If you've noticed i'm opening my options to what i want to put in my 10 gallon tank,,, ( i thot of black moors or tetras... but what i really want are hermit crabs)

so how many can i have in a 10 g??
requirement?
needs?
foods?
housing?
shells? ( do i need to keep giving them bigger shells and where do i get those???) a heater...do i need one or is the tank hood with flourescent light enough???? Anything else I need to know???
ANy good sites???



Thank you.. I really wanna get some.. they are just adorable.. lol

What kind of hermits are you getting (land or marine)?

My nephew has land hermit crabs, and I have salt water hermit crabs in my mini-reef. Neither one will work in a fresh-water tank though.

Don't think there is such a thing as a fresh water hermit crab? There are those blue lobster-looking things, kind of like blue crayfish, those are kind of cool looking...

Laura

Land hermit crabs as pets is not something to be entered into lightly. Ive had mine for a long time now (have had them most of my life) and they are by far the most stressful pets Ive ever kept. Dont get me wrong, I love them to death and really enjoy taking care of them. But they are very high maintenance.

I would suggest doing some heavy research on them BEFORE getting them. This is the best site I have found: http://www.hermit-crabs.com/
After reading that if you still have questions check out this site: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/index.php There is a message board which I belong to and its great.

Anyway I hope those can be helpful. Having hermit crabs is great and Ive really enjoyed mine but keeping them hasnt been without heartbreak. They are all wild collected and in very rough shape by the time they reach your pet store. The first month or so that you have them is nerve wracking, waiting to see if they'll pass that initial break in time and survive or die. Anyway read through those sites and let me know if you have more questions.

thanks js!! I just typed this huge response and lost it somehow!!!! Hi Hamsta,another forum to check out is landhermitcrabs I belong to both the one that js has mentioned and this one also,and they are both great sites...I have around a dozen or so crabbies right now which I think are doing pretty good,but like js said,they're not the easiest to start out with-I lost a few in the beginning due to stress. Out of all my crabs,most are buried right now,but I have about 5 of them which are constantly active which is really cool..I think most buried under because I moved them all to a bigger tank..Knowing you,I know youll do your homework,and really check things out first...If you decide that you would still like to try your hand at them,let myself,js,or Lor know,and we'll help you out as much as we can...I can also give you some tips on decorating!!!!

THANKS FOR THE SITES!!!!!!!!11

I soooo want one.. I think I'm gunna go crazyS: lol...

OKay so tell me if I have evrything right here

Checklist

1)10 gallon tank with lid and fluorescent bulb (how many land crabs can i get 2?)
2)Sand substrate (do i buy this at a pet store or anywhere that sells sand??)
3)Hermit Crab Food (any ones you prefer???)
4)water and food dish
5)distilled water (already have that in a pail from my goldies and bettas)
6)Treats (I can't wait..how cute is that, popcorn!!!)
7)A few plastic plants, hidey holes (can i make them on my own..and can you help me devs lol)


This one I don't understand...

8) SHells --- they have to move out of their shell right??? how Do i get them more shells??? ( no hermit crab shlls in teh wild here:P) do you buy them?? And are they relativley cheap??)


I think that is all I need correct??? Because the tank light should create enough humidity to go along with my 73 degree farenheit year round lol...


Thank you so much for the replies... was sick yesterday and after reading the replis and the site.. I"M ALL BETTER:D haha.. they're awesome lol


Ramy

okay,the very first thing that I want to tell you,is that alot of times people your age get bored with Hermit Crabs because they look at them and think"They don't do much of anything"Well,at times,that is so true. When I first got mine,they buried theirselves for over a month!!!!! And you should NOT dig them up to see if they're ok,so I had to just wait. Eventually ,when you get all their conditions /requirements right,they will become alot more active.My most active crabs are purple pinchers,and my Equadorians. *I would probably start out with at least two or three crabs.Even though they are called "Hermit", crabs are actually very social creatures. *Sand--You can use the sand that they sell at the pet store that is fine--I personally have started using Childrens play sand,because it's a little courser,and alot cheaper. I change my sand out every once in a while when the tank gets too wet. Because of the humidity,really wet sand can get mold growing etc.,and I don't want that. *Food--I personally use the Brand Fmr--It's been around for a long time,and easy to find. It comes in pellet form,but I smash it into powder because the crabs can eat it alot easier.I also get theirHermit Crab treat---my crabs love it-it has papaya,coconut,and all kind of other goodies in it. There are now alot of different types of food out there so you can look around and decide what you prefer. *water/food dishes---I just use reptile dishes that I bought. You can use anything deemed "safe".Alot of people use big flat seashells to put the food on.As long as it's not metal,or contain anything toxic like paint etc. *water--you must treat water just as you do for your fish--depending on type of crabs-you must also have a dish of saltwater for them--this is a must. You can buy a small box of "Ocean" at your local fish store,and make a gal. up at a time.It lasts pretty long. *treats---fruits-veggies-unsalted popcorn/crackers-peanutbutter-raisins--ther's a ton of everyday foods that they love--read those forums,people are always offering tips on what their crabs like the most. *Any aquarium/terreriumplants,-Iput them in sand-I also use suction cups to hang them at the top,and down the sides of my tank.One of their favorite things to do in my tank is climb!!! I have a piece of driftwood that I angle sideways that goes all the way to the top of my tank.These little guys will climb all the way to the top,and sit in the plastic plant that I have up there under the light,and just chill out!!! I use alot of aquarium cave type things because I know that they're safe.Decorating possibilities are endless!!! You can do it as simple as you'd like or go over the top.Some people have concocted 2nd stories in their tanks for crabs which are really cool! go to those sites,check out their pics/ideas. I have a reptile hammock that I bought.It is suctioned in a top corner with plastic plants hanging down sides.These guys look like Tarzan--they climb up the "trees"and then sit in the"treehouse".Decorating has always been a favorite part for me!!! *shells....Very important*You must keep a good amount of shells in the tank so when they grow and molt,they have a new home to move into..The best thing I can tell you is to read up on the different crab species to see what types of shell that they prefer,and how to figure out sizes. I don't know your capabilities,but you can get shells where they sell crabs in pet stores-look under hermit crab on e-bay-I've gotten some of my shells at the local nnnnnn,and craft stores.Shells are usually a couple bucks a piece.If you buy them at craft stores,you can get a bag of them for a couple dollars.You usually find out that most of the shells in the bag are not usable,but the couple you can find still sometimes turn out to be cheaper than the pet stores.There's alot of places that you can order from on line,if your mom will do that for you. One of the cheapest places that I've found ishermit crabsOne other thing you probably need to invest in is a humidity/temp. gauge.They sell them in reptile supplies-that way you really know if temps and humidity is right. You always say how warm your room is----I know I probably have to invest in a heating pad for under my aquarium if I want to keep the crabs warm and active over winter!!! Okay,now that I've written a book here....any more questions buddy?

1) You should have at least 3 hermit crabs to start with.
2) You can use sand as a substrate. There are others like Forest Bedding and Eco Earth, but I prefer the sand because it will not mold in humid areas. You can get sand at any hardware store (Home Depot...)
3) I like using FMR Food. My hermies love that stuff.
4) Yes, u need water and food dishes
5) I would use spring water instead of distiled water. Spring water have the nutrients that hermits need.
6)---
7) You can make hidy huts and stuff like that. It's very fun . I made 2 coconut huts out of real cocnut shells.
8) Yep, you need shells for them. They will molt and out grow their old shells and change shells. Their shells cannot grow. You can get shells at Dollar Tree, Wal- mart at the crafts section, online or any other place that sells shells (petstores, etc).

You'll need a tank cover (glass, etc) to keep in humidity. You'll need some kind of calcium for growth of their exoskeleton.

It's really stressing at fist, but once you get use to it, there will be no problem. Trust me, it will be worth it. Good luck!

Thanks Lor and Devs!!!! I think all my q's and more was answered.... could I publish what u wrote devs??? LOOOOOL ( it was honestly a book!! but great info)

What sorta materials can u youse to make hidey huts???

so for my set up...


3 inches of sand?

a few plants and toys everywhere? Could I use plastic toys in there?

a seashell full of food??

a dish full of drinking water??

then a dish of instant ocean salted water???( is this for playing in?)

Temp/humidity gauge...

I have a lid with a light so humidity is good...

a few extra shells... all sizes, correct???

thats about it???

I wanna first decorate sparingly, with absolute necessities (hiding places)
then i will begin to goa ll out in decorations loool


By the way.. how do I clean and when??? ( once a week??!?)

Here's a pic of my Indonesian

The salt water is for drinking also. When they're in the wild, the drink salt water. I usually clean my tank once a month. It doesn't get dirty really fast if you just clean up the food every night.

are carribeans easier to take care of then ecuadorians???

Yes, I would recommend carribeans, then E's. E's are really cool and active.

thanks..

does my set up sound ok?

Your setup sounds great ! Just remember to make you water dishes very shallow so the crabs won't drown (about .75-1" deep)

Here's my setup up for an example



As you can see, I have wood, a coco fiber wall, and a net for climbing, extra shells for changing, hidy places (i made that cocohut), shallow water dishes, and 3" of sand.
(This pic shows only half of my tank)