You brought home a hermit crab. Now what?
Hermit crabs are often sold as easy pets with very little information about what they actually need.
Fortunately, good care doesn’t have to be complicated once you know what they need.
5 Things your new hermit crab needs
A Proper Enclosure
Those small plastic carriers and starter kits aren’t suitable permanent homes. Land hermit crabs need an appropriately sized, enclosed habitat that can maintain the warm, humid conditions their bodies require.
Warm, Humid Air
Land hermit crabs are tropical crustaceans with modified gills adapted for breathing humid air. Proper temperature, humidity and ventilation are fundamental to their survival.
Deep, Molt-Safe Substrate
Hermit crabs must periodically shed and rebuild their exoskeleton to grow. They normally do this underground, where adequate substrate provides the protected space needed to complete the process.
Freshwater + Marine Saltwater
Land hermit crabs need continuous access to both properly treated freshwater and marine saltwater in pools deep enough for them to submerge safely.
Varied Food + Natural Shells
Hermit crabs are opportunistic omnivores with diverse nutritional needs. They also depend on appropriately sized natural shells throughout their lives.
Need the complete setup? Visit the CSJ Start Here Guide →
THE BOOK
Stop Piecing Together Hermit Crab Care One Search at a Time
The Complete Guide to Land Hermit Crabs and Their Care: Changing the Mindset of Hermit Crab Keeping
A comprehensive, science-based guide designed to help you understand not only what your hermit crabs need, but why they need it.
Inside you’ll find practical guidance on habitat setup, temperature and humidity, substrate and molting, freshwater and saltwater, nutrition, shell selection, health and emergencies, species biology, reproduction, growth and more.
Whether you’re preparing for your first hermit crab or discovering that the information you received when you brought one home was incomplete, this book gives you a reliable foundation for providing appropriate long-term care.
THE book on land hermit crabs! MUST PURCHASE!
BeachBumUnboxed
Verified Amazon Purchase
We learned so much and now our crabs are THRIVING.
If you have crabs… you need this book!
Jennifer
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When one of mine surface molted, I knew exactly what to do and didn’t panic.
Must Read for Hermit Crab Care!
Jacob
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Author uses clear and concise language, while still including everything you need to know about crab husbandry.
Have you read the book?
Your review helps other hermit crab keepers find reliable care information.
What's Inside
Guidance back by decades of work
I’m Stacy Griffith Wodicker, author of The Complete Guide to Land Hermit Crabs and Their Care: Changing the Mindset of Hermit Crab Keeping, President of the Land Hermit Crab Owners Society, and owner of The Crab Street Journal.
I’ve worked with land hermit crabs and hermit crab husbandry for more than two decades, combining hands-on experience with continuing review of scientific research to improve the information available to captive keepers.
The book grew from that work: translating what we know about the biology of these animals into practical care people can actually use.
25 Years of Hermit Crab Education
The Crab Street Journal has provided land hermit crab care education since 2001. Our mission is simple: better information for better lives.
You Don’t Have to Figure It Out Alone
The Land Hermit Crab Owners Society connects keepers with education, community resources, adoption programs and experienced support focused on improving the lives of captive land hermit crabs.
Give Your Hermit Crab a Better Start
Good hermit crab care begins with understanding the animal you’re caring for.
The Complete Guide to Land Hermit Crabs and Their Care: Changing the Mindset of Hermit Crab Keeping, gives you the knowledge to build that foundation.