Maintenance, Food, Nutrition, Humidity
Hermit crabs are essentially well known for being a low maintenance pet. They work well for kids and don't require as much work as a dog or a cat. They need to have bedding which should consist of sand or coconut bedding. They need to have as much humidity as possible. You can achieve this by providing a few shells with water. Make sure to also put sponges in the water dishes so that the crab can get out. You will also need to provide the crab with extra shells which are larger than its current shell. Crabs often molt, meaning that they shed all of the skin over their body. Then will then switch to another shell or stay in the same shell. About 4 inches of bedding is required for the molting process to take place.
You will also need some decorations to keep your hermit crab happy. You can provide the crab with fresh vegetables, lettuce and fruit. Their main diet consists of Hermit Crab food which is sometimes in a pellet form or a more powdered down form. You can buy hermit crab food online or you can purchase it in a pet store. You can also buy complete set ups which include a tank, food, sand and everything required to own a hermit crab. Hermit crabs live to be over 20 years old. They live a long time if they are cared for properly. The most important thing is to provide the crab with food and water. You always need to spray the tank with water also. Never use regular water to fill the water dish or sprayer bottle. Always use distilled water when topping off the water dishes. You can do this buy pouring regular water in the sprayer and letting it sit for 24 hours. This will eliminate the chlorine out of the water.
Hermit crabs have one large pincher which can do some damage to the skin. The larger the crab the more damage it can do. This is why I wouldn't recommend them for small children if they will be holding it. My hermit crab was very friendly and pinched me after I had him for 3 years. It seems as if you cannot train a hermit crab not to pinch. I would use caution with them around small children.
Hermit crabs can also have baths every few days. Dip the crab in distilled water to give it a bath. Do not leave it in the cup because they cannot swim or breathe under the water. They do enjoy baths, if given to them properly. You can also let them crawl around but never pull on them because it's legs will break off. Let the crab crawl onto a hard surface and grab the crab at that point. If you need to put the crab away, you can move whatever it is on into the tank until it crawls off. Sometimes they can be very stubborn. Just make sure it isn't something that could possibly hurt the crab or become a problem.