Hermit Crab care tools and calculators
There are 14 tools for hermit crabs on XpertsPet, sorted into 11 topics such as age, behavior, breeding, cost, environment and health. The cards above take you straight to each group. Below is a short guide to what they cover and which ones are most useful at different points in your hermit crab's life.
Hermit crabs at a glance
Expect a lifespan of roughly 10 to 20 years for a well-kept hermit crab. Hermit crabs are omnivores, which shapes what you feed and how much. Most adults weigh around 1-200 g. They reach maturity at about 2 years old.
Hermit crabs are social colony animals needing at least 15cm of damp sand to bury and molt in, plus both fresh and salt water dishes and many spare shells. Most deaths trace back to too-shallow substrate.
The health problems vets see most often in hermit crabs include failed molt from shallow substrate, shell fights from too few spare shells, dehydration without salt water and stress from isolation.
Hermit Crab quick facts
| Measure | Hermit Crab |
|---|---|
| Typical lifespan | 10–20 years |
| Adult weight | 0–7.1 oz (1–200 g) |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Mature at | About 2 years |
| Clutch size | 10–200 eggs |
| Humidity | 70–80% |
Where to start
- Thinking about getting a hermit crab? Start with the cost tools to see what you are signing up for.
- Setting up a home? The housing calculators size the space and work out how much bedding or substrate you need.
- Unsure about feeding? The nutrition tools give a daily amount you can adjust as you go.
- Caring for an older hermit crab? The age tools show its life stage and what usually changes next.
Other exotics & invertebrates
If you keep more than one kind of animal, there are tools for tarantula, scorpion, land crab and snail. You can also browse every pet on XpertsPet.