What Is the Proper Hermit Crab Habitat?
If you are considering purchasing a hermit crab you are going to want to establish a hermit crab habitat in your home. You need to ensure that you new pet is going to be cared for properly and you want to do this by making sure that its home is correct. This article will explore the proper habitat for your new pet. This will make your crab happy.
The hermit crab actually comes from tropical different regions of the world such as Australia and the Caribbean. They are generally found near the shore line and they tend to come out at night rather than during the day. You will find that each one often has its own personality and they may be active or very shy. You will come to learn more about your crab the longer you have it.
As you prepare to make the hermit crabs home you are going to want to find a ten gallon tank (or larger) that has a lid or a screen to go over the top of it. A general rule to keep in mind is that the tank needs to be at least one gallon per one inch of your crab. Therefore, you may want to find out how large your crab is before you purchase a tank. You may also want to find out how big your crab is going to get when it has reached maturity. This will also help you determine what size tank you will need.
You are then going to purchase new shells to keep in your hermit crab habitat. These need to be one size larger than the current shell. This is going to provide a place for the hermit crab to hide if they are shy. You will also want to have several things that your crab can climb on while they are in the tank. You want your crab to be well exercised and stay active.
Purchase sand or pebbles for your crab to walk on. You will want there to be a bed of this approximately three inches deep in the tank. You can not let the humidity in the tank drop below 70%. This is going to keep your pet from becoming dehydrated and help with the molting process. Temperatures in the tank need to remain between 70 and 80 degrees. Finally, you will want two separated dishes of water left in the tank. One dish is going to be filled with fresh water and the other will have salt water. It is very important to remember that you do not want the water in either dish to be deeper than one half inch. This will help ensure that your crab will not drown.
As you can see, developing the proper hermit crab habitat is very easy and does not take much time at all. Feeding is usually not an issue either as they eat pellets of crab food. You are going to want to crush these before you give them to your crab and you are going to want to feed it every night. These interesting creatures are very low maintenance and can be a great way to help your child learn how to care for a pet before you move onto dogs and cats.
Be sure that you have everything you need before you purchase your new pet. Purchase the tank and new shells early so that you can create the hermit crab habitat before you get it. You will want to also be sure to purchase a thermometer to keep in the tank to keep the temperature at an accurate level. You can speak to someone at the pest store about the best way to measure humidity in the tank. This is important to help your crab stay healthy and happy.
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