Understanding what I got into

[Dukester]

When I was young, in the 70s I and the whole neighborhood got hermit crabs. Mind u, there is no cell phones or internet so u can't just look up crab care. I remember having 4 to 5 small hermits in a fish bowl feeding them hermit crab pellets. No temp or humid gages and just tap water. Needless to say I can't remember but I didn't have them long. 2.5 yrs ago I'm at a pet store and see hermits. I think, oh I'll get one so easy to care for , so I did. I get one put in fish bowl with crab pellets and tap water then I get one more. After a couple weeks I decided to look on line on crab care and boy did my world change. I felt horrible how I had my crabs so I bought a 20 gal tank with a top and temp humid gages and only feed healthy food.now I have 4 crabs doing great I got in depth reading on hermit crabs over 2 yrs and just enjoy watching them and taking care of them. I'm in California and humidity isn't here but it gets very hot , so I'm always looking at the gages. In my old age, it's been an enjoyable experience taking care of these little guys. What a change from the 70s to now. These guys never had a chance back then but hopefully now they will. After u get all set up, its not so hard, kinda like having a dog. U just need different
Things. Thank u for this web site, I learned even more on it.

[Wai]

Great to hear this website has served you well. I think a lot or us started in similar ways; my first two didn’t really stand a good chance of survival in a critter keeper with no heat source and wood shavings. The first one miraculously lived for 11 months though.

[Dukester]

You are right. I've done alot of reading on them for past couple yrs,. I think the only states they wouldn't need extra humidity maybe even temp is Florida and parts of Texas or the Gulf states. 2.5 yrs and haven't lost one but my former Streaker seems sluggish. I just keep watching him.

[Dukester]

Wai, I read on ur post u been to Okinawa, I've been there 2 times but was when I was a Marine and wasn't paying attention to hermit crabs. So, are there hermit crabs in Okinawa? It's very humid and tropical there so I can understand why. I spent alot of time in mainland Japan, even lived there for almost a year. But mainland is different.

[Wai]

There are land hermit crabs on the main Okinawa island, but I only encountered them on one particular beach after looking at many. They are more common on isolated islands off the main island or on neighbouring large islands like Ishigaki and Miyako.

[Dukester]

Well my streaking hermit died last week. He left his shell a 2nd time and I tried the warm salt water to coax him in a shell but this time I think he got more stressed . Then he began to lose limbs so I knew that was near the end. I do feel bad he didn't make it, I thought he was OK after 1st time. My other 3 crabs are doing great. U just never know.

[Wai]

Yeah, sorry for your loss. Unfortunately when they streak like that repetitively, it can be a sign that their end is near.