Hermit Crabs

As hermit crabs grow they have to leave their shells and find a larger one.  Typically at this time hermit crabs will take over a sea snail shell.  The abdomen of the crab actually grabs onto the shell to keep them inside of it.  At the moment there are five hundred known species of hermit crabs.  Many of these species are saltwater dwellers living on shallow reefs and even into the deep sea bottoms.
Hermit crabs will range in size from a few millimetres to the size of a coconut depending on the species.  There is one shell less hermit crab called the Birgus Latro.  This one is a terrestrial hermit crab and invertebrate. Terrestrial hermit crabs begin their lives in water and then become air breathers.  This occurs during moulting.  At the final moult the hermit crab is able to live on land with a shell filled with a little salt water.
Hermit Crabs are female or male.  The male reproductive organs are near and just below the heart, while the female has their organs at the base of the middle section of walking legs.  Hermit Crabs lay eggs, which are then fertilized.  The mother will carry the eggs attached to her abdomen inside the shell.  Often there are hundreds of eggs, again based on the size of the hermit crab.
Hermit Crabs can be kept as pets in a marine aquarium.  There are also 15 terrestrial hermit crabs that can be kept as pets.  The Caribbean hermit crab and the Ecuadorian hermit crab are most popular.  In order to keep hermit crabs as pets one must have the proper enclosure, water, and temperature.  Since most pets are tropical a certain amount of humidity will be required.

The typical terrarium for hermit crabs has a humidity gauge, thermometer, sand or coconut fibre substrate, shells, moulting tank, fresh water dish, and a saltwater pool.  The substrate needs to be sand or coconut fibre to help during the moulting stage.  It also helps the hermit crabs dig.  Hermit crabs tend to dig into the sand when they sleep, which makes it important to provide that to your pet.  A minimum of a five gallon tank is required for one hermit crab depending on the species and what size they can reach.
It is important to have a variety of different shells that are larger than the current size of your hermit crab, so that they may change as they grow.  The moulting tank needs to be separate from where they live on a normal basis.  Most hermit crabs are omnivores or herbivores meaning they eat plants and animals.  They are great scavengers, cleaning algae and debris from tanks.

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