Help needed with hermit crabs !!!

[OMG_FL]

My uncle had brought a hermit crab by accident thinking it was just a shell.
I have to keep him until I get a chance to release him back to the beach.
For now I kept him in a temporary setup with sand and some seashells but just with a bit of brackish water(got them by washing the sea shells my uncle brought ) and some freshwater too.
As food I gave him small pieces of lettuce, tomato and a piece of fish(raw).

Things I need to know is how to make some sage saltwater ? Can I make them with aquarium salt ? and more things they need to survive

If someone hae experience with keeping them please help me

 

[Donya]

If you have a pet store near you with a saltwater section take it there immediately so they can get it in the right water and care for it rather than waiting to take it back to the beach. If no such store is around, you need marine salt mix for marine aquariums, not the sort of fw salt used to ward off diseases in small doses (the composition can be different).

 

[Colin_T]

Is it living in water or a land hermit crab?

Land hermit crabs can use salt water made from rock salt (aquarium salt) and dechlorinated water. You have a small shallow tray of fresh water and one of salt water.

If it's an aquatic hermit crab, then you need marine salt or natural sea water.

------------------

Fr terrestrial/ land hermit crabs.
Keep it warm (20-30C) and have some sand on the bottom of the cage.

Have a container of fresh and salt water.

Feed it a variety of food like you have been doing. Remove meat foods after an hour so they don't rot and encourage bacteria.

Wash the enclosure out each week. Hosing it outside is normally sufficient unless it smells bad, then use bleach but rinse well after bleaching and keep the crab away from it until it is clean and doesn't smell of bleach.

 

[Donya]

Is it living in water or a land hermit crab?

Land hermit crabs can use salt water made from rock salt (aquarium salt) and dechlorinated water. You have a small shallow tray of fresh water and one of salt water.

If it's an aquatic hermit crab, then you need marine salt or natural sea water.

Good point about the land vs marine. I thought I was seeing two narrow walking legs + a claw on my phone earlier which would typically be a marine species but now I'm on my PC I'm not so sure. Could be one large flat leg + claw of a Coenobitid.

 

[OMG_FL]

Is it living in water or a land hermit crab?

Land hermit crabs can use salt water made from rock salt (aquarium salt) and dechlorinated water. You have a small shallow tray of fresh water and one of salt water.

If it's an aquatic hermit crab, then you need marine salt or natural sea water.

------------------

Fr terrestrial/ land hermit crabs.
Keep it warm (20-30C) and have some sand on the bottom of the cage.

Have a container of fresh and salt water.

Feed it a variety of food like you have been doing. Remove meat foods after an hour so they don't rot and encourage bacteria.

Wash the enclosure out each week. Hosing it outside is normally sufficient unless it smells bad, then use bleach but rinse well after bleaching and keep the crab away from it until it is clean and doesn't smell of bleach.

It's a land living one i think bcz it always try to dig into sand.
I'll try my best
Thanks for your advice

 

[Colin_T]

If it's out of water and still alive now, then it's a terrestrial crab and not an aquatic one.

They are nocturnal and prefer to come out at night but some come out during the day. If you handle it every day, hold it and let it crawl about on your hand, it will tame down and be less likely to bite you. Some of them will bite anything and it hurts and they don't like letting go.

They should also be let out of the enclosure each day for an hour or so to wander around. You can do this on tile, wood, stone or dirt floors but not on carpets because they can get their legs caught up in the carpet. If it's on a dirt floor, have someone watch the crab so it doesn't bury itself.

They are pretty easy to keep so you should be right. The biggest problems are cold weather, dirty enclosure and rotten food.

 

[OMG_FL]

If it's out of water and still alive now, then it's a terrestrial crab and not an aquatic one.

They are nocturnal and prefer to come out at night but some come out during the day. If you handle it every day, hold it and let it crawl about on your hand, it will tame down and be less likely to bite you. Some of them will bite anything and it hurts and they don't like letting go.

They should also be let out of the enclosure each day for an hour or so to wander around. You can do this on tile, wood, stone or dirt floors but not on carpets because they can get their legs caught up in the carpet. If it's on a dirt floor, have someone watch the crab so it doesn't bury itself.

They are pretty easy to keep so you should be right. The biggest problems are cold weather, dirty enclosure and rotten food.

Thanks a lot
I really appreciate it
At what time of the day should I let him out ?

 

[Colin_T]

You can let them out to run around in the morning or later afternoon. Try to avoid having them outside during the middle of the day.