Coenobita clypeatus
Land Hermit Crab
Hermit crabs are long-lived, social invertebrates routinely sold as disposable holiday souvenirs. With a humid, deep-substrate tank they can live for decades.
CoenobitidaeLifespan 20–30 years in good conditionsCare complexity 3/5Not a beginner animal
At a glance
- Scientific name
- Coenobita clypeatus
- Family
- Coenobitidae
- Origin
- Caribbean and western Atlantic coastlines
- Lifespan
- 20–30 years in good conditions
- Adult size
- 5–15 cm
- Weight
- 50–200 g
- Temperament
- Social, nocturnal and shy
- Activity level
- Moderate at night
- Social needs
- High — keep groups of three or more
- Intelligence
- Learns routines and recognises shell options
- Noise
- Occasional chirping
Housing and environment
- Housing
- Minimum 75 litre glass tank for a small group, with 15 cm of damp sand-and-coir substrate
- Space requirement
- Floor space plus deep substrate to bury for moulting
- Temperature
- 24–28°C
- Humidity
- 70–85% — essential for their modified gills
- Exercise
- Climbing branches and deep substrate for moulting
- Grooming
- Not applicable; needs both fresh and salt water pools for shell water
Diet and feeding
Varied: fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, seaweed, calcium sources and protein
Behaviour and compatibility
Shell swapping, night foraging, burying for weeks to moult
- With children
- Good observation pets; limit handling to brief, low sessions
- With other animals
- Keep with other hermit crabs only
- Training difficulty
- Not applicable
Health
- Death during moult if disturbed
- Dehydration
- Shell fights from lack of spare shells
- Chemical poisoning
- Stress from painted shells
Almost no veterinary support exists; husbandry accuracy is everything
Special care requirements
Never dig up a buried crab and always offer several correctly sized natural shells