New Hermit Crab... What Do I Need To Know?

[TheChad]

Hey all,

My wife just brought home a hermit crab, I know hermit move to new shells when they grow, How many shells should I put in the tank, and is there a way to know when or how long it will be untill they need one?

Is there anything else about a hermit crab I should know?


Thanks,

-TheChad

 

[tjara03]

What kind of hermit crab is it??

 

[TheChad]

He is a Scarlet Hermit Crab

-TheChad

 

[stainless_wm]

I have a related question. I have had crabs for a few months now, (he he) One of them moved into a new shell a while back and he is getting big. I had a few of them die off, people mentioned that they might be fighting for real estate (bigger shells)

My question is, where can a guy buy empty shells so that his hermit crabs can upgrade and be happy?


As for what you need to know, I am a new guy, and dont know a whole lot. But, they seem to be pretty self-sustaining. they crawl all over everything, eating. There are really no lighting requirements, or special needs. At least I havnt given them any special care.

 

[stainless_wm]

Actually a quick google search for "hermit crab shells" found some pretty good results for both of our questions. it looks like there are a few places that sell shells, but I am not sure if these are for specific crabs or not.

http://www.seashellcity.com/hermitcrabs.html

 

[Choas]

I buy my Shells From Dr. foster and Smith. They came in really quick and I liked the size of them http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1756

 

[zenn]

I have about 40 blue and red hermits in my tank and I dropped about 20-30 empty shells in for them. THey've slowly started using these shells.

Otherwise, i don't do much with my hermits. They scavange the floor which i what i want them to do(clean up crew). They get all the left overs after the fish have fed. THe only hermits that have die on me were actually killed by a malicious rock crab that hitchhiked on my LR. That rock crab has since been removed and i've not seen another dead hermit since. So I don't really think you need to feed them or pay any special attention to them.

 

[TheChad]

My question is, where can a guy buy empty shells so that his hermit crabs can upgrade and be happy?

Saltwaterfish.com Sell's Hermit Crab Shells, 50 Shells for $7.99, and 100 shells for $10.99

-TheChad

 

[tecwzrd]

Just about every lfs I've been in that sells SW fish have tons of shells that they usually will sell 10 for $1 or less. Just ask, they may even give you a few for free

 

[SJSobczyk]

Try any craft store. Make sure you get the unwaxed shells!

Steve