Moss Pits

Land hermit crabs love to explore, hide, and dig. These are three things that make them a great pet to watch from outside of the tank. They frequently do these activities during the night, but some crabs are so active, they'll even perform such activities during the day for all to see.

What is a great way of incorporating the natural love for exploring, hiding, and digging? A moss pit! In order to build your own moss pit for your crabs, you won't need much:

-Moss (preferably a brand of reptile moss, such as Fluker's or Zilla - craft mosses do not work and can injure your crabs)
-A corner or back-wall shower caddy (found at Wal*Mart for $5.00 - $10.00)
-Saltwater

Once you have purchased these items, you're ready to prepare your own moss pit!

In order to create the moss pit, you'll want to rehydrate the dried moss that you bought. To do this, put it inside a microwave-safe bowl and fill the bowl with saltwater so the moss is drenched. Microwave for 5 minutes.

After the moss has been microwaved, take it out and allow it to cool. Once cooled, drain the moss by squeezing out the excess saltwater. You can now place the moss inside of the caddy and stick it to one of the corners of the crabitat.

You can use many different mediums for the crabs to climb up to the shower caddy. Such mediums include cholla logs, fake plants, netting, or vines. Climbing into the moss provides good exercise and a comfy, humid spot for the crabs to rest. You can add more fun and stimuli by putting some of their favorite treats in the moss pits!

I hope your crabs will enjoy the moss pits. If they're anything like mine, your moss pits will soon become mosh pits!

One of my moss pits can be seen in this picture on the far right.