Hermit crabs are fun pets and live a long time if taken care of correctly.  First, you will need a cage (I suggest a 10 gallon cage minimum) and sand or any dirtlike cocunut fiber.(Rocks hurt their limbs).  Then a spray bottle and special conditioner (part 1) for the hermit crabs water. You should buy some food at pet stores, and you can use the following, carrots, banana, pineapple, peach, and strawberry. You will need a food and a water dish.  A sponge can be bought at pet stores.  Buy some toys like a log, and hermit crab hut  and a pool that is not too deep and it doesn’t have to be to big but not little eather.  A gauge that has humidity and heat and extra shells more extra shells than hermitcrabs.  You  also need a heater.  You will want to give them a bowl and saltwater you can buy the conditioner at a pet store.

Get everything ready and you can pour the sand in then put the hermit crab hut in the food and water dish in and the log and pool in too.  Put the heater on.  Spray once. At least 1 inch of sand no more than 2 inches.

Buy a hermit crab that is moving around at the pet store.  If it doesn’t get scared don’t buy it either.  It might cost more if it has a color painted shell do not buy it! Natural shells are best.

Ok so now we are going to talk about care.  You should spray 3 times a day.  Take them out at least 1 time a day for minumum five minuts if you can.  Bath them 1 time per week unless you have saltwater.

When you have bathing time you should use the sink or a pan that they can not get out.  Make sure it is not deeper then the little crabs.  Leave them for about 10 minutes. Then take them out. If you have saltwater let them bath themselveswhen they want.  

To make your hermit crabs “friendly”, you can set the hermit crab on your hand and it might take a while but the crab will come out and then talk to the crab in a deep voice an do this agen every day untell it likes you better.

If hermit crabs look like they are fighting like climing on each other or pushing each other over or having feeler fights dont be frightend they are just playing. some hermit crabs are more scared than others. shell fighting is the most normal and hermit crabs might be hirt if they loose limbs they will molt and start growing a litle back every time they molt. cherping means the hermit crab is stresed. they are nocturnal so not very active during the day. Dont be supprized if your hermit crabs reck the cage setup over night. New hermit crabs will take a while to get used to there new seting. New crabs will be stresed, so for the first week dont mess with them mush.      

Hermit crabs might act differently it might be because the pet store did or didn’t take good care of them.  If the pet store did bad to the hermit then that might make the hermit “mean” if the pet store took good care of it  it will probably be good.

Hermit crabs only pinch if they feel offended and if they do pinch you they will let go of you if you put them under warm water.

You will want to boil extra shells for 5 minutes every month utherwise they will get germs. make shure that there isnt a hermit crab in it!

NO PAINTED SHELLS ! As soon as paint flakes off it will get in their water dish and kill them. If you do get one with one give it natural shells to trade and then wait fore it to change sells then remove the painted shell.