QuestionI have a land crab and I read that they are social animals and like to have "friends". I have bought him a total of 3 friend in which all of them had died shortly after purchasing them. I'm getting sick of buying more and more crabs and having them all die. Its putting a damper on the wallet, on my heart, and Im assuming my poor Hermi (my crab). Are there any reptiles I can put in there with him that can act as a friend and that wont hurt him?
Thanks for the help...I and Hermi truly appreciate it.
AnswerHello and thank you for writing today!
I understand where you are coming from and I wish there was a positive answer for you but unfortunately there are no other reptiles or animals in general that would happily live within the crabs tank.
Unfortunately Land Hermit Crabs require such very exact and specific tank conditions and are so sensitive to stresses that it would not work out. Countless people have attempted to do this with devastating failures.
You are correct in reading that they are social creatures, they live in colonies of 100 and more while in the wild. The problem being that between being harvested off of their natural habitat and then supplier and distribution and then retail experiences cause an immeasurable amount of stress on them and sometimes suffer from post purchase stress.
Hermit crabs are definatly not a cheap or low maintenance pet, and I am sorry that I could not give you a better answer other than yes he needs at least one friend.
Try to find them at a store with good tank conditions with the proper temp and humidity and both fresh and salt waters and make sure the crab you pick is bright in color and shiny, friendly and active. Hopefully that will help some.
Jennifer
