How to properly clean your hermit crab’s cage?

#1 How often should you clean your hermit crab’s cage?

Waste buildup, spilled water, uneaten food and exoskeleton molting residue can all contaminate a tank. Regular cleanings are really necessary and the best way to keep a hermit crab’s enclosure habitat in good condition. But the frequency of cleaning will vary.

If you have a large habitat with fewer crabs, your cage does not require cleaning as often as a smaller habitat with a larger crab. However, there is a basic rule that sport cleaning or taking care of messes things should be done daily, with more intense dedicated cleaning every week or two as needed.

Full, deep cleanings should be performed once a week or only once every few months, depending on the cage situation. If there is any sign of gnats, mites or flies, or any strong or sour odors, that means it is time that you should deep cleaning your cage.

#2 How to deep clean hermit crab cage?

For a deep cleaning, you will nee dto take your pets out and place them in the temporary housing. For sport cleaning, the crabs can be moved to a “play pen” while you clean their habitat. I would like to recommend that you should set up the temporary housing for a day or two before place the crab into it. Thi will ensure the temperature and humidity is suitable for the crabs to avoid excessive stress.

Secondly, you should replace all the snad in the cage and replace it or bake it in a thin layer in the oven at 250 degrees for 25-30 minutes to kill any bacteria. Before baking it, you should use sand scoop to filter out debris or wet clumps in the substrate.

Hermit crabs are often sensitive to chemicals. I usually use just hot water to wash throughly the cage and I think it is enough. Wipe the tank sides, bottom and top well with very hot water.

Next is boiling empty shells and toys. Boiling them to throughly clean for about 2-3 minutes. Other decorations of the cage cannot be boiled but you should wipe them with very hot water. Remember to wait until they dry before place them back into the cage.