Hermit crabs should preferably be purchased in two's as their gregarious nature means they can get depressed if kept alone.

In captivity they will require a tropical shoreline type tank which is easily set up by the enthusiast.

Here we will guide you through the basic set up process that is required to keep your Hermit Crab both healthy and happy.

Everything required by your shelled mate to do well is here - substrate, small feed dish, water dish and climbing areas.

The hermit crab tank should have a substrate of sand, the best type of which is the calcium rich ones like T-Rex bone aid Calci-Sand and Zoo Med Repti Sand ( I like the finer ZooMed version in natural white)

This special kind of sand is ideal as a substrate as it holds moisture, can be landscaped, is easy for the crabs to dig in to and can be washed for re use.

The most important difference between this and other sand is the quantity of calcium it contains, this is readily available source to the crab as it requires a calcium rich diet.

Hermits are climbing crabs and should be encouraged to adopt this behaviour in captivity.

Here we are using a large piece of Mopani wood (bog wood) together with a cork tube and some smaller pieces of cork bark.

Commercially prepared foods can also be purchased which contain all the vitamins and minerals your hermit crab will require.

We like this one from Zoo Med.

Hermit crabs eat very little and each serving need only be a few grams.

If feeding fresh fruits and veg then each day the tank should be cleared of any uneaten food to prevent it from rotting. Fruit and veg taken include Bananas, oranges, apple, peach, carrots, peas and tomato. Other foods include dog food, this can be either the dried food or tinned and pieces of rotten wood.

If using dry foods like these pellets then they can be left in place for a few days so long as they remain dry.

A supplement in the form of honey can also be given to which a pinch of Nutrobal (calcium and vitamin supplement) should be added to help build a strong exoskeleton.

As we mentioned earlier, hermit crabs will require warm conditions and the temperature should be kept between 20 - 24C all year round. You can use whatever means you have of heating the tank but here's one suggestion.

Heat mats are quite inexpensive and can usually be either mounted on the side of the tank or placed underneath it. When using this method of heating it is always a good idea to test the tank set up and temperature the day before adding your crabs, this will allow you to re position the mat to get the right temperature. If placing the heat mat under the tank then you should only cover 2/3 of the base as this will allow a cooler area if the crabs want it.

Under natural conditions water in the form of rain or river banks will get in to the crabs shell and help moisturise its softer end part. In captivity this doesn't happen so you will need to recreate it for the crab.

Place the crabs in a suitably sized bowl and in another bowl put tepid water in (20C) or same temperature as your crab tank.

Pick up a crab and hold it so the opening is facing upwards, carefully dunk the upside down crab in to the water and then lift back out and drain. Repeat the process but leave the crab submerged in the water.

As soon as the crab begins emerging from its shell (still underwater) remove it and place it back in to the tank.

This bathing routine should be carried out once a week.

Just prior to the moulting process the legs and claws will change colour slightly, they can take on an overall orangy colour and may be spotted with yellow during the moulting process.

This crab was in danger of being eaten by larger ones so it was remeoved to enable it to select a shell.