I had a hermit crab when I was in middle school that I really enjoyed, so when it was time to select a class pet (knowing in reality it would be MY pet to care for and mostly pay to maintain) I decided to go the crab route. I started researching and quickly realized that everything the mall kiosk back in middle school told me was not accurate on how to properly care for hermit crabs. Thankfully, I've learned a lot from reading info here on HCA.
My crabs will mostly be enjoyed by my prek classroom of 4 and 5 year olds with some visits from Kindergarten and ECSE near Detroit, MI. For the safety and emotional health of the crabs, I don't plan to allow the children to handle the them, but they will help me switch out the water and food (I have gloves for them). I have a 20 gal tank, some fake plants, and a climbing structure with a small dishes at the bottom and top that was donated to my effort by my school Principal (who used to have a lizard). I was approved for a $50 reimbursement from the Pets in the Classroom grant and I also received $50 from the district. I've used these funds to get plenty of eco-earth for a deep substrate, inexpensive food and water dishes, drinking water and salt water conditioners, a thermometer & humidity gauge, a heat mat for the back of the tank, some growth shells, a bag of crab food (just to have on hand, but I plan to do mostly fresh food), some cuttlebone, and a nice big tube of natural cork for climbing and hiding. I feel like I could have stretched the funds more, but the grant dictates where I can shop so most of it was from Petco. I also have a 5.5 gal tank on hand from a previous pet fish.
Once the tank was all set up and the heat and humidity were looking good, I went back to Petco to secure my crabs. Unfortunately, this little guy was the only one they had in stock. I've called every pet store I can find in my county, but no one has any more in stock, so he's going to be alone for a little while. I am hoping eventually I can find a bigger tank and have 3 or 4 crabs. I do have access to the school during breaks and summer vacation, and I live right around the corner, so they will be well cared for.
I'm excited for this journey and to share my other crab with you when I can find one. If I'm forgetting anything please let me know!
