Calling all hermit crab lovers! With such a cool creature, what’s not to like with them. They truly embody what it means to have a mobile-home, and are the kings/queens of making updates to their living space – cycling out their hidey-homes with anything from bottle parts to snail shells. Able to chill on land and water (more on this later), hermit crabs make for an easy to keep and fun pet to have. To start, let’s learn a little about what they are, and most significantly, the differences between hermit crab types.

Understanding Hermit Crab Behavior

Before diving into toy recommendations, it’s crucial to understand hermit crab behavior and play preferences. Hermit crabs are nocturnal, social animals that enjoy climbing, digging, exploring, and changing shells. Providing toys that cater to these natural behaviors is key to keeping them entertained.

Types of Hermit Crab Toys

1. Climbing Toys:

• Cholla Wood: Natural cholla wood pieces offer excellent climbing opportunities and a safe surface for crabs to explore. It’s also a good option whether the little dude is a terrestrial or aquatic crab.
• Coconut Climbing Structures: Half coconut shells with ladders or rope attachments provide both climbing fun and a cozy hideout. This is more so of an option for terrestrial hermit crabs than aquatic ones, as these can rot with too much moisture.
• Plastic Plants and Vines: Non-toxic plastic plants create vertical climbing surfaces and add to the habitat’s aesthetic, without running the concern of rot or decay.
• Driftwood & Bogwood: Similar to the cholla wood, any pieces of craggly or jagged driftwood are a great addition to a terrarium or aquarium. Be sure to sterilize the pieces before using them though if you get them from outside!

2. Digging and Burrowing Toys:

• Sand Pits: Create designated digging areas filled with moist, fairly deep sand for burrowing. Hermit crabs like to hang out under sand to molt or if they’re feeling too stressed.
• Hideaway Caves: Small caves or huts encourage natural digging and hiding behaviors.

3. Shell Changing Stations:

• Shell Shops: Offer a variety of appropriately sized and shaped shells for hermit crabs to switch into as they grow.
• Shell Piles: Pile multiple shells together to mimic a natural shell exchange environment in a tidal pool/natural environment.

4. Foraging Toys:

• Food Puzzles: Small puzzles that dispense treats or food encourage foraging and problem solving behaviors.
• Treat Hiders: Hide treats in safe, accessible containers to stimulate natural foraging instincts.

5. Enrichment Accessories:

• Sea Sponges: Natural sea sponges help maintain humidity and provide a fun texture for exploration. Add live ones for aquatic environments.
• Climbing Nets: Made from safe materials, these nets provide an engaging climbing challenge.
• Moss and Leaf Litter: Adding moss or leaf litter creates a natural environment and encourages exploration.

Specific Toy Recommendations We Think Are Good

To be clear – we aren’t paid for these recommendations, they just are great!

Climbing Toys:

• Fluker’s Bend-A-Branch: Flexible branches that can be shaped to create custom climbing structures.
• Zoo Med Hermit Crab Climbing Branch: Plastic, but designed specifically for hermit crab habitats. Made in the shape of Cholla wood, and is also not subject to rotting.

Digging and Burrowing Toys:

• Exo Terra Coconut Cave: A natural-looking cave that doubles as a hideout and climbing structure.
• Zoo Med Hermit Crab Ramp Bowl: Provides both a water source and a ramp for climbing and digging.

Shell Changing Stations:

• Fluker’s Hermit Crab Shell: A variety of shells in different sizes and shapes.
• Zoo Med Hermit Crab Growth Shells: Ensures your hermit crabs have plenty of options as they grow.

Foraging Elements & Toys:

• T-Rex Hermit Crab Fruit and Flower Mix: A treat mix that can be hidden around the habitat to encourage foraging. Hide it under areas they may naturally frequent as a fun little hunt.
• Zoo Med Hermit Crab Mineral Blocks: Both a source of essential minerals and an engaging foraging challenge.

Enrichment Accessories:

• Hermit Crab Sea Sponges: Helps maintain humidity and provides a fun texture.
• Climbing Net: Made from safe, non-toxic materials for climbing fun.

Random callout – there’s a pretty good kit that has most of these elements here from Zoo Med

Creating an Enriching Environment

Toys are great and all, but the role it plays in a space really determines how useful or fun the toy is to your hermit crab. Part of promoting wellness and overall being sure your little bud is having a good time is providing them with a rich, engaging and fun environment. Here’s a few tips we have for creating an enriching hermit crab habitat.

1. Rotate or Re-arrange Toys Regularly:

• Change the toys in your hermit crab’s habitat every few weeks to keep things interesting. Feel free to keep a certain one if there’s a favorite of your little dude though.
• Introduce new toys gradually in doses to prevent overwhelming them. Make sure to watch their reactions to understand whether they are into the toy or not. Remove the things that seem like they cause stress.

2. Provide a Variety of Textures and Shapes:

• Offer toys made from different materials to cater to climbing, digging, and exploring needs.
• Include toys of various sizes and shapes to stimulate their curiosity of exploring all of their habitat.

3. Ensure Environmental Safety:

• Always choose toys made from non-toxic materials. If you can, try to make purchases from suppliers of hermit crab items specifically.
• Regularly inspect toys for wear and tear, replacing any damaged items promptly. Idea here being that if it begins to chip or tear, your little dude may start gnawing on it and getting toxic materials like plastic in them, and though plastic is in everything at this point, ideally we want that sort of thing out of your pet.

4. Create Multi-Level Play Areas:

• Use branches, nets, and platforms to create vertical space for climbing.
• Ensure all levels are secure and stable to prevent falls.
• Similar to the vibe of a hamster or gerbil setup, multiple floors allow for multiple layers of fun!

5. Maintain Proper Habitat Conditions:

• Keep the habitat at the appropriate humidity and temperature levels to ensure your hermit crab remains healthy. A bedroom dresser top that has direct sunlight during the day isn’t a hermit crabs natural habitat, so do your best to keep things moist in their surroundings, similar to their natural habitat.
• Ensure a clean environment with fresh water and food that’s available at all times.

6. Don’t Be Deterred By Natural Behaviors!

• If your hermit crab is hiding away or burrowing, it is all good. Naturally, hermit crabs have many predators in the wild. The more comfortable they are, the more they will be seen.
• Your crab is going to have periods of molting. They may be stressed out and behave a little oddly, or play less. Don’t stress about that, just support them as much as you can via ensuring things are clean, food is available, and they are either in fresh water if aquatic, or proper

Tl;dr:

Providing your hermit crabs with a variety of toys and an enriching environment is crucial for their well-being. By understanding their natural behaviors and preferences, you can select the best toys to keep them entertained and healthy. From climbing structures to perfectly placed food to encourage foraging, the right selection of toys can make a significant difference in your hermit crab’s quality of life in their habitat. Remember, a happy hermit crab is a healthy hermit crab, so invest in quality, non-toxic toys and spend time observing/interacting with your shelled little dude to build a strong bond. Hope y’all have fun!