My philosophy in creating an environment for my hermit crabs is that the poor things don't belong in Ohio in the first place. Therefore, it's my job to try to re-create their natural environment as much as possible while they are in my care. Given that they are from tropical climates, they are used to high humidity and high temperature, which allows them to maintain their natural molting cycle as much as possible. An active crab eats more, and therefore molts more often, growing more, changing shells more. In their natural environments they are nocturnal, so if you're going to have a heat-lamp, keep this in mind and get a 'night' lamp, one that gives off only a little light and mostly heat. The ones I buy are called "moonglow bulbs," and can be found at petdiscounters.com. Your hermit crabs will not want to come out to explore their tank (and eat and drink) if their heat-lamp incorporates a typical reptile basking bulb, designed to simulate bright sunlight. Their natural environment also includes a large amount of sand, as well as earth, washed-up dry driftwood as well as beachside growing plants (further described in the 'substrate' section to follow). In nature they are scavengers, feeding on washed-up sea creatures, plant matter, fruit, and even the driftwood.

Housing

The best housing for land hermit crabs is a small glass tank, with a glass lid. Lids made specifically for the tanks fit snugly and generally have two small rectangular areas in the back to allow air to enter and exit the tank, and so that cords from heater rocks, etc., can continue on outside the tank without leaving enough room for a curious crab to climb the cord and then escape out through the hole. A 10-gallon tank is fairly cheap, as is the lid, which is a necessity to ensure that the humidity and temperature inside the tank remain constant. Don't overcrowd--if you want to have a lot of crabs, consier buying a bigger tank. Several smaller crabs can fit comfortably inside a 10-gallon tank; several jumbos need a larger space. If confined too closely, it's only natural that fights over space and resources break out, which may result in lost limbs or even deaths.