| Hermit crabs are increasingly becoming popular pet | | | | adventurous escapes. |
| options. Today you can find a lot of people enjoying | | | | Maintain a warm temperature in the enclosure. It |
| having them as pets and taking good care of them. | | | | is highly recommended not to place the tank close to |
| These crabs belong to the family of crustaceans. In | | | | a window or under direct sunlight to avoid getting the |
| contrast to the normal crabs, these creatures have a | | | | enclosure too hot for them to handle. |
| vulnerable and soft abdomen. As a protective | | | | Create the ideal substrate |
| measure, they live in abandoned marine animal shells. | | | | Ideally, the substrate in the hermit crab habitat must |
| They often take their house wherever they go to. If | | | | be made of coconut fiber and sand. Remember to |
| they outgrow the shell they are living in, they | | | | grind the fiber to a fine powder before filling the |
| venture out looking for new homes. There is | | | | tank. This substrate enables your pets to burrow |
| sometimes fierce competition among them for shells. | | | | with ease and is also very easy to clean and maintain. |
| If you have a hermit crab as a pet, it is important to | | | | Alternately, you can also use crushed coral. Take |
| ensure that you provide them with a good hermit | | | | care not to use wood chips or gravel as this could |
| crab habitat. | | | | hurt them. |
| There are five hundred different species of hermit | | | | Maintain the right levels of humidity |
| crabs. Some of them are terrestrial and some aquatic. | | | | The hermit crab habitat must have the right humidity |
| Terrestrial crabs are predominantly found in the | | | | level at all times. Even on land, they breathe with the |
| tropics and the aquatic crabs live in shallow waters. | | | | help of modified gills. In order to ensure that they do |
| When the popular myth that they will not survive for | | | | not suffocate due to extra dry gills, it is essential to |
| long in captivity was broken, they were popularly | | | | provide enough moisture for them to breathe |
| sought after by people as pets. It is found that | | | | comfortably. The most preferred relative humidity |
| under proper conditions these crabs can live for even | | | | level is between 70 and 80 percent. |
| up to thirty years as pets. | | | | Temperature level in their habitat |
| As you purchase your pet hermit crabs and are | | | | To ensure that your pet is healthy and happy, the |
| looking to create an ideal habitat for them, there are | | | | temperature of its habitat must be maintained |
| a few aspects to be considered. | | | | between 72 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Very high |
| They indulge in a lot of climbing and moving | | | | temperatures could damage your crab forever and |
| around and therefore need a lot of space. | | | | continuous exposure to low temperatures will slow |
| Avoid plastic enclosures and use aquarium tanks. | | | | their metabolism rate making them weak and sluggish. |
| Ideally a ten gallon aquarium tank is enough for two | | | | Taking care of the above aspects, create the ideal |
| medium sized crabs. | | | | hermit crab habitat and ensure you provide a safe |
| Make sure to keep the lid of the enclosure | | | | and comfortable home for your pets. |
| tightly sealed as these creatures are famed for their | | | | |