Type the name of the breed you're looking for below

[wpdreams_ajaxsearchlite] Don't see the breed your're looking for? Click here and let us know!

[fbcomments]

Hermit Land Crab

Place of Origin and Range	The majority of the species are found in the Indo-Pacific region, with only one species in West Africa, one species occurring along the western Atlantic Ocean, and one species occurring on the Pacific coast of the Americas. The genus Coenobita contains the sixteen species of terrestrial hermit crabs.
Description	Most of the 1100 species possess an asymmetrical abdomen which is concealed in an empty gastropod shell carried around by the hermit crab. Most species have long, spirally curved abdomens, which are soft, unlike the hard, calcified abdomens seen in related crustaceans. The vulnerable abdomen is protected from predators by a salvaged empty seashell carried by the hermit crab, into which its whole body can retract. Most frequently, hermit crabs use the shells of sea snails. The tip of the hermit crab's abdomen is adapted to clasp strongly onto the columella of the snail shell.
Adult Size	Can grow up to 8 in (20 cm)
Accommodation	Never use a small plastic container to house your hermit crabs. They need plenty of room to climb and move around. The smallest enclosure you should use for two small to medium sized hermit crabs is a 10 gallon aquarium. Housing multiple medium sized hermit crabs or two large hermit crabs can require an aquarium as large as 30 or 40 gallons. Hermit crabs are good escape artists, so the enclosure will need a secure lid. If your house is humid and warm, you can use a wire mesh lid with latches. However, if there is a chance that the dry air in your home will affect the humidity levels of the habitat, we recommend the use of a glass or Plexiglas lid. You could also use a wire mesh lid with most of the lid covered by plastic wrap.Though it is important to keep the enclosure warm, never place it on a windowsill or anywhere else that it will be in direct sunlight. This will raise the temperature dangerously high, and you run the risk of actually baking your hermit crabs. You should choose a substrate that is easy to clean and that will allow your hermit crabs to tunnel and burrow in it. The two preferred substrates are sand and coconut fiber substrate. Keep an area of sea water in a non-metallic container. Driftwood, sand and pebbles will replicate a beach.
Lifespan	Can live up to 20 years
Feeding / Diet	Hermit crabs are omnivores. They will eat both plants and animals. Crabs will eat fruits, vegetables, leaves, insects, and even feces.
Breeding	Hermit crab species range in size and shape, from species with a carapace only a few millimetres long to Coenobita brevimanus, which can live 12–70 years and can approach the size of a coconut. The shell-less hermit crab Birgus latro (coconut crab) is the world's largest terrestrial invertebrate.