These crabs are a pet that walk the line between exotic and common.
They are exotic in the sense that they are something other than a dog, cat, fish or hamster, but they are not so exotic as to be difficult to care for.
They are also harmless, unlike many exotic pets.
Since the hermit crab is somewhat uncommon, there are not a lot of hermit specific crab supplies available at the local pet store.
Try to walk into PETCO and find hermit crab chow.
Special food can be purchased but it's uncommon and probably unnecessary.
Fortunately, hermit crabs do not require any specialized gear other than perhaps a small collection of shells of various sizes.
Many of the things you need to make your crab happy and healthy can be gathered yourself in a few hours of beach combing.
Let's break down a few areas of hermit care and talk about the various options.
When we talk about a hermit crab's home, we are actually talking about two versions.
The first is his big home, or the container in which you keep the crab.
A small to medium size fish aquarium makes a perfect hermit crab habitat.
The aquarium only needs to be big enough to accommodate the accessories that it will contain such as water dishes and climbing aids.
In the wild, crabs live in the ocean or along the beach.
Therefore the aquarium will need to be filled with either beach sand, aquarium gravel of even soft, muddy soil.
Basically the crab needs a place where it can burrow into for protection.
Two or three inches of material should be plenty.
Many people like to sterilize the sand or gravel in the oven by heating to 200 degrees for thirty minutes.
This ensures that there are no harmful bacteria or parasites in the substrate.
The aquarium needs to be kept most.
This can be easily accomplished maintain the substrate wet.
Make sure that the aquarium has enough airflow that bacteria and mold don't begin to grow.
Your crab will also enjoy the occasional misting from a spray bottle.
You need to supply the aquarium with at least one shallow dish of fresh water and you should also place one more dish of salt water.
These crabs must stay hydrated or else their bodies quickly dry up.
Hermit crabs love to climb.
A few pieces of driftwood or even just a few sticks will do the job.
Make sure that the wood doesn't reach too near the top of the aquarium or your hermit will soon be on the lam.
To make caring for the crab easier, it's recommended that you add a thermometer and a hydrometer to the tank.
These allow you to easily monitor the humidity levels in the tank and make sure things stay wet.
Though not absolutely essential, they will enhance the hermit crab experience.
Though hermit crab specific food can be found if you look hard enough, it is unnecessary.
Hermit crabs are scavengers and therefore can eat almost anything.
A few table scraps of meat of vegetables will be plenty.
There is really nothing that will harm the crab, but it's recommended that you stay away from processed food that contains chemicals.
That's all there is to it.
A little initial setup and a bit of food and water and a hermit crab will pretty much take care of himself.