Where Do Hermit Crabs Live?
Many pet lovers’ today love to own the adorable and exotic hermit crabs. They are easy to maintain and take care of. They eat any type of food and are not really choosy. If you are a first time purchaser of the most interesting hermit crabs, you must no doubt be wondering – where do hermit crabs live?
Hermit crabs in the wild usually thrive in the ocean. While the land hermit crabs live on land, the ocean varieties thrive in shallow waters. These pet crabs have a very soft and vulnerable abdomen which they protect from predators with the help of shells. These shells are borrowed from sea creatures like the sea snails and they help the crabs remain moist.
In the wild habitat, hermit crabs live for about twenty two years. Surprisingly, it is found that these pets live even for thirty years in captivity if well taken care of. In contrast to their names, hermit crabs prefer living in groups of even hundreds. This is the reason why it is necessary to get at least a couple of them to keep each other company.
Where do hermit crabs live? They can live in a healthy manner if provided with an ideal habitat. As hermit crabs are from tropical climates, they require a lot of moisture. They capture moisture with the help of modified gills. By feeding them with a balanced diet and ensuring hygienic conditions, you can be sure your crabs will live in a healthy manner for a long time to come.
A glass aquarium is the ideal home for hermit crabs. A ten gallon glass aquarium is ideal for a couple of medium sized crabs as they require a lot of space to move around. Provide them with toys and accessories that they can climb to add joy to their living. Also make sure to provide them with hiding spaces.
Habitat conditions that severely impact and shorten their lifespan include –
• Lack of food and water
• Predation
• Exposure if they escape
• Persistent lower temperature
• Dehydration
• unsanitary living conditions
Take care cleaning your hermit crabs living space at least once a month. Completely drain the tank after shifting them to a temporary shelter. Remove the substrate and rinse the tank without using any detergent. Place back the substrate and other accessories before leaving them back in the crabarium.
It is not really important to ask where do hermit crabs live? It is vital to ask how they live. If you want to provide your hermit crabs with a good life and ensure maximized lifespan, here are a few aspects to take care of –
• Hermit crabs are highly sociable. Keep at least two or more in the tank.
• Provide them with nutritious food complementing it with commercial food supplements
• Place a lot of shells of different sizes to enable them to choose one after each molting. This will also ensure there is no undue fight between them for shells.
• Maintain absolute cleanliness and latch the lid of the tank firmly to ensure they do not escape.
• Last but not the least, provide them with both salt and fresh water sources and maintain the required temperature and humidity level.
