How to Make a Playground for Hermit Crabs

How to Make a Playground for Hermit Crabs. Hermit crabs hardly ever pop into anyone's head as being an entertaining, fascinating pet, but these crustaceans are lively and easy to care for because they love to play. One of the keys to keeping a happy and healthy pet hermit crab is to give it a warm, humid playground, full of substrate to dig, places to explore and objects to play with, as well as shells for them to use as they outgrow their old shells. This replacing of shells for "secondhand" shells is the source of the hermit crab's name, not because of its disposition or sociability.

Things Needed

• Temperature controlled, moist aquarium

Step 1

Place clean, hollow logs, unpainted flower pots, conch shells and other pieces of natural material into your hermit crab's aquarium so the hermit crab can hide and climb.

Step 2

Place dried coral segments into the tank. Coral, aside from providing interest to your hermit crab's terrain, provides it with much needed calcium.

Step 3

Clean branches of non-resinous wood (avoid pine and cedar) and place them in your hermit crab's tank. It will hide and climb around on the branch.

Step 4

Drop small, non-toxic hollow balls or small toys (ensure they are not decorated with paint) into the tank for your hermit crab to push.

Step 5

Pile clean rocks and gravel in some areas and allow your hermit crab to explore. Move the pile occasionally to keep the hermit crab interested.

Warnings

• Hermit crabs do best in groups and will play with one another in a playground.

References

• Hermit Crabs.com: Basic Crab Care
• Smithsonian National Zoological Park: Land Hermit Crabs