How To Keep Your Crab Alive

The first thing you should do to keep your crab alive is to create a perfect crabitat. A crabitat is a habitat for a hermit crab. These are things I used to make my crabitat.

First, I picked out a 10 gallon tank.

Second, I filled our tank with sand and coconut bark. One side had coconut bark mixed with sand. The other side had just sand. I did this so one side can be a wet side and the other can be a dry side. I mixed water with the coconut bark and sand side to make it moist. I had to make this substrate 3 inches deep to allow my hermit crabs enough space to tunnel down and molt.

Third, I picked out 2 water bowls. One for salt water and one for fresh water. I used dechlorinated water for both bowls because chlorine can kill the hermit crabs. I change the water bowls every other day to keep it fresh.

Fourth, I put two pieces of drift wood for the crabs to hide under and climb on top. I also added plants for them to hide under. I put a climbing wall in the back of the tank for them to climb on.

Fifth, I put a digital thermometer and hygrometer inside the tank to find out how warm and humid it is. The temperature should be between 72–82 degrees and the humidity should be 70–80 degrees. I keep it warm by using a moon light and a under tank heater I put on the side of the tank. I keep it humid by squirting dechlorinated water over the wet side of the tank. I also used damp moss to help with the humidity and moss also is a perfect fluffy bed for the crabs. I’ve seen Emma sitting in the moss many times.

Sixth, I use a large shell for a food dish. I feed them every night before I go to bed. Hermit crabs eat a variety of foods. So far I have fed them eggs, blueberries, lettuce leaves, sesame seeds, organic honey, organic peanut butter without salt, chicken, baby foods, steak, olive oil, almonds, strawberries, blood worms, pears, carrots, blackberries, bananas, apples, grapes and red bell pepper. Hermit crabs have a much better diet than me because I am very picky.

Seventh, I put in a piece of cuttlebone to give them the calcium they need.

Last, I put in 2 larger natural shells for each crab because they are picky with their shells and will change shells a lot.

If you follow these steps you will have happy, alive crabs. What would you put into a crabitat if you had a hermit crab?