Hermit Crab Cages, Tanks & Terrariums

The ideal home for a hermit crab is in a glass terrarium or aquarium with a screened lid. Your hermit crab terrarium should be large enough to provide space for a couple of friends and room to roam. A 10-gallon hermit crab tank is usually sufficient for up to three of your small pets. A wire hermit crab cage is not recommended for your shelled pet’s safety as they can’t provide the necessary humidity to feel most comfortable.

Your hermit crab tank setup should contain a few things to help your little shelled friend thrive in their new environment. You can pick up a hermit crab starter kit from Petco containing most of the necessities for your tank or build your own. Be sure to include in your pet’s habitat:

• Substrate Your hermit crab will need sand to burrow into to feel comfortable while molting and changing shells. You can supplement the lining of the tank with other materials like crushed coral.
• Heat and Light To help keep your crab feeling happy and healthy, temperatures in their tank should be between 72- and 80-degrees Fahrenheit. Keep their habitat lit and comfortable with hermit crab heaters and lights.
• Food Dish and Water Bowl A well-balanced hermit crab diet consists of hermit crab food, fruits and vegetables as treats and calcium supplements like cuttlebone. Fresh, clean and chlorine-free water should always be available.
• Things to Climb These crabs love to climb, so add dried wood, coral or caves to their tank to keep them entertained.

Keep your hermit crab cage clean by thoroughly disinfecting the habitat once a week. For hermit crab clean up and odor control, remove your pet, place it in a secure area and scrub the tank with a 3% bleach solution. Rinse everything thoroughly with water to remove any trace of cleaning solution, then dry completely and replace the substrate.

To maintain the humidity of your hermit crab habitat or terrarium, keep two water bowls available to your hermit crab. One large bowl of non-chlorinated water for them to get water, soak and add humidity. The second bowl should supply saltwater for your pet. You can also purchase additional accessories for hermit crab humidity control.