land hermit crabs

Question
Hi,
I have 5 hermit crabs that seem to be doing quite well (I bought the first three about two months ago, and then two more about a month after that). I don't have a heater or a humidity gauge... should i be concerned? It never gets cold in the apartment and they have a large water dish with a sponge... Is this okay?
Nikole

Answer
There is no way to gauge humidity and temperature without an actual gauge. They are vital. Until you have one, I would certainly be concerned. They need to have one fresh water dish and one ocean style salt water dish, neither dish should have a sponge in it and both should be deep enough for your crab to get into them up to their shell opening. Moist sponges help but they are not necessary to a crabitat.

See this article on my site
http://naturallycrabby.com/home//blog1.php/2009/08/24/throw-away-that-sponge