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They do this when they are getting ready to molt or when they feel threatened or vulnerable.
So in order for your pet hermie to live a long and happy live in captivity, it is very important to provide an environment whereby they feel comfortable and safe.
This also means providing materials so that your hermie can dig.
These materials are known as substrate.
So in this article, we are going to look at what is the best type of substrate for hermit crab digging? Get it right and you will have happy contented crabs, get it wrong and your crawly companion might die! There are many different types of substrate material on the market however it is important to note that not all are ideal for land hermie's digging purposes.
So you are looking for a substrate that is easy to sieve and clean and one that your crab will like.
Two of the best substrates on the market for your hermie's burrowing activities are common or garden sand, as this is what the wild hermie uses in its natural environment, or coconut matting otherwise known as forest bedding (or FB for short!) Now as far as sand is concerned, pet stores will try to sell you specially marked bags known as "hermit crab sand" but this is incredibly expensive.
It is far better (and of course easier on the pocket) to buy a bag of child's play sand that will go much further, and last a lot longer.
The only stipulation is that the sand you buy has to be clean and not smell musty So make sure you choose carefully! When preparing the sand for your hermie's needs you will need to add a little water so that the crabs can dig until their hearts content without it all collapsing on top of them.
When talking about forest bedding it is advisable to note that it has to be prepared before you add it to the crab enclosure.
The coconut fibre is shredded and then pressed into hard brick like shapes.
To prepare the brick, you place it in a bowl and add enough water for the brick to soak it up.
It should then be soft enough for you to shred with your hands.
You can then add this to your tank..
The benefits of FB over any other type of substrate, is that it is simply the best when the pet hermie is going through its molting stages.
Also over time it compacts down and becomes a great platform for the hermie's burrowing because they can burrow little tunnels through it without it collapsing.
The final advantage the FB has over sand is that the moisture in the bedding will keep the humidity levels up.
The disadvantages forest bedding has over other forms of substrate is that it is fairly expensive to purchase and it is prone to attracting fungal gnats.
These little critters are tiny black insects that resemble small mosquitoes.
They can, and probably will, lay eggs in the moist warm forest bedding and you will have a colony of these before you know it! A word of warning here! Do not use pesticides to kill the bugs as it will also kill your crab.
A good way to prevent this is to mix your forest bedding with salt water.
Not only is is good for the crab, as they like to eat FB, but it also prevents the bugs from laying eggs.
Personally I think the best type of substrate for hermit crabs digging is a combination of the two.
To do this just prepare the fibre as you would normally and add sand in equal measures.
Add water to the point whereby it is of a kind of sand castle consistency ie not too wet and not too dry.
Above all, you will get to know which kind of substrate your hermies like so have fun experimenting and happy crabbing!
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