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How long do these suckers live? ↓
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| Name: lindalu | Date: Oct 28th, 2006 3:17 AM |
Although crabs can live up to 20 years in the wild, they normally do not in captivity. Small crabs moult more often than larger ones, and this puts them at risk; but large ones may not stay active in small tanks and may also be at risk for death. There are no known diseases from hermit crabs. There is little known about this creature's internal workings; we do know that the most dangerous time in a crab's life is just before, through, and immediately after the moulting process.
Hermit Crabs "borrow" the shell that they are in. They will never fully leave the shell (excepting of course, the switching of shells) unless they moult, are sick, or are dying or dead. NEVER, EVER forcibly try to pull a crab out of its shell. The crab will allow itself to be torn in two, before it will be pulled out.
In addition to being a community creature, crabs are nocturnal (nighttime)
scavengers (eats anything) and will display the majority of their behaviors at night.
a short introduction . . .
The quality of water is vital to Hermit Crabs' health.
Most tap water has chlorine in it. This is harmful to hermit crabs, just as it is to fish in an aquarium. Water treatment drops can be purchased at a petstore. These are the same drops used to treat fish tanks, and are safe for your hermit crabs' water. The drops neutralize chlorine and heavy metals.
All water in the habitat and the water used to give baths needs to be de-chlorinated or treated chemically to remove the chlorine. Purchased drinking water and distilled water do not have chlorine in them, but this can get expensive. Water treatment drops generally cost $3 for a bottle. A single drop will generally treat one-half or one gallon of tap water, depending on the brand and the amount of chlorine in your area's water. (Do not add dosage drops to a small dish that were intended o be added to a gallon of water. Make the entire gallon of water and then add treated water to the dish. Some chemicals can do harm when they are too strong in the water, than when they are diluted into water.)
A hermit crab breathes by keeping its gills moist. If these gills gather chlorine deposits on them, the gills can become irritated and eventually swell. The crab can become sluggish and lethargic, due to lack of oxygen -- suffocation and eventually die.
Stress coat, when added to bath water will reduce the chlorine deposits, and should not be used in addition to another dechlorinating chemical. Several drops can also be added to a spray bottle with water in it, and used to mist the crabs daily. It should not be added to daily drinking water.
The quantity of water is vital to Hermit Crabs' health.
The amount of water in a habitat will depend on the size of the largest crab. The container should not be made of metal and should be deep enough for the largest crab to go wading through, if he should choose to do so.
Salt should not be added to the drinking water. It is preferable to give them salt baths instead of salted drinking water. Never add salt to the drinking water at all if you are providing salt in another manner -- a hamster salt wheel or mineral wheel, or in other food, like corn tortilla chips or plain salt popcorn.
The water in the tank provides another needed service. Humidity is vital to a hermit crab's health. A hermit crab breathes through moist skin and will suffocate if it dries out. ↑ |
| Name: l3itchyl3unny | Date: Oct 28th, 2006 4:17 AM |
| I have no idea! i had one as a kid it lived for nearly 3 years, my parents ended up getting rid of it because it stunk so bad! ↑ |
| Name: Deanna | Date: Oct 28th, 2006 2:54 PM |
| Ours doesn't stink but they are over 6 years old. I have never given them salt. I always spray them with bottled water and give them bottled water to drink. We do have coral in there. Maybe they are getting salt from that? Winter is hard on them since they need heat. A lamp will dry them out too much. ↑ |
| Name: crabbie207 | Date: Dec 20th, 2006 11:29 PM |
| Name: NCmom | Date: Dec 21st, 2006 2:00 PM |
| they usually don't live that long. but my sister got one at the beach about 2 yrs. ago and the dang thing is still alive!!! but i think that was a lucky one. ↑ |
| Name: T-rabbit | Date: Dec 29th, 2006 12:47 AM |
| Name: dragraught | Date: Jan 8th, 2007 10:36 PM |
| everyone here is wrong. they live up to 15 years in captivity. i have 2. i found out that they need a certant tempurature and humdity. they need to molt and that kind of stuff. if anything go to petco or petco.com and look it up. Dragraught (expert at hermies!!!) ↑ |
| Name: lindalu | Date: Jan 9th, 2007 10:20 PM |
| Ha Ha Ha! Petco, thats funny! I found most (not all)pet store clerks and workers dont know much about animals, sure they know how to work a register or stock a shelf but not much knowlage about animals. As I said they can live up to 20 years but in captivity most dont because of poor ownership and lack of knowlage. ↑ |
| Name: dragraught | Date: Jan 17th, 2007 1:38 AM |
| well u must go to a bad pet co. i know a guy there and he knows averything about them. ↑ |
| Name: lindalu | Date: Jan 17th, 2007 5:04 AM |
| Dragraught it sure is good to hear at least one pet store has a knowledgeable person! The store's around here, no one knows any thing! In fact to become a employee you dont have to have any pet knowledge at all. Sad but true! ↑ |
| Name: LucyW | Date: Jan 24th, 2007 2:06 AM |
I had a hermit crab once and I read that they live abut 3 years
From,
Lucy ↑ |
| Name: philip | Date: Jan 17th, 2011 10:20 PM |
| why is my hermit crab fighting with the neew one ↑ |
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