hermit crabs, do plenty of research before getting them.


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## BubblesTheBlueBetta (Jul 15, 2015)

Aw. That's sad, but understandable. Do you know any common stores that take good care of their hermies?


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

Try googling hermit crab rescue. There are a few out there. Not in my area unfortunately. There is also a facebook page and people can post hermi es they want to rehome. There's also craigslist.


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## BubblesTheBlueBetta (Jul 15, 2015)

Ok. They don't have any in my area either. :-(


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