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A place where you can learn about Tree crabs, otherwise known as Hermit crabs, and learn how to care for them as pets!
         
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Hermit Crab Care

Saltwater dos and don't.s :o) - Mommy of Many - 6/30/2005
Hi Jordan. This is a very good question.

Saltwater for hermies is needed, but it must be a certain type of saltwater. Table salt that you use when you eat is iodized and that is bad for hermies. What they need is ocean salt. The ocean salthas all of the needed minerals and nutrients that they are use to getting in the wild. Table salt is processed down to taste and nothing else, and can actually harm your hermies if given to them after prolonged periods of time. (Makes me wonder what we are doing eating it! LOL!)

What I recomend is that you go to a petstore, or to www.petdiscounters.com and order a small box of Instant Ocean for them. It is salt that you mix with water (after taking the chlorine out of the water). It is easy and you have directions on how to make one gallon at a time. This is what I do and I just keep my saltwater jug with my hermies supplies and change the water in their bowl every other day (preferable every day, but I stretch it a bit. The hermies have done well even thought I have done this. I do not wait any longer thought due to my worries about bacteria setting in.).
The Instant Ocean (Better known on the boards as IO) has all of the necessary nutrients that they need.

I hope this helps Jordan and anyone else out there who may have the same question. It is a good question that everyone who owns hermies asks before too long. We just want the best for them.

Oh yes. I believe that the Instant Ocean (Small box) costs around $5, and you can get a discount code for 10% off your first order too.
Let me know if you need anything else and if you decide to use www.petdiscounters.com the code is "hermies".

Yes, spraying them daily is a good thing if your humidity has a hard time staying up to par for them. Just make sure their humidity in the tank is between 60-100% Usually we keep them between 70-85% and find they do best there. If it gets too dry their gills have a hard time working properly and they dry up and die. If it is too high we have noticed that they do poorly as well.

Good luck !

Sarah
Mommy of Many