Coenobitidae (terrestrial hermit crab)

Age: Up to 30 years
Origin: (Sub)tropical regions
Length: Carapace up to a maximum of 3.5 cm, total length up to 10 cm
As the name suggests, this hermit crab species, unlike the majority of hermit crabs, lives on land. However, they do live close to the sea, as they depend on the salt water for salt absorption and reproduction. To protect their vulnerable abdomen, they wear a shell of a land or sea snail, this is also to be able to hold a water reserve.

Care
Experience: Advanced holder
Food: Omnivores
Feed adult: Daily
Feed young: Daily
Water bowl: Yes, one bowl with fresh water and one with salt water
Water change: Daily

Power supply
Land hermit crabs eat almost anything they come across like fruits, leaves, dead insects, seaweed, dead fish and nuts. It is important to have a very varied diet, alternating vegetables, fruits, plants, grains and rice, nuts, insects, meat/fish, seaweed and dairy products. Don't feed an avocado! This is poisonous to them.

When molting, the hermit crab uses a lot of energy, so feed extra calcium such as egg shells or ground oyster shells. This also helps harden the armor. They will eat the shed armor to reuse the nutrients.

Water
There must always be a container with fresh water and a container with salt water available in the accommodation. Salt water should be prepared with seawater products, not table salt. Only products that also contain iodine are suitable. The ratio is 7 grams of salt per 220 milliliters of water. They drink the sweet water.

Cleaning
Remove faeces and food residues daily and change the fresh and salt water. Once every 1 or 2 months, the entire enclosure must be emptied and cleaned and the bedding replaced. It is important that no soap or bleach is used, but dechlorinated water with possibly white vinegar in it. Fungus and bacteria grow quickly in the humid accommodation, so it is wise to regularly steam everything, boil it, bake it in the oven to kill it.

Handling
In general they are easy to handle and not aggressive, but they don't like it. Don't handle him until he seems comfortable. Always leave annoying or recently molted lobsters alone. When handling, it is best to hold the lobsters on the flat of your hand with the fingers pressed together to prevent it from catching a finger with scissors. When this happens and is not released, you can spray the scissors with warm dechlorinated water.

Housing
Minimum enclosure size for 2 5cm lobsters: 30x30, depending on the size of the animals.
Day temperature: 22 to 28 degrees Celsius
Night temperature: 20 to 24 degrees Celsius
Hours of light: 12 hours a day
Humidity: 75 to 85%
Soil cover: Thick layer of earth or sand of 8 cm thick. Coco peat is also suitable.

Design
The bottom should be covered with a thick layer so that the lobsters can burrow themselves in. Make sure there is a place for the lobsters to hide, you can use a piece of wood bark or a flat stone for this. You can also decorate the enclosure with fake plants, moss, stones, rocks or rope.
You can reach the temperature with the help of a heat mat, this can also be done by a light bulb with a low wattage. Place this on one side of the enclosure to create a temperature difference. When a heat mat is used, it is important that the animals cannot reach it to prevent burning.
Very important for land hermit crabs is the presence of different types of shells. There should always be a choice of different types and sizes of shells as they grow out of the shell and constantly need a new one. When they have an ill-fitting shell, this can lead to deformity. Preference is given to shells with a round or D-shaped entrance, give at least 3 extra shells of varying sizes per lobster.

Behaviour
Lifestyle: Day and night active

Behaviour
Lifestyle: Day and night active

Character
Land hermit crabs are active during the day as well as at night, but they are usually slightly more active at night. They walk around, eat here and there, demolish plants or wood with their scissors and sometimes dig themselves in. The crustaceans are quickly startled by vibrations or movements of people, for example. If they are startled, they quickly withdraw completely into their shell and after a while carefully come to see if the 'danger' has passed. If you pick up a land hermit crab and gently blow into their shell, they will reappear more quickly. If a hermit crab burrows into the ground, it may be about to molt. When molting, it loses its old skin and replaces it with a new, larger skin. If the lobster burrows in, you should therefore leave it alone, so that it can molt in peace. Usually it takes several months between two molts.

Points of attention
A newly purchased hermit crab takes some time to get used to and hide in the bedding for several weeks. This is normal and also happens during molting.

Cost and Purchase
Legislation:-
One-off costs: This includes the costs for accommodation, lighting, heating, water bowl and decoration. This can cost a few hundred euros to a few thousand euros in total. The final amount depends on the quality and size of the products.
Fixed costs: Fixed costs include the costs for the feed, which is a few tens of euros per year.
Unexpected costs: Costs are incurred when your lobster happens to get sick or your equipment breaks down.