Hey everyone, i have a Land hermit crab, thats what my LFS called it. I bought 2 and i did a search for more info and everyone elses hermitcrabs are in water, i was told not to put them in water b/c they can drown, just had a sponge for drinking. Anyone have any tips for Land Hermits. I have a 2.5g terraium. Soft sand substrate. Food dish and water dish w/sponge and extra shells for new homes. I read that Land crabs like to climb, the tank they had the bunch in at the LFS had a tree with fake vines, and many where on the branchs and clinging on the vines. My tank is to small to add climbing decor but they lid and the top half of tha tank had a series of slits that the crabs use to climb on.
Hermit Crab
- Thread starter Stix87
- Start date
Rex and Alvin - Comic Book Crazy Crabs
When I was a kid back in the 70s the ad in all the comics was for "Crazy Crabs" ("land hermit crabs). I'd never seen such a thing and it was new. Begged Mom to get me one! I ordered two and figured since they must be tiny (like the sea ones on the beach) I'd get the large size.
In the mailbox a few weeks later came in a little box all cartoon-decorated. I opened up the box and two "monsters" were inside packed with a wet sponge and salad fixings - big, purple brutes in tiger-striped snail shells! WOW COOL thought I! Each one was a good three inches wide. I kept one and called "him" Rex, and the other I gave to my best friend, who named "him" Alvin.
Rex lived a couple years, as did Alvin. I fed Rex pretty much anything normal for people food - veggies, bits of meat, etc. The few times he pinched definitely hurt like heck! O lept him in a 10 gallon tank that had about 4 inches of potting soil in it and several wood branches. I made a house out of lego blocks. He spent a lot of time in the lego house as well as exploring his abode and climbing. The soil was well-packed and Rex loved to dig down into it and tunnel little burrows. After awhile he developed some unknown white-ishness on his legs, lost his large pincer, and two of his legs over time. Alvin didn't suffer so.
Very easy pet to care for, and pretty docile. bashful until they get used to being handled, but will crawl around in your hands, up your arm, etc. In the wild they do climb a lot. They only go to the sea once a year or so for breeding, and cannot live under water for more than an hour or so.
In the 90s I took my family to the Seattle Aquarium and they had new exhibit about coconut crabs! I found out many of these "land hermits" are really of this species. Given they grow big enough and are of this stock, you will definitely have a real monster of a crab.
Enjoy your crab! Make sure you find shells with openings somewhat larger than the current one. These guys do grow and will want to look for new houses on occasion. They actually measure new homes with their antennae, using them like a ruler to see if the size is right for moving into.
When I was a kid back in the 70s the ad in all the comics was for "Crazy Crabs" ("land hermit crabs). I'd never seen such a thing and it was new. Begged Mom to get me one! I ordered two and figured since they must be tiny (like the sea ones on the beach) I'd get the large size.
In the mailbox a few weeks later came in a little box all cartoon-decorated. I opened up the box and two "monsters" were inside packed with a wet sponge and salad fixings - big, purple brutes in tiger-striped snail shells! WOW COOL thought I! Each one was a good three inches wide. I kept one and called "him" Rex, and the other I gave to my best friend, who named "him" Alvin.
Rex lived a couple years, as did Alvin. I fed Rex pretty much anything normal for people food - veggies, bits of meat, etc. The few times he pinched definitely hurt like heck! O lept him in a 10 gallon tank that had about 4 inches of potting soil in it and several wood branches. I made a house out of lego blocks. He spent a lot of time in the lego house as well as exploring his abode and climbing. The soil was well-packed and Rex loved to dig down into it and tunnel little burrows. After awhile he developed some unknown white-ishness on his legs, lost his large pincer, and two of his legs over time. Alvin didn't suffer so.
Very easy pet to care for, and pretty docile. bashful until they get used to being handled, but will crawl around in your hands, up your arm, etc. In the wild they do climb a lot. They only go to the sea once a year or so for breeding, and cannot live under water for more than an hour or so.
In the 90s I took my family to the Seattle Aquarium and they had new exhibit about coconut crabs! I found out many of these "land hermits" are really of this species. Given they grow big enough and are of this stock, you will definitely have a real monster of a crab.
Enjoy your crab! Make sure you find shells with openings somewhat larger than the current one. These guys do grow and will want to look for new houses on occasion. They actually measure new homes with their antennae, using them like a ruler to see if the size is right for moving into.
hewheheh
Very entertaining story. I have a similar one. Back in the 90's my family and i would always take trips to Mertal Beach, S.C. They have alot of toruist shops that sells shirts, cheesy keychanges, and surf boards, and ofcourse hermit crabs. Every time we went down to the shore id ask my mom to buy me a crab. They always died 2 weeks l8ter, i never knew what to do with them. The last 2 had, before i bought these two. One male died and/or was killed over night and the female moved into his shell. I guess it was survival of the fittest. Now im more knowledgeable about pets and sea creatures.
Fish-Head Aric said:
Very entertaining story. I have a similar one. Back in the 90's my family and i would always take trips to Mertal Beach, S.C. They have alot of toruist shops that sells shirts, cheesy keychanges, and surf boards, and ofcourse hermit crabs. Every time we went down to the shore id ask my mom to buy me a crab. They always died 2 weeks l8ter, i never knew what to do with them. The last 2 had, before i bought these two. One male died and/or was killed over night and the female moved into his shell. I guess it was survival of the fittest. Now im more knowledgeable about pets and sea creatures.
I've kept a wide variety of "tank based" life forms.... some water, some land. I enjoy all sorts of pets.
Have owned a lot of fish over the years, hermit crabs, tarantulas, an iquana from hell, a leopard gecko, a giant Pacific salamander (kept this monstrous amphibian after finding him in the woods, for 3 months through a winter and then released, later discovered he was a threatened species), and the list goes on and on.
Have had relatively few unnatural casualties, and do my best to recreate the environments of the beasties I own.
Have owned a lot of fish over the years, hermit crabs, tarantulas, an iquana from hell, a leopard gecko, a giant Pacific salamander (kept this monstrous amphibian after finding him in the woods, for 3 months through a winter and then released, later discovered he was a threatened species), and the list goes on and on.
Have had relatively few unnatural casualties, and do my best to recreate the environments of the beasties I own.
i have another question, MY LFS helped me pick out an extra shell for one of my hermits thats rather large for him shell. Should i put more thna shell in so they have a choice should the one be enough? its been 2 days and he still hasnt moved in, and when i say he's rather large, the only thing he can hide in the shell are his eyes, everythign else stick way out.
The short answer is yes, give them a couple of shells to pick from. It depends on what species of hermit crab you have- some, like my Ecuadorians are extremely picky and rarely change their shells. It is also a good idea to give them both a dish of fresh water and a dish of salt water in their cage. Just make up the salt water like you would for a saltwater aquarium. The crabs will adjust the water themselves to get the needed salinity in their shells. This is vital for saltwater crabs but apparently even freshwater crabs like to use a little of the salt water. If your crabs had the salt water available maybe they would be willing to change shells.
greendeltatke said:
Good call on the water issue! I completely "spaced out" about the sponge thing. The crabs do indeed need to have the water choice, and it's better in a dish. The sponge is really a difficult thing for them to get any real quantity of water from.
so i should take the sponge out and just have 2 shallow dishes of water one fresh and one salt? Good thing u said that about the same salt to make a saltwater tank b/c im dumb enough to add table salt into the dish :-*(
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com
Stix,
This is the hermit crab version of aquaria central. They can tell you better than us exactly how to take great care of your new pet.
Good luck!
Stix,
This is the hermit crab version of aquaria central. They can tell you better than us exactly how to take great care of your new pet.
Good luck!