Is it cruel to keep hermit crabs as a pet? I want to get a large tank with maybe 3 of them but I read that they can often die in a single year in captivity...
>>2092784
Only because no one knows how to fucking look after them.
>>2092784
be more specific, there are thousands of species in many Genera
Some marine, some brackish and a few terrestrial
Tell us which species you want. Otherwise it's like saying:
How do I care for a snake?
>>2092787
Basically ones from a local petstore?
Not sure of the species honestly. But I'm Australian and live in Cairns, so it's pretty warm and humid which seems to be what they generally like.
>>2092789
Terrestrial or marine ones.
You should be able to tell
But it seems you mean terrestrial hermits.
These are all (except Birgus latro) Coenobita species.
Maybe C. variabilis. As soon as you know the species, I can tell you how to keep them.
But here are some basics:
About 15 to 30cm high dubstrate (Playsand mixed with coco peat)
2 Waterbowls, deep enough for them to submerge fully in the water, one with saltwater, one with freshwater
Humidity at least 75%, Temp. depends on species but 24 to 30°C during the day should be fine
lots of stuff to climb on and hide under
food:
Fruits, raw fish, shrimps, different seeds and plants
you should be able to find a safe food list online
NO painted shells
Every species prefers different shells of species of snails. But Turbo species are a good guess for all except C. violascens and maybe C. compressus
At least 3 of the same species required
>>2092804
substrate*
god damnit
OP, search google for "Land Hermit Crab Care Guide" with the quotes. The first result should be a facebook link. Read all of that.
I want to post the link directly but the filter accuses me of posting spam.
>>2092784
I recommend checking out hermitcrabpatch.com great info site and online store. Also a good place to buy spare shells.
I consider them one of the hardest animals to keep. They live for decades. If they've lived only a couple years for you, you probably fucked up. Getting them to molt right is a pain. Sometimes they'll drop legs and starve to death. And captive breeding is next to impossible unless you have industrial water circulation capabilities, so they're never not wild caught.
