Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have 2 hermit crabs which I just got this week named Ronald and Alice. I cleaned out my old fish tank for them to live in (I think it's a 10 gallon tank) with sand in it for them. Ronald seems to be more entergetic and when I looked in on them he'd be walking around in the sand. Alice seems to stay inside her shell most of the time. I'd walk in sometimes and see her out, but she goes back in once she sees me. I thought that they might like a place where they could hide so I put this small castle thing in for them. Now they seem to be in there all the time... I haven't seen them come out of it since I put it in there. I'll look in on them and they'll both be out of their shells but then Alice goes back in when I come up. I took them out of their tank to let them explore, and Ronald wandered around the room, but Alice stayed in her shell the whole time. Then i put them back and they go back in. Should I be worried about them? I can't tell if they are coming out to eat their food, they may come out when I'm not around. Should I take the castle out? Or is it not a problem, and crabs just like dark places?

Now for the food... they came with this stuff that is just called "Hermit Crab Food". It is some sort of pellets in some sandy looking stuff. Is this good for them? Or should I be feeding them some other kind of food? And how much should 2 small hermit crabs be eating of it?

What about light? How much light should the crabs be getting? Their tank is on the floor under a window which has a good bit of light, but not too much. And their tank has a cover over it that blocks out most of the light. Do they need more light? More shade?

Is there anything else that I need to know about them? I've had a couple of hermit crabs when I was younger, but I know that I didn't care for them properly and I would like Alice and Ronald to be happy and healthy. Thanks!!!!!

I think they are probably fine. Some hermit crabs are more shy than others. It will take time for Alice to get used to you.... I mean, if you were the size of Alice and something the size of a human came up, you'd probably hide in your shell too... at least I would

Hermit crabs don't eat a whole lot of food. Try giving them a piece of cuttle bone (bird section) for calcium. They also like fruits an veggies. They won't be eating alot though.

Hermit crabs need sunlight, but not enough that their temperature of their habitat gets hot. You also need to maintain a fairly high humidity level..

They need two bowls of water... salt water and regular water (thats been dechlorniated, etc.) They need pleanty of things to hide in and climb on... and they do best in groups... Hope this helps.