Can Hermit Crabs And Snakes Live Together?

One of my friends has snakes, and he decided to buy a hermit crab and put it together in one habitat. However, my friend is a beginner when it comes to snakes and has no idea if it would be possible for a hermit crab to live with a snake. That is why I decided to research it and share it with the world.

So, can hermit crabs and snakes live together? No. Hermit crabs and snakes should never share an enclosure. A hermit crab can pinch and injure a snake, and some snakes may try to eat a crab. They also need very different temperatures, humidity, water and setups.

Even though the main reason they can't live together is that they can hurt each other, there are other reasons too, like their different habitats, needs and behavior.

Differences Between Hermit Crabs And Snakes

Hermit Crabs

Pet land hermit crabs are social animals that do best in groups with other hermit crabs. They are shy and spend a lot of time hiding, burrowing or resting. They can pinch hard if they feel threatened.

Land hermit crabs live in tropical coastal areas. The species most often sold as pets in the US, the Caribbean hermit crab, comes from the western Atlantic and Caribbean. They live near the shoreline so they have access to both land and seawater.

Snakes

Snakes are predators that eat whole animals. Pet snakes are usually calm, but they may bite if they feel threatened or mistake your hand for food. Snakes are not like dogs or cats that you can play with, but they can be a quiet companion.

Snakes live in many habitats, including forests, deserts, swamps and grasslands. Each species kept as a pet needs its own temperature range and humidity level.

Both animals can be interesting pets, but they cannot live together because their habitat and diet are so different.

The Diet Of A Snake Won’t Work If Kept With Hermit Crabs

Snakes swallow their prey whole. They can't chew or tear food apart, so the size of the prey matters. Most pet snakes eat rodents such as mice or rats.

Many owners used to feed live mice. However, the Merck Veterinary Manual advises against feeding live rodents because the prey can injure the snake, and it raises welfare concerns for the prey animal. Rodents should be offered freshly killed or thawed and warmed after freezing.

As a general rule, prey should be no wider than the widest part of your snake's body. The amount and size of food your snake needs depend on its size, age and species.

The best way to know what food to give your snake is to ask a veterinarian who treats reptiles.

Snakes don't eat often. Young snakes may eat about once a week, while larger adult snakes may go two weeks or more between meals, depending on the species.

Snakes also need a bowl of clean fresh water in their enclosure at all times, for drinking and, for many species, soaking.

The Diet Of A Hermit Crab Is Different Than A Snake

Hermit crabs are omnivorous scavengers. In the wild they eat plant matter, fruit and dead animals they find.

You should give your hermit crab a varied, natural diet like fresh vegetables, meat, fish, nuts and fruits. Avoid processed foods and anything with salt, preservatives or seasoning.

The fruits you can give to your hermit crab include:

• Mango
• Papaya
• Coconut
• Apple
• Banana
• Grapes
• Pineapple
• Strawberry
• Melon
• Raisins

You don’t have to cut the food into tiny pieces. Hermit crabs use their claws to tear food into bite-sized bits. Like I have said, hermit crabs are omnivores, which means they can also eat meat.

You can give your hermit crab plain cooked or raw fish, meat and chicken. Make sure there is no butter, salt, sauce or seasoning on the food.

Hermit crabs are scavengers that will pinch and pick at anything they can reach, including a snake's skin. That is another reason to keep them in separate enclosures.

Hermit crabs need access to both saltwater and freshwater. They drink fresh water and use saltwater to drink and bathe, which helps keep the water in their shells balanced.

Keep two water bowls in your hermit crab's habitat at all times, one with fresh water and one with saltwater made from marine aquarium salt. Use dechlorinated water for both, because chlorine is harmful to them.

The Habitat Of A Snake Is Different Than A Hermit Crab Habitat

Snakes need a secure, escape-proof enclosure sized for the species. The enclosure needs a heat source and a temperature gradient, with a warm side and a cooler side, so the snake can regulate its body temperature.

Large snakes need custom-built enclosures, and some owners build their own. Whatever you use, the lid or doors must be secure, because snakes are skilled escape artists.

A glass aquarium or terrarium with a secure lid works well for pet hermit crabs. Get the biggest tank you can, so your crabs have more space to move, climb and explore.

Hermit crabs also need a warm and very humid habitat. Water bowls and moist substrate help supply humidity, and a hygrometer helps you check it. Keep the temperature around 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and never expose your crabs to extreme heat or cold.

You also need deep substrate, such as a mix of sand and coconut fiber. Hermit crabs burrow underground to molt, so the substrate should be deep and moist enough to hold a burrow.

They also need a selection of spare shells to move into as they grow.

When you compare the two, the hermit crab setup is in some ways more complicated: high humidity, two kinds of water, deep substrate and spare shells. A snake setup centers on the right heat gradient, humidity for the species, hides and a secure lid.

Related Questions

Do snakes eat hermit crabs? Few pet snakes would naturally eat a hermit crab, but a snake might strike at one, and a crab in its shell could injure or choke a snake. Snakes can't tear apart their prey, so a crab in a hard shell is dangerous food.

Can hermit crabs and shrimp live together? That depends on the type. Land hermit crabs, the kind most people keep as pets, live in terrariums and can't share a home with aquatic shrimp. Marine hermit crabs are sometimes kept with shrimp in saltwater tanks, but larger crabs may catch and eat small shrimp.

Final Words

In conclusion, snakes and hermit crabs cannot live together because they have different needs and habitats. It would also be dangerous for both of them to live together, because they can hurt each other.

If you want to keep both, give each its own properly set-up enclosure, and ask an exotic animal vet if you have questions about their care.

Source: thesprucepets.com, pethermitcrabs.org

Sources

• Management and Husbandry of Reptiles, Merck Veterinary Manual