How many species of land hermit crabs are kept as pets?
Hermit Crab Articles
An Introduction to Hermit Crabs
Choosing a Substrate for my Land Hermit Crabs
Creating a Great Home for your Hermit Crab
Food and Water for Your Hermit Crab
Hermit Crab Mating - Does Hermit Crab Breeding Occur in Captivity?
Hermit Crab Molting - Understanding the Molting Process
How many species of land hermit crabs are kept as pets?
Recommended Diet for a Pet Land Hermit Crab
Selecting your Land Hermit Crab
The Basics of Hermit Crab Behavior
The Daily Care of Hermit Crabs
The Importance of Hermit Crab Shells
The Importance of Temperature for Hermit Crabs
The Ugly Truth About Pretty Shells
Tips for Handling Your Hermit Crab
Water is the Most Important Hermit Crab Need
What Kind of Water Should My Hermit Crab Drink?
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In the United States, there are typically two species sold in captivity for pet ownership. The two most popular crabs in the United States are:
Coenobita clypeatus
Native homeland – Caribbean, live inland
Common nicknames – Caribbean crab, land hermit crab, purple pincher (PP), tree crab, or soldier crab
Distinctive Characteristics – has a large purple pincher claw, tan-colored head with round eyes, speckles on claws and legs called setae (rigid, hair like bristles) covering its body, dark purple legs with red or orange, left walking leg maneuvers with large purple claw
Coenobita compressus
Native homeland – Ecuador, live at the seashore
Common nicknames - Ecuadorian crab, E-crab, E, or Eccie
Distinctive Characteristics – has same-colored claws and darker leg tips than the Ecuadorian crab, stripes on the sides of the head with elongated eyes, only has small amount of setae on both front claws, vary in color from orange to tan to gray, uses two left legs
Activity – generally more active than the Caribbean crab and make chirping noises
Special Needs – need salt water in their tanks to drink and bathe in
The Caribbean and Ecuadorian land hermit crab species will live together quite comfortably.
If these two descriptions do not fit your land hermit crab, then it is probably an exotic breed imported from the Pacific Rim to the United States.
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