Hermit Crabs are immensely socially active creatures, and if you own one, you know how cool they are. Are you looking for ways to build a habitat for a Hermit Crab?
Step 1: Things you need before you begin:
- Bowls: Get a total of three bowls. These bowls will be used for keeping freshwater, saltwater and food in each one.
- Salt Water: Distilled or spring water must be mixed with Oceanic sea salt.
- Fresh Water: Distilled water or spring water.
- Tank: Get at least a 10-gallon glass aquarium.
- Bedding: Cover with play sand, Eco earth, and Jungle bedding.
- Humidity: You can get a humidifier to control the humidity in the Hermit Crab’s habitat
- Heat source: The heat source must not be too hot—just light heat under the tank heater.
- Hiding spot: You can make a coconut hut for the Crab. Be careful though, cedar and driftwood pine can cause harm to the Hermit Crab.
Step 2: Put down the Substrates
It is essential to have good substrates for your Hermit Crab. Here are some great substrates that you can put down:
- Hermit soil. You can easily purchase Hermit soil by searching for it in pet stores.
- Also look for the Jungle bedding.
- You can find play sand quite easily at a pet store, hardware store or on a beach.
Do not use substrates such as Pine and cedar since they are poisonous to Hermit Crabs and could harm them. You should also avoid putting down Gravel and Calci sand.
Jungle bedding and play sand are the best substrates you can find for Hermit Crabs. Also, make sure the substrates are at least three times deeper than the biggest Hermit Crab you have. This is necessary for a process that Hermit Crabs go under. This process, also known as „Molting,” happens when the Hermit Crabs bury under the ground to shed their skin. This is a lengthy process and takes months to fully complete. Therefore, make sure you are providing your Hermit Crab with adequate food.
Step 3: How to make sea water for hermit crabs
Mix 1 ½ teaspoon of sea salt with 1 cup of water (8 Oz)
OR for a larger batch, mix 5 cups of sea salt with 1 whole gallon of water.
Salt water has huge importance in creating a habitat for Hermit Crabs. To make their habitat truly feel like the beach, they need salt water nearby. To make sea water, all you need is some natural sea salt. Some people confuse Natural Sea Salt with table salt and use that instead. This isn’t right. Table salt has Iodide, which is very harmful to Hermit Crabs. So make sure to only use natural sea salt. Also, do not use tap water at all. Tap water, just like table salt, contains Iodide and many other chemicals harmful to the Hermit Crabs. Instead, you can choose to use distilled water or bottled spring water.
Step 4: Diet routine for the Hermit Crabs
Keeping a healthy diet routine for the Hermit Crabs you have is necessary. Just like any other creature, they need food for sustenance. And they don’t just eat everything you give them. Hermit Crabs have a very specific diet that you should provide them with. However, they eat a variety of food; it’s usually just fruits and vegetables. Make sure there are no spices added, or the food doesn’t contain any other chemical.
Here are some of the food that Hermit Crabs like to eat:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Carrots
- Oranges
- Strawberries
- Lettuce
- Pineapple
- Raisins
- Popcorn (Organic)
Hermit Crabs seem to enjoy fruits and vegetables as their main dish. These dishes are probably the safe option and can be availed very easily, no matter where you live. If you wish to try making the Hermit Crabs eat something else, please make sure to research a bit before making them eat something different. Sometimes they do not take a lot of food very nicely. It’s better if you stick to these dishes and don’t risk anything. You can also ask the Hermit Crabs’ previous owner about what they used to eat and what they did not like eating. This is very helpful when knowing about the diets of your pet. This works every time, no matter what animal you have as a pet.
Step 5: Fresh Water & Finishing Touches
By this point, you have already done most of the hard work and almost everything needed. Now only a few things remain before you are finally done with this project. Firstly, you have to add some fresh water. After that, you can add some toys for the Hermit Crab so that it does not get bored quickly and has something to play with. You can purchase toys that the Hermit Crab could climb on. These types of toys are enjoyed by the Hermit Crabs the most. And finally, you have to add the fascinating Hermit Crabs. Before you purchase Hermit Crabs, always make sure to go for the active ones. Hermit Crabs in painted shell are not the best choice at all. Painted shells are sometimes harmful to the Hermit Crab since the paint of the shell contains lead.
Conclusion:
By following these 5 easy steps, you can know how to make salt water and habitat for Hermit Crabs. If you read carefully, you will know what to do and what not to do. Hopefully, you found this article helpful and worthwhile. Good luck in trying this by yourself!
Lydia King is a huge animal lover and has always been fascinated with learning about the animal kingdom. She enjoys writing about anything animal related from scientific information about rare species to animal references in pop culture.
