Can hermit crabs have cardboard in their cages?

Answer 1

They need several inches of substrate in the cage, which can be a high quality sand like Carib Sea Aragonite sand, or Eco Earth coconut fiber. It should be at minimum twice as deep as your largest crab is tall. Never use cedar or any conifer in your hermit crab's cage. This includes the half logs sold for reptiles.

You will need a glass tank with a lid that closes to hold in humidity, which should be 70-80%. You will need a humidity gauge placed about midway in the tank near the substrate. A thermometer is a must, best is one at each end and one to take the temperature of the substrate from time to time. Your crabs NEED a range of temperature, from up to 80*F at one end to as low as 70*F at the cooler end. This is hard to obtain in a small tank, so if it is at least 73 at the cool end up to 80 at the warm end, this is suitable. usually this must be obtained using a spot heat lamp. This will dry the air, so you need ways to keep the humidity up. Do not use a sponge in their water dish - it is a myth that they need this to drink from, and it harbors bacteria that can make you and your hermit crabs sick. They need a dish for fresh, dechlorinated water, and a dish for marine salt water. Do NOT use "hermit crab" salt water, as it does not provide the electrolytes hermit crabs need for molting and health. Hermit crabs carry water in their shells, so need a water dish they can climb into and submerge if they like. Do not bathe them, as this stresses them, disrupts the salinity of their shell water, and is not necessary if you provide a decent water dish for them to climb into. The only time they should be bathed is when you first bring them home, and when you do a deep clean, or if there is an issue with pests in the tank.

Feeding your crabs is another matter entirely. They need a wide variety of nutrients, and require a huge variety of foods. You will need some sources of wood in your tank for them to munch on, such as cork bark, cholla wood, and coconut huts with some of the fibers still on them. You can most easily do this by making your own from a fresh coconut. Stay away from any commercial foods containing copper sulfate and ethoxyquin, as these have been linked to molting abnormalities. Feeding is too in depth to go into here, but make sure they have a daily source of seaweed (variety, not the same each day), protein, chitin, cellulose, calcium, and fresh fruits and vegetables. They are omnivores, and require meat just as much as vegetable matter. They also love crunchy brown maple leaves.

For more complete information about how to best care for your hermit crabs, visit http://www.hermitcrabparadise.com and read the care sheets there, and join the forum if you like to get advice from owners who have had their crabs for 10+ years without a death.

Answer 2

yes