All About Hermit Crabs As Pets
They can be found practically anywhere near the boardwalks along the seaside. All you have to do is walk into a little beachside souvenir shop, and you'll find them trapped in a 6′′X 3′′ carrying cage with nothing else.
If you haven't looked there yet, all you have to do now is go to your nearest pretend pet store. They're crammed into a small aquarium with a bit of water and food on the darkest bottom shelf alongside dozens of others. Some of them will not even leave their shells. They lack limbs and claws in some instances.
That is correct, and I am referring to hermit crabs. They are already being mistreated wherever they are sold before they have an opportunity to be chosen by individuals from a caring household. They already have the odds stacked against them.
Hermit crabs are often treated as if they are stuck in pet stores. They look after their birds, which are valued at hundreds of dollars. It's the same with their high-priced pups and kittens. But where are the pet retailers that care for pets, even the tiniest and cheapest ones? Just because they aren't as expensive to acquire and care for doesn't mean they don't deserve to be treated as such.
How to Make a Hermit Crab Habitat?
Temperature and humidity are important factors in keeping a hermit crab healthy. Stomping a small tank on the store's darkest bottom shelf, leaving the lid open with no humidity or temperature gauge, and not caring to maintain temperature and humidity is unquestionable hermit crab maltreatment.
Unfortunately, no large organization exists to ensure that pet businesses handle these small animals decently. The SPCA isn't going to storm into a pet store because hermit crabs are being mistreated. This isn't something that a lot of people care about.
If you're interested enough in a hermit crab to buy one from a pet store, you won't usually get any information or a fact sheet about it. If you query the store clerk about tank conditions or the benefits and drawbacks of different types of diets, you'll be told that the clerk doesn't know much about the pets they're selling or doesn't want to learn.
Hermit crabs are seen as "disposable" pets by them. You're aware. The good people buy, and if they don't take care of it and it dies, it's fine; they are inexpensive and can be replaced. Hermit crabs, according to pet store employees, do not make good pets.
Not only do some people believe this, but certain pet stores also offer a return policy for faulty animals, which are employed when a crab is abused, dies within 30 days, and is then returned and replaced with another victim.
Hermit Crab Pet Lifespan
This should never be allowed to happen. If properly cared for, hermit crabs can live for 15 to 20 years or longer. Any creature should not be treated in this manner. These are real, breathing beings who ought to be treated with respect. They didn't ask to be dragged away from their tropical paradises.
They didn't seek to be bred in captivity in order to be sold later. They are merely living animals who deserve to be treated with respect.
Please don't mistakenly believe that if you bought a crab and it died, you're in the same category as these impatient, uncaring pet owners.
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Hermit crabs are frequently too stressed to handle being transported to a new site due to the inhumane treatment they suffer while waiting to be sold. Aside from the fact that most pet store personnel do not properly handle, feed, or shelter them, they also do not monitor the customers who take them.
For example, the pet store has mentioned keeping hermit crabs in the dark, and the hardly acceptable environment is the same area where I discovered one of my hermit crabs, who had already lost a limb due to stress. Instead of being in a visible location where the crabs and those handling them could be seen, these hermit crabs were placed in the final row, so no one could see who was picking up the hermit crabs.
Without the supervision of a pet store associate, unruly and unsupervised children, as well as heartless, uninformed persons, are entirely capable of accessing these critters. This means that they can handle, scare, and drop the hermit crabs for sale in a rough manner.
If you researched hermit crab care, bought a hermit crab, brought it home, and started caring for it, and it still died, it's unlikely that you were to blame.
Assume that any of this has occurred to you. Don't hold it against yourself. The best thing you can do is look for a trustworthy pet store and conduct some research on it before deciding to get a pet from them.
Take a look at how the crabs are presented for sale. Inquire if your coworkers are sitting in climate-controlled environments. If you don't want to buy anything from this store, don't. Investigate hermit crab care and ask store employees if they know what they're talking about. Make sure you finish your homework.
You will be a lot happier pet owner in the end. If you have a proclivity for attracting stray animals, you might want to visit that dreadful pet store and rescue some of those miserable hermit crabs. Putting the crabs from the store in their cage can be a good idea to help you with this. They should be kept apart from your healthy hermit crabs.
Remove the healthy crabs and place them in your present crab habitat as you observe. You can try to bring the sick ones back to life. It's a daring undertaking, but it might not always go as planned. However, if you are willing to try to save these animals, they will be far better off with you than with someone who would not. Whatever you choose, keep in mind that these are living creatures. They are deserving of respect.
Hermit Crab Space Requirements
If you're thinking about getting a hermit crab, you might be wondering if there's a limit to how many you can have in a given amount of room.
When I initially started raising hermit crabs as pets, I was curious about this. There is no easy way to respond to that question with precise figures and measures.
- The ideal number of hermit crabs for a given quantity of space is determined by the type of circumstance you have. When choosing how many hermits crabs you can house, you must consider tank size, personal freedom, and furnishings.
- The size of your tank is the first factor to consider when determining how many hermit crabs you may keep. This is a consideration. You will almost likely not be able to accommodate as many hermit crabs as someone with a 150-gallon aquarium if you only have a 10-gallon aquarium.
- The small hermit crab kit cages are insufficient for even one hermit crab to live peacefully, let alone multiple hermit crabs. The smallest tank that can accommodate a solitary crab while yet allowing you to develop your crab environment is a 10-gallon aquarium.
- Another factor to consider when deciding how many hermits crabs to buy is that, while hermit crabs are gregarious creatures, they require their personal space.
- Many pet stores offer an aquarium large enough for a few hermit crabs, but they dare to overcrowd it, forcing the hermit crabs to dwell on top of one another. This is an intolerable position for anyone, especially pet businesses, which are meant to house their animals in a humane manner.
- You'll need to think about whether each of your hermit crabs will have enough space to go off on their own for a bit. Every crabby should get some alone time every now and then.
- Another factor to remember is that if you keep hermit crabs for an extended period of time, you will undoubtedly encounter a crab that needs to molt. It's great if you make sure there's enough space in your hermit crab home for a safe molting retreat. Hermit crabs cannot shed safely away from other hermit crabs if they do not have enough space to molt.
- Also, keep in mind that if you have many hermit crabs, multiple crabs may molt at the same time. This must be taken into account. Another thing to consider is whether you want a selection of crabs of various sizes.
- One last item to think about when buying a house big enough for the number of hermit crabs you want is the furniture that will have to go into the tank with the hermit crabs.
- Remember that your tank will feature food and water bowls, climbing toys, shelters, and other decorations. It would help if you also considered this in order for your hermit crabs to live peacefully in the presence of these items.
- You should also leave enough room for the hermit crabs to run about and maneuver between objects without becoming stuck. Another aspect of furniture spacing is keeping everything in the center of your hermit crab habitat. Hermit crabs are more likely to flee if items are placed near the habitat's edge.
Though there is no predetermined amount of hermit crabs per gallon like goldfish, the most important thing to keep in mind is to use your best judgment and common sense.
Do not overcrowd the hermit crabs to the point that they are unable to maneuver around one another or their belongings. Ascertain that everyone has their personal space. When deciding on the number of hermit crabs, you can care for, keep the comfort of your hermit crabs in mind.