Our crabs, Ned and Ted.

Our house is beginning to feel a bit like the wild kingdom. We have a cat, five chickens, and now we have two hermit crabs.  Our oldest daughter received a pair of hermit crabs from her Grammy for her birthday.  Since the crabs make a fair amount of noise at night they live in the office area of our home.  Don’t tell my daughter, but when I’m needing a break at night I’ll get them out and let them run around while I think.

Our crabs are named Ned and Ted.  Did you know that hermit crabs are social creatures?  They aren’t ‘crabby’ at all.  In fact they need to be with at least one other crab or they won’t live long at all.  How long do hermit crabs live?  They can live anywhere from five to fifteen years if they are in a good habitat.  Some hermit crabs have been known to live up to 40 years in captivity.

Hermit crabs received their name because they find shells to live in.  The shell protects their abdomen which is very soft.  In addition to protection, the shell stores water which allows the crab to breath since it has gills.  Hermit crabs need a humidity level around 70% otherwise they will slowly suffocate, which is no fun for anyone.  They can be delicate so care needs to be used when handling and moving them.

Hermit crabs can actually be very competitive.  If they see a crab with a shell they want, they will sometimes fight for the shell.  Ned and Ted seem to get along pretty well so I don’t think this will be an issue.  We have a variety of shells in their habitat so they can explore new shells as they begin to outgrow their current one.  Crabs will use their claws to roll a shell over to make sure it is free of debris before entering it.

Ned and Ted are pretty easy to feed.  They prefer chunks of fruit or vegetables but also enjoy picking at leaves and bark.  Their favorite foods are Goldfish (the crackers) and Cheerios.  It really costs nothing to feed a hermit crab.

The crabs need two water sources in their habitat.  One is a small fresh water source that the crabs use for drinking.  The other is a salt water solution that is used for bathing by the crabs.  This is also the water that is stored in their shell for breathing.  It is important to use filtered, chlorine-free water for the crabs.

There are about 600 different species of hermit crabs in the world.  The crabs we have are Ecuadorian hermit crabs.  They are among the smallest hermit crabs.  The Coconut hermit crabs can be up to 16 inches long and reside in large shells.

Ned and Ted are a fun addition to our home and are a good source of entertainment and learning for our family.  It is fun to see where they wind up since they can use the sealant in the corner of their aquarium habitat for climbing.  Our daughter enjoys making different places for them to hang out using her Legos.  Hermit crabs are great pets for young children.

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