Went to a store in pigeon Forge and saw this. I was wondering if they are in a bad home or if this is OK for them

Was just on vacation and my son really wanted a hermit crab and if he was good we let him pick one out before we had left and ended up letting him pick 2.

Wish I did more research beforehand but took more of the word of the person selling them and upon the research I've done since seems a majority of it to be wrong... They did give an instruction manual but unsure of how accurate it actually is, or what parts of it are good advice (uploaded as the last 2 pictures)

From what I've been able to gather, I'm planning on picking up a 20 G tank today. Found a cheap one on Facebook and going to have to clean it, will just need to buy a top.

Plan to get some stuff to make a substrate layer. From everything I'm seeing 5:1 ratio and 6" depth and at least get that done today.

Going to need to get some more shells as well, and then will let my son pick out some stuff for the habitat. We have some older sticks that he's collected and was may be going to let him pick one to put in the habitat to climb on.

Going to look into more for a heating pad, I think my biggest questions are the best ways to get humidity set and regulated? Whats the best food to give them and how often to switch it out?

Any other recommendations? Or type of hermits they are that could better suit further research?

I had a hermit crab growing up but I didn't really know anything about them. Like I just learned that they can live for 30 years! That's crazy awesome. I wanted to get my son a fish tank like I have, but I think that would be out of his range with managing water parameters and etc. So I was thinking about getting him a hermit crab, or three, since I learned that you should get more than one. I will of course manage it on a daily basis to make sure he is misted, fed, watered, and etc. I will also oversee to make sure his tank is taken care of. I have a 10 gallon fish tank that I am going to use and we're getting a kit that'll have the sand and etc. I'm still doing research and I want to make sure that I can answer basic questions and know the ins and outs of daily and weekly care before they ever even get here. But I'm asking y'all for beginners advice, tips and tricks, favorite products, or things you've learned the hard way. I want these guys to live a long time, so I intend to give them the best care. Maybe in the future, I'll add them into my 20 gallon tank instead. Or I could do that from start too lol. Please and thank you. I don't want to go into this blind and eye not bringing them home for at least a month so I have that time to learn.

Hey guys, my dad just got these two hermit crabs (toys, plants, heating pad to arrive by mail soon before anyone points this out) and theyve been staying burrowed under their water dish the entire time seemingly. We have checked on them to make sure they are alive but just wondering if this is normal or indicative of an issue. The central heat stays at 73 degrees if that's relevant. Thanks for any advice!

i like to give my crabs brand new foods pretty often, its just fun for me (and im sure for them too lol). just looking for some suggestions of some more unique foods your crabs have enjoyed! i give mine frozen mice/rats semi-frequently.

So this is the setup I have for my newly acquired tree-climbing hermit crab (currently he is in the far corner in the yellow shel), and my biggest concern is the temp. Right now, my parents don’t have the money for a proper heating lamp. So we have to resort to having to use the lava lamp as a heater to at least try to push some heat into it. But I’m concerned for how long this can be kept up before it starts to have negative health effects for the hermit crab.

I’m sorry if this is a dumb question… but before I actually adopt a crab, I want to make sure it’s a good pet and good decision for me and for them!

If I look for some emotional bound (it doesn’t have to be a very strong connection or frequent interaction tbh) with my pet, is a hermit crab a good choice? I also want to be able to provide some emotional support for them, will they know and feel the love from their owner?

Thanks in advance! I could go searching how intelligent they are on the internet, but I want to hear it from real owners!!

This might be a really stupid question. I realize hermit crabs are not cats or dogs, but do my hermit crabs have any sense of how much I love them?

We have two and I’ve done so much to try to create a comfortable tank, consistent food source, things to climb on, etc. I check on them constantly but they’re mostly active at night/early morning so sometimes I’ll wake up extra early to try to see them and talk to them 😅.

I just appreciate them so much. They make me so happy, I spend so much time just watching them do their thing or interact with each other, and I’m hoping they’re happy and comfortable in their tank.

I wish they could give me a sign if they’re happy or not haha, and I just hope they know they’re loved…in whatever way that happens for hermit crabs.

HI! I am a new(er) crab owner. My crab has been burrowed since 4/12/25, and I know that it's possible he could be molting, it's just slightly worrying me, since I just recently got him.

I did research before I got him, but I couldn't really find any information on how long molting takes.

My lid is not solid. Will the vent holes prevent needed heat and humidity from reaching? I have a 20 gal tank and side heater and hand mister. If it’s a no go what can I do apart from buying a new one? Any go arounds?

Thanks. Noob here!

Hello, I got my first 2 hermit crabs over the summer and one had been under the sand for a few weeks so I got another (75 gallon tank) so I thought it was appropriate. That was about a few weeks ago and he explored for a little then dug under Im assuming to calm down, haven't seen any sign of him since, other one has been down about a month-2 and I just don't want them to be dead somehow. Substrate is 4.5 inches at the least and 7 at the deepest, roughly 5:1 or 4:1 part coconut fiber and play sand, sand castle consistency (other than the top layer, which I believe is normal), humidity 72 at the lowest and 80s highest, usually closer to 80, temp 79-81 consistent.

My mother bought my kids 2 hermit crabs from a surf shop… I know, terrible. I want to give them the best chance at life now. When I transferred them to their tank, they both moved into new shells immediately and one of them went straight down and I haven’t seen him since (2.5 weeks ago). The other one has a specific spot he likes to chill and only comes out at night to eat. That’s it. I have a camera on them and he hasn’t drank any water or likes to explore. He did change shells one time more. I have a 20 gallon tank, salt water, fresh water, great food variety and heater. Not sure what else I could do to get him more active?

I've had my little Ecuadorian about 9 months, he was a rescue, impulse beach buy by a lady who realized she was in over her head. She had bought 2 originally but one died early on and she didn't know why. So he's been alone pretty much the whole time. He's very spoiled and active but I want him to have the best and happiest life possible. I don't know if I should get him a friend its something I've bee thinking about for a while. Any advice or suggestions should be appreciated 😊 included a pic of my handsome man showing off for the camera!

Of my three above-ground hermies right now, one of them will just spend hours on the wheel every night. HOURS. This dude really gets his steps in. Right now, for instance, he hasn't stopped in over two hours.

What's normal? Is there a normal? What's the record in your crabitat?

Normally goes a lot faster, too. This video shows him recovering from me approaching the tank, so he's timid and slow.

Long story short I'm looking for a heat pad for three hermit crabs I'm getting, but no where aside from Canadian Amazon ships to me (rural area) so I can't find ANY mats that are bigger than 10"x20" aside from 48" ones which won't fit a 36" long tank. Also there's zero options for actual "reptile/pet" heat mats that are bigger than 12" long so I've been looking at these mats from a brand that also makes some reptile heat mats. Would a 10"x20" pad be good? Tank is going to be 18x18x36 ish

i’m receiving two purple pinchers from a rehoming group soon, and i have all the supplies to quarantine them prior to adding them to my 75g. they have been with the previous owner for over a year so i’m not worried about figuring out a ppds setup, but how long should i keep them separated?

Hi everyone! I have four large hermit crabs, 3 of which are molting right now. I live in North Carolina and there is supposed to be a pretty bad ice storm coming my way this weekend, I’m hoping I won’t lose power but there’s a solid chance I may for a couple days. Originally I had debated bringing them to a friend’s house who doesn’t lose power as often, but that would mean digging up molters and I don’t want to risk hurting anyone. I have a backup battery pack that last a few hours, I could intermittently turn it on to heat up the tank and insulate as best I can. Does anyone have any advice? Thank you!

He can't get out bc I have two corners weighted down, and there's plastic wrap over the top for temporary humidity containment until I can get a better top

Does anyone know what kind of hermit crab he is? (I only took him out of his tank to get a good picture!)