Mike’s Fish Tank – Hermit Crab Care

A lot of people love Hermit crabs. They are inexpensive and easy to care for. They don’t make noise and they don’t smell, so they are a perfect kid pet. In fact They are a great pet for adults too.

Here are some helpful hermit crabs facts.

Hermit crabs love to switch shells so have extra shells on hand at all times. Be sure to only use shells found at pet shops. Some of the shells you may find at the beach may be contaminated and could hurt or even kill your hermit crab.

Crabs will clean themselves if you provide them with a bowl of fresh water daily. It also a good idea to give the crabs a bath once a week. Put a small amount of warm water in the sink or a flat tub of some kind and let them crawl around in it for  5 to 10 minutes. This will help them stay moist and it will be easier when they shed their skin.

As a crab grows it will molt. Some people are shocked because it looks like another crab in the cage but it’s just the hermits old skin.

Hermits like humidity in the 70 to 75% range. Hermit crabs like to climb so be sure to give them things like choya, grapevine or other porous items. Do not use things from outside unless you sterilize it by baking it for a half hour or so in a low oven.

Crabs need calcium which they can get by putting their food in a shell dish. There are a variety of foods on the market that are made especially for hermit crabs.

Pets A Plenty is located in the Blockbuster Video Plaza, Rte 281 Cortland, 753-9213. Open 7 days a week. We now have a website. www.petsaplety.biz. check it out. I post care sheets, coupons, new animal arrivals, contests and more. Any questions, email me at friskyy@hotmail.com

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