You need to think about the pool you want to put in the enclosure before you set up a hermit crab enclosure. As you may have heard, hermit crabs can be drowned. So the concern is how we can apply the water condition in the tank, what should be done, and how long hermit crabs can stay underwater.
Here I’m to clarify the breathing mechanisms in different hermit crabs, the measurement of the water depth and brief, and the drowning-related myths.
How long hermit crabs can stay underwater will depend on the types of hermit crabs, their health condition, and what size they are. There are mainly two types of hermit crabs, land hermit crabs and marine hermit crabs. Typically, land hermit crabs can stay underwater for 20 to 30 minutes or else they can be drowned. Some can stay longer than that but they know the exact time when they should get out of the water. And a marine hermit crab can always stay underwater without any problem. Here is the relationship between the water of both crabs.
Land hermit crab
Land hermit crabs are the best pet crab category known. You will see people petting land hermit crabs and in the shop, most of the hermit crabs they sell are terrestrial. That’s why people are more concerned about them.
Observation of the relation with water of the land hermit crabs in their natural habitat
In their natural habitat, terrestrial hermit crabs live near the coastline, where they have access to saltwater of the sea and any kind of freshwater source and food. They spend most of their life on the land, 95 to 98 percent and they go to the sea occasionally for things like daily bathing, dampening their gills, cleaning the shell from where they pooped, storing water in the shell, mating, breeding, and hatching eggs.
Those are the reasons why land hermit crabs need to go to the sea. But they can do this by staying far from the seashore, can’t they? Actually no. The main reason they live near the coast is because of the humidity. Though terrestrial hermit crabs drown and can’t breathe in water with their smaller gills (compared to marine hermit crabs), they need to dampen their gills (which are located in the brachial chamber) to breathe. And the humid air helps to dampen the gills for a long time. Otherwise, they can’t survive in the dry air. This is the reason why they do not appear usually during the day as the sun zaps the humidity and they are more active at night because of the high humidity. They also need fresh water to drink.
Coconut crabs, rarely go to the sea, and they can stay without drowning for an hour. Some common land hermit crab species are the Ecuadorian Hermit Crab, Caribbean Hermit Crab, and strawberry hermit crab.
Implementing their water requirements in the crabitat
First, you need to ensure they get both fresh and saltwater in different bowls or any kind of container. Here I explained why hermit crabs need both water and how you can prepare it correctly.
If you want to create a pool in the enclosure, make sure to pour it with salt water and place a secondary bowl for fresh water. There is a debate about how deep the pool should be. No need to worry about this; just make it deep enough that they can submerge fully in the water, including the shell. So they can be in and out without facing any difficulties. Some prefer hermit crabs and do not need a very deep pool.
But if you are creating a pool more than seven to eight inches deep, from where they cannot reach the top of the water and come back to the surface, you need any kind of medium that they can use as a ladder to get out of the water. Hermit crabs know when they have to come out and how long they can hold their breath. If they get lost in the pool and don’t find a way out in time, they will die of suffocation. They can get injuries too if they are hit directly to the ground. So make sure to create a smooth in-and-out path.
As we know, they need proper humidity of 70 to 80% to breathe properly. You will need a hydrometer to monitor the humidity and you have to mist the enclosure to moisten the substrate. Keep away from AC and direct sunlight.
Marine hermit crab
On the other hand, aquatic hermit crabs are quite the opposite. They spend their whole life underwater and they can never be drowned. Marine hermit crabs have large gills located inside their branchial chamber, a cavity near the base of their walking legs, beneath the carapace. They create a current of water over their gills, which helps them extract oxygen from the water and release carbon dioxide through the mouth. So you don’t need any drowning-related concerns about marine hermit crabs.
Marine hermit crabs are for aquariums. You can keep it with other fish but not too big compared to their size and not with predators. Some marine hermit crabs are dwarf yellow tip hermit crabs, dwarf zebra hermit crabs, dwarf blue leg hermit crabs, polka dot hermit crabs, etc.
Can a hermit crab live without saltwater?
A hermit crab can’t survive without saltwater for very long, they need saltwater for various purposes and they can’t live only depending on freshwater.
Can hermit crabs live without a shell?
The lower half of the body of a hermit crab is much more vulnerable and they don’t have strong exoskeletons to protect their vulnerable abdomen. That’s why they always need a shell to protect their vulnerable body and shells become like their part of the body. They can’t survive without a shell.
If your hermit crab is out of the shell, that is not usual. A normal hermit crab would never do that except for sometimes. Check out the details about this.
