Okayso, im a new hermit crab owner!!
I got him when i was in vacation in New Jersy (2 days ago)
His name is Sunny, lol.
I have a few Questions about him =]
1. Can i use a Newly bought dish sponge as the sponge in his cage?
2. Whats the best lining to use for his cage: Sand, Paper Scraps, Gravel or Pebbles?
3. How big should his cage be?
4. Can i use a Shoe box as his cage?
5. Where should I Keep him in my house?
6. How do i Bathe Him?
7. Where do i get shells for him? (When he searches for a new shell)
Answers:
Congrats on the hermit.
1) No. Dish sponges have chemicals in them (soaps, antibacteria agents) and aren't suitable for use with any aquatic animals. You need to use a natural sea sponge. Most of those rectangular dish sponges that you get in the multiple packs are made of cellulose, and are bronken down by bacteria too quickly.
2) I like shredded coconut fiber for them (look for EcoEarth or Bed-A-Beast in pet stores), although you can also use sand. The paper would get wet and end up as mush, and pebbles will probably be too large. Hermits need to burrow when the molt, so the substrate needs to be deep enough so they can be completely covered.
3) This will depend a little on the size of the hermit, but by the time it's an adult, I wouldn't suggest anything smaller than a 20 gallon aquarium.
4) Only for a short time. This won't hold an adult crab, nor will there be enough room for all the things he needs.
5) You could keep him anywhere, but they like conditions that are warm and humid, but where the temperature won't fluctuate too much. This means a heater for them if the room isn't regularly 76o or so. You might not want to have him in your bedroom, because they tend to be active at night, so if you're a light sleeper, he may keep you awake.
6) You can just soak him in dechlorinated water for a few minures a few times each week, but it's better to provide a water dish deep enough that the can bathe themselves. This should only be about 1/2 inch deep (maybe even less if he's small) and in a container that he can easily climb in and out of so he doesn't drown.
7) Pet stores sell shells for them. You want one with an opening just a little larger than what he's in now. It's even better to get a few, so he can decide for himself which he likes best.
Some things you don't mention, but you should also know:
Hermits need to have two water dishes, one with dechlorinated freshwater, and one of saltwater (seawater strength).
Hermits do better when there's more than one.
Some info for you on keeping hermits:
http://www.hermit-crabs.com/
http://www.thecrabbagepatch.com/...
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/php...
1.) it's better to buy a sponge that's made for hermit crabs. dish sponges are often treated with soap, or have soap in them. not safe for crabs at all!
2.) sand is best. or have a mixture of jungle bedding or bed-a-beast on one half and sand on the other. they burrow in sand a LOT easier than gravel
3.) they're not the most energetic animals ever... did you find this hermit crab or did you buy it? if it's captive bred, you could get away with a smaller terrarium. if it's wild, it might be best to put it back, since it has 500 miles to roam around every day, confining it to a small box will probably stress it out. but maybe get a 5 gallon at least. also, put the square chickenwire fence up on one side (if you want) it'll climb up and just hang there, its kind of cute!
4.) NOOOOOO
5.) away from windows or drafts. in winter, maybe consider buying a heat lamp with a lower wattage of heat bulb, not a regular house lamp with a white 60 watt bulb, but an actual heat lamp with porcelin so it wont melt. but it may not be a bad idea anyway, since they're from more humid areas like florida and australia spray the terrarium with a spray bottle and regular water to keep the humidity up.
6.) you can buy a hermit crab salt for them to bathe in. set up a seperate dish for the salt water different from its drinking water.
7.) a lot of pet stores will sell them or if you live by a beach or something, maybe find one there, just make sure that shell doesn't already have a home! one way to kinda tell if it's getting ready to move, look at the "hole" in the shell, where the hermit crab lives, if its claws and legs are hanging out, that shell's getting too small, just put a bigger one in. it's better to put a couple bigger ones in, so it can pick and choose which one it likes.
hermit crabs can live up to 10 years, so good luck with yours!
1. I don't know about the sponge, but I would just buy a sponge from the pet store to be safe.
2. Sand would be my choice
3. A 10 gallon tank makes a good starter home for a hermit crab
4. A shoe box in my opinion would be too small for a hermit crab to roam freely and be comfy, and you also need food dishes and all that stuff, which would really limit his space if he lived in a shoe box.
5.His temperature should always be no lower then 72 degrees and it should be pretty humid in there, so keep him in a warmer place.
6. All I know about bathing hermit crabs is that its pretty stressful sometimes, so you will have to decide dor yourself if you want to bathe him.
7.Shells can be found at any good pet store.
Hermit crabs like sand as the substrate in their cage that way they can bury themselves if need be. I would say cage should be 10gallon for a few hermit crabs with lots of things to climb (hermit crabs love to climb). Yes you can use the sponge this will help with humidity which will help him breath since they have gills not lungs. A shoe box as a cage will not work they need a tank with a proper lid so they don't get out. Also to keep the humidity in. You get shells eighter on line or from a pet store ( i bought mine on line they are cheaper). You should keep your hermit crab in the warmest part of your house they need the temperature in the 80's. Have fun with your new hermit crab they make great pets.
1) You can use a dish spinge as long as you haven't used any soap or chemicals on it
2) Gravel that you would use for a fish tank is the best. Do not use paper scraps
3) The cage should be about the size of shoebox
-Don't use a shoebox
5) Keep him in a room 70-85 degrees but its ok if its less
6) Bath in luke warm water about once a week of every other week
7) Shells can be found anywhere where they sell the crabs
hope this helped and I !love! the name
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