Daily Requirements For Your Hermies

Now that you've got a couple crabs, it's time to see what kind of daily care they need to survive.
Every day, you'll need to change out the food, even if it was not eaten. Hermit crabs have tiny mouths and even smaller stomachs, so they can't consume all the food usually. Thus, giving them less food will reduce the amount of food wasted. You need to change it out every day to prevent bacteria. Then you'll need to refill the water. Never use tap or bottled water. It can kill the crabs. You can purchase a special crab water dechlorinator for them from a pet store or www.amazon.com. You'll need 2 water bowls, one for dechlorinated water to drink, and a deeper one for bathing. You need to use salt water for the bath. NEVER use table salt! It contains iodine, which will kill a crab! And don't use sea salt, as you might put too much or not enough in the bath. The same as drinking water, a special salt water solution can be mixed with regular water (as shown on bottle) to make salt water for your crabs. It can also be found at a pet store or www.amazon.com. Your bathing bowl should be just deep enough to submerge your largest crab and no deeper, as this could result in drowning. Make a big container of drinking water and saltwater so you don't have to mix extra every day. Just fill up the bowls with water and replace the food. In addition to commercially prepared food, crabs can be fed:
Apples, bananas,blueberries, broccoli, carrots, celery, coconuts, grapes, mangoes, melons, oranges, papayas, pears,pineapples,raisins, strawberries, romaine lettuce, seaweed, spinach, brine shrimp, unsalted crackers, unsweetened dry cereal (Cheerios works well), fish and shellfish, unsalted nuts, oatmeal, plain rice cakes, unsalted popcorn, unsalted rice, leftover bones (wash off seasoning first) and my crabs really enjoy peanut butter. You'll also need to make some water to mist the crabs with every day to keep them from drying out. Just use a misting bottle full of dechlorinated water and spritz the tank every day. Yes, I did say tank. Don't use plastic critter keepers because they don't retain enough moisture and crabs will die. A 10 gallon glass aquarium found at the pet store is best, but I've found buying a 5 gallon is much cheaper and is good for people with 3-4 crabs. You'll also need to buy a humidity gauge and thermometer. Zoo Med sells ones with both in one device that attaches to the inside of the tank. It is found at pet stores and www.amazon.com. You'll need to check that temp is about 75 degrees (Farenheight) and not more than 80. And a heater is good to have because it makes sure the tank is warm. Zoo Med sells a 4x6  heater that most crab owners buy. Enjoy your crabs!