Basic Crab Care

We sell land hermit crab commonly known as purple pinchers (Coenobita Clipeatus). The hermit crab is hypoallergenic, and have no known diseases to mankind, unlike baby turtles which may contain salmanala.

The purple pincher is the friendliest of all the hermit crab species. Here are some basic care pointers, to keep in mind.

First, don’t leave your crab lonely, get him or her a companion.

Always make sure you have fresh, cleaned water in their water tub as well as a bowl of salt water, Clean them daily.

The food plate must always have fresh food, always disregard stale food everyday . They like to eat and drink mostly in the evening and at night. We recommend Tropicshells hemit crab food for your crab pet, since it contains all the necessary nutriments for your crab to grow healthy .

Below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, they are very uncomfortable, at or below 50 F, they start to die. Keep them at room temperature. If you expect the temperature to go down in the room, install a small terrarium heater. It can be found at any local pet store. Also, they may die of heat exhaustion, if they remain in 100 F temperature or above long enough.

It is good to have a piece of unbleached natural sea sponge in the water tub, for humidity. The crab will eat it in the long run; it is a great source of calcium for their crust. They must always have fresh water every day and saltwater, change daily.

Your terrarium needs to be cleaned weekly . The crush shells or the shells bedding will help your terrarium remain clean. This type of bedding is washable. To wash, just put them in a strainer and run tap water through it. They will be as good as new.

You don’t really need to bath your crabs, although you can , they can do it themselves. However, you may wipe the shell with a damp cloth. While you are doing that, make sure you keep your thumb on the big claw and two fingers behind the shell. Apply a little pressure to keep crab immobile while whipping the shells. Remember!!! They are purple pinchers, though rarely, if mishandled they might pinch a little bit, but nothing to worry about. Keep the palm of your hand stretched, and fingers extended, if your are going to put one in the palm of your hand to walk.

If you notice they are not running around during day time, it is their way. Usually, they are more active in the evening or at night.

Last, but not least, you will need empty shells (Item # 500-2) slightly larger then the shells they are in. This is important, because at any given time; they may need to change shells, especially after molting.

Follow the above tips and you will enjoy your pet crabs for a long time to come.