Friday, July 31, 2009

Can hermit crabs live with any other animal?

we have 4 hermit crabs in a quite large tank. our children love the crabs but get a little bord as they do not do much during the day.we are wondering if we could put any thing else in there for the children to watch.like a lizard or something.the tank is the focal point of the room and 2 of the 4 crabs are under sand and i think molting.hopeing they didnt burry themselves to die.but we are just wondering if we can put anything else living in the tank with our hermies.thank you
Answers:
If you let other animals live with them then they wouldn't be hermits any more.
probably not
i think some animals would be ok but to be on the safe side, i would just get another tank .
When they die you can generally smell them before you see them...
As for other creatures. anything that doesn't eat crab, and requires similar conditions would probably be ok.
WHy don't you just buy more hermit crabs? I don't think that they would be able to live with anything else. Lizards and other reptiles would probably just eat them.
If it is a large tank get few more of them and that way you will have an interesting exhibit
Hermit crabs are special kind of crabs. They live in a shell. If you mix that with another animal;
1. It will fight
2. It will hide
3. It will die
So if you ask me about crabs... They are disgusting!!
Don't get hermit crabs and expect them to be fun. All hermit crabs do is stay in their shells all day, and occasionally move spots/positions. The answer is NO. You can not put a lizard in with a hermie. They require different foods and temperatures. If you want to get something more exiting for your kids, get a cat, dog, or guinea pig.
Here's a sites about all these pets:
Cats:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cat...
Dogs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/dog...
Guinea Pigs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/guinea_pig...
I'm not trying to be rude, but cats, dogs, and guinea pigs are MUCH better pets!
Hope this helps!
Good luck!
Most Lizards require temperatures that will kill a hermit crab. Hermit crabs cannot tolerate temperatures above 85 and lizards need 95 for basking. The answers before mine show a concern that the other animal will harm the hermit crab. There should also be a concern about the other animal being harmed by the hermit crabs. Hermit crab claws are formidable weapons, as anyone who has ever had a finger caught by one could testify.
Why don't you get a reptile waterfall (see links below) and some silk plants and make a little terrarium. Since hermit crabs require a minimum of 70% humidity to breath properly they will enjoy this as well.
http://www.reptilesupply.com/advanced_se...
No, not unless you want them eaten.
Well I think I mite have answer for your boring tank. I am pretty
sure that you shouldn't put a lizard in water tank, but what about water turtle. I have one at home and it way fun to look at home and it some thing different and new for guest to look at. I did some home work on it, but still not sure if it will work out or not.
Water turtle like to eat small fish and other animals that smaller that it, but on the other hand hermit crab can serve on in it shell and on it defense with it claws. Also hermit crab can eat algae and other debris from the water turtle, but the water turtle need a place on land to saulc in and not much heat is not need.
I am not sure if any this will work but give it a try.

6 comments:

  1. The only other animal that should be in the tank with your hermit crabs are fiddler crabs. The above poster, I believe, thinks you are talking about aquatic hermit crabs, while I'm quite certain you are talking about land hermit crabs.

    Other reptiles do have different temp and humidity requirements, so would not mesh well, and you also expose the hermit crabs to disease from the other animals.

    Please visit Crab Street Journal and read the article there for First Time Crabbers (even though you aren't) to be sure you have your tank set up properly for the crabs that you do have.
    If your kids really are bored with them, maybe you ought to adopt them out and get something more lively? Crab Street Journal also has an adoption section, and they will make sure someone with a good home for hermits will take them for you. Just an option. :)
    It's a shame that pet stores sell these little guys as pets for kids, and they really aren't good pets for little kids. They shouldn't even be taken from the beach to be held in captivity. :(

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  2. you can make a vivarium with a small beach like pool in and put a peace of plactic with hols in the part where the water gets to deep for the hermies so you can put in the part where its deep some small fish are maby a cray fish. so they will be in the same tank but they cant touch each other and you will have a natural drinking pond for you hermies.but if you do that clean the water alot and put a filter in it

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  3. well i've got another animal with my crabs, and he is doing just fine with them. he is a Dekay's Brown snake and he likes is in there. Plus, crabs are interesting! You just have to take out the not molting ones and put them on the couch, then if you have two, you can race them. It's fun.

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  4. I am sorry to say, everyone is allowed an opinion, but I have two lovely hermit crabs. As they do like to be in their shells my girl herit crab likes to play. She is not shy at all. they love love love to come out at night, If you want sometime with your hermit, wake him up play with them. They can be fun an socail, and yes they can stay in there shell for a long time, gernerally to molt. Play with them gently let them get to know you, they will be a little curious and start sensing you with there sensors. So don't recommend to someone not to have crabs, let them try. I sure do like them. It is also fun because we give tattoos for a living so we decorate the shells, much fun with my kids.

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  5. I have several hermit crabs in my Chameleon cage, which sits atop an open aquarium with a musk turtle & some fish. A pump runs water to the top of the cage, which drips through some epiphytes & a hanging basket of substrate. The crabs clean up chameleon poo quite nicely. My family calls it the Circle of Poo. I have also kept a hermit crab with an anole & firebelly toad in a 10 gallon orchidarium. I would be cautious when pairing species, but it is very doable & can be beneficial.

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  6. My hermit crabs live with my bearded dragon and they are doing fine. They actually formed a relationship where the crabs pick dead skin off the dragon. Despite what many people say, bearded dragons do fine I'm a tropical environment because they are found in the tropical forests of Australia as well as the desert.

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