hermit crab enclosure

Question
QUESTION: I am trying to set up an enclosure, and I was wondering if a normal desk lamp over the top of the tank will be sufficient for my hermies?
And do they have to have a lid on them?
I was also wondering if they can have the little coloured pebbles in their crabitat rather than just sand?
Thanks.

ANSWER: Dear Krys,
thank you for your question.
You will need a lid for your tank for two reasons: hermit crabs are escape artists and can climb the silicone in the corners of the tank. Without a lid, they will be just gone one day (big crabs can even push the lid open, you may need to weigh it down). A lid is also needed for keeping the humidity up, they need a relative humidity of 70-80% and this can't be done without a lid.

The desk lamp may work, but it may be too hot can cause the humidity to drop too low. Flourescent lights may work better because they don't get so hot. I heat and light my 70g tank with a 100 watt light bulb and it works pretty well, I mist twice a day. You need to experiment a bit what works best for you.

The pebbles or any other kind of gravel are not suitable as substrate because they don't hold moisture very well or at all and water will pool at the bottom of the tank. The crabs also cannot really dig in the pebbles, which can cause unsuccessful molts. Playsand is a good substrate and very cheap. Another good substrate is coconut fibre bedding /Forest Bedding/Eco Earth) or a mix or a combination of both.
You can find more info on crab care on these websites:
www.thecrabbagepatch.com
www.hermitcrabassociation.com
www.landhermitcrabs.com
www.epicurean-hermit.com
www.hermit-crabs.com
http://www.crabbytalk.com/

I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, Thanks for that info.
Are you using flourescent lights?
Im only looking at having about 4 of them.
Is the misting done with a normal spray bottle or is there a special misting bottle needed?
Will beach sand be ok?
Thanks, Krys

Answer
Beach sand is fine, but it's probably a good idea to sift through it for litter ect. For the misting, you can use a normal spray bottle. Pet shops sell hermit crab misting bottle, but those are just spray bottles with a hgher price...
I use a normal light bulb, a spot for desk lamps ect. Flourescent lights   light the crabitat better, not just in one spot, but you will probably need a heating mat so that it doesn't get too cold in the crabitat. It's better to put the heating mat on the sides of the crabitat insteasd of under it because the crabs will dig down to cool off and to molt.