A more natural environment for your hermit crab pet would be more beneficial when it comes to its happiness. Your hermit crab does not need a fancy dwelling, like a hamster or a guinea pig; all you have to do is make sure it has the essential things it needs to keep it healthy.
Try to imagine what conditions your crab would be under if it were out in the wild. The best way to fulfill its needs is to replicate its natural environment. That way, you do not have to subject it to changes and things that might shock or stress it.
Let us focus on the tank first. You can use a plastic or glass aquarium for your crab, whichever may be convenient and aesthetic enough for you. Just try to make sure that the walls are high enough to keep your crabs from escaping. This is because they have a tendency to wander a lot out of their areas.
When browsing across some pet stores you will notice that there will be plastic cages labeled as "hermit crab kits". Avoid these because most of them are too small and uncomfortable for your crabs to live in. Try getting a tank that is at least 10 gallons in size; if you can get a bigger one, then so much the better. You might also need the extra space for a few accessories to decorate your crab’s dwelling.
Once you have chosen your crabitat, you will need to cover the bottom portion with substrate. This is any material that your crab can burrow in. You may even get to think about it as a wall-to-wall carpet. People usually choose sand for this, but there are other materials available at your pet shop.
You can find some sand at almost any home improvement store or hardware. After bringing it home, you should rinse it with water and then bake it at 300°F. This process sterilizes the sand and if need be, you can repeat the process at a different occasion if you feel it is necessary.
You may find other forms of substrates when you go looking around for it in pet stores; some of these may be coconut fiber beddings. It looks a bit like sand from afar and is quite a good substitute for it. Another one you can use in crushed coral. But try to avoid wood shavings and gravel, for these are not good materials for substrate.
Temperature is also something you have to control. For your crab to be healthy and happy, the necessary temperature must not go below 72° F. Changing for a prolonged period of time may cause your crab to become weak and stressed out. Chances are, your crab might even fall ill or perhaps die.
If you live far from tropical areas, you may want to consider getting a tank heater for your crab. Some owners employ a combination of lights and heaters to make sure the temperature is controlled inside the tank. For those who live in hotter areas, just be sure to keep your crab in an area not exposed to the sun all day. You might just come home one day and find your pet crab baked in your tank.
You will also need to control the humidity inside the dwelling. Make sure there is sufficient ventilation and air within the atmosphere of the tank. Land hermit crabs are equipped with gills for them to breathe even though they spend a lot of time on land, so they will need a constant exchange of clean oxygen. It's always a good idea to equip your crabitat with thermometer and hygrometer.
Try to get the humidity levels running at least 70 percent. Although you do not need to do this daily, just remember that anything you put in the tank will affect it. Placing a dish of drinking water for the crab to drink will alter the level of humidity; so would a natural sea sponge. A sea sponge is indeed a good thing to have because it holds a good amount of water. It has a lot of surface area so it aids in the evaporation process, thereby increasing the humidity level in the tank.
Keeping all these aspects in mind when setting up a hermit crab habitat will prolong the life of your pet, keeping it healthy and happy in its little home away from home.