Molting

Hermit Crabs shed their exoskeletons or "molt" about every 6 months or so. The number of times hermit crabs molt in a year (or more) depends on their size. Molting Hermit Crabs will bury themselves underneath the sand or hermit soil given to them, for days or weeks.

Do NOT handle, touch, or bathe your hermit crab while it is molting. Do not remove the exoskeleton of your hermit crab, because your crab needs to eat its' exoskeleton after its' molt to regain lost calcium. Once your hermit crab is done molting (usually you can tell a hermit crab is done molting by it's activity), you may remove the small leftover bits of its' exoskeleton.

Molting hermit crabs are often mistaken for dead hermit crabs. If you are unsure whether your hermit crab is molting or dead, smell it! If it has an offensive odor, it is most likely dead.

I hope this helped you on the care of your molting crab! If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, comment below or email me at splishsplashstyle@gmail.com

Anna :)

Question From Email

Hi everyone! This was a question I was sent in!

"I just bought my first hermit crab a few days ago... I heard that they like to be in pairs or more so i just bought it a friend lol. Also i just bought a 20 gallon tank and i was wondering how i could separate the sand from the water.. evertime i try to put water in an area where there is no sand, the sand around it absorbs it all.. Also do i sprinkle aquarium salt in with the water? I really have no idea what i am doing lol. Please help! :) thanks!" - KaydricsMommy

Well, first off that is great that you got your hermit crab a buddy! :) Hermit Crabs do MUCH better when they have a friend.

For the water, you could use a frisbee to hold the water, make a plexi glass pool glued with silicon (this can be rather difficult), or even use a pool like this:

http://www.herpsupplies.com/subcategory.cfm?id=7&sub=18.

You want to have both fresh water, and a separate source of salt water. Oceanic and Instant Ocean are both great brands to use, to make salt water for your hermit crabs. Read the directions on the back, which gives the measurements (for example, on the brand "Instant Salt" you add 1 tablespoon per cup of water). You then just pour in the salt into your "salt water pool".

I hope this helps! And if you have any more questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask!

Anna :)

How to: Pick out a healthy hermit crab!

When choosing your new pet hermit crab, you want to be sure it is healthy. Pet stores don't always have the best environment for their crabs, so its best to know the signs of a healthy hermit crabs before you buy one.

1. Make sure your local pet store does not have mites in it's hermit crab tank. If it does, go to a different pet store. (Unless, of course, you are able to/ready to isolate the hermit crab and get rid of he or she's mites).
2. Try to look for an active hermit crab, one that is scurrying around the tank. This almost always indicates that he or she is healthy.
3. When you hold the hermit crab, does he come out? Can you feel movement in his shell? This also indicates he or she is healthy.
4. If the hermit crab smells do not purchase it.

I hope this helps you, when picking out your hermit crab!

If you have any questions, or comments feel free to comments below - or email me at splishsplashstyle@gmail.com

What can I feed my Hermit Crabs?

• Turkey
• Chicken
• Seaweed
• Cereal
• Apples
• Peas
• Carrots
• Tuna
• Coconut
• Hot Dogs
• Peanut Butter
• Watermelon
• Mango
• Bananas
• Peaches
• Bread
• Kiwi
• Krill
• Green Beans
• Corn
• Barely
• Cherries
• Cucumber
• Salmon
• Squash
• Strawberries
• Nuts
• Sweet Potato
• Green Beans
• Crab Cuisine
• Almonds
• Pears
• Pineapple
• Eggs

And so much more!!

If you have questions, feel free to email them to splishsplashstyle@gmail.com or to comment below!

How to: Add a second-level to your tank!

Adding a second level to a tank, not only doubles the space for your hermit crabs, but also supplies them with a wonderful place to climb. You can buy hand-made, organic hemp nets on various websites (http://www.hermitcrabaddictionstore.com/catalog.php/vckumsll/dt/pd2094210/10g__Up_Hemp_Net_Light_Purple)

or you can make your very own, yourself!

You will need:

Knitting needles (I use size 11)

Jute or Hemp

Suction Cups

Measuring Tape

First, measure your tank. The width/length of your second level should be a little bit shorter than your tank. If it's 12 inches wide and 20 inches long, you are going to want to make your second level around 11 inches wide, and 18 inches long. This depends on your taste, so you really can't go wrong. :)

Once you have finished knitting the second level, you can either knit a "long and skinny" Jute/Hemp ladder, OR use one of the branches in your tank as a ladder for your hermit crabs.

After knitting the appropriate-sized second level (using your Jute/Hemp), attach the suction cups to the sides of your tank. Make sure it is high enough that it isn't right on top of the hermit crabs below, but not so high that it touches the lid on your "Crabitat".

Ta-da!! You are done :D

Please share your results, questions, or comments!!

Anna (SplishSplashStyle@gmail.com)

An Ideal Crabitat

Every Hermit Crab is different, but the following conditions are needed to keep your hermit crab feeling it's best!

1. Hermit Crabs need the humidity of their tank to be around 65 to 80%! You will need to buy a hygrometer to monitor your crabitat's humidity.
2. Your tank's temperature should be around 72 to 80 degrees.
3. Substrate that they are able to molt in. (Sand, "Hermit Soil", etc)
4. Fresh Food (ex: Vegetables, Fruit, Grains, etc)
5. Fresh Water AND Salt water!!
6. Enough Room to run around and climb! (A 10 gallon tank is ideal)
7. Lots of empty shells for your hermit crab to move in!

Feel free to comment or email me (SplishSplashStyle@gmail.com) with any questions or concerns!

Hermit Crab Myths

Hi Everyone! Today, I am going to be posting my Top 5 most heard Hermit Crab Myths! I hope these help you educate yourself on the care of your hermit crabs!

5. Hermit Crabs can only eat the "Special Pet Store Food"

This is not true! Hermit Crabs love to eat all types of food! You do not need to buy expensive brand Pet Food, to keep your crabs healthy! In fact, crabs would love to eat almost anything in your fridge! Here are just some of the foods they will eat: bread, strawberries, nuts, meat, peanut butter, carrots, rice, peas, etc!

4. Crabs need sponges to drink water

This is completely untrue! Think about it, Hermit Crabs come from the beach! Last time I checked there are no sponges floating around in shallow water! Crabs love water, and need to be able to get water in their shells!

3. Hermit Crabs are solitary animals

This couldn't be farther from the truth! Hermit Crabs live in large colonies, sometimes consisting of as many as 100s of hermit crabs in the wild! So go buy your hermit crab a buddy or two today!

2. Hermit Crabs love gravel as a substrate

Gravel is probably one of the worst substrates for hermit crabs! Hermit Crabs need to be able to dig in order to molt; and they can't do this in gravel! Instead, try using sand!

1. Hermit Crabs don't live long

Well they only don't live long, if they aren't taken care of properly! Some hermit crabs have lived to over 30 years old in captivity!

Feel Free to Post Questions or Comments!!

Thanks,

Anna :)