Choose a bowl with a flat bottom so the crab can easily maneuver while in its bath. If you will not be present as your crab bathes, ensure it is able to easily get out of the water. Hermit crabs can knock over light bowls, so if you leave a bowl in the tank, ensure it is heavy enough that the crab can’t knock it over.
Products like Hermit Crab Salt or Oceanic Salt provide the right sort of salt content for your hermit crab bath. Use distilled, room temperature water instead of tap water to ensure there are no chemicals that could harm your hermit crab in the water. Use one teaspoon of salt per every one hundred milliliters of water for the best mixture.
Do not fill the container so the hermit crab would be completely submerged in water, instead make it so the top of the water will be just below the top of the hermit crab’s shell. If you are keeping the crab bath in the tank, make sure there are pebbles in it and a way to exit the water so the crab does not end up trapped in the container.
Do not leave the hermit crab unattended in the bathing container if you are bathing your crab separate from its tank and it is unable to climb out of the container on its own. Only keep your hermit crab in the water for a few minutes, then return it to its tank.
Taking your crab out of its tank too often can stress the crab out and cause it to retreat to inside its shell for extended periods of time. Try to make the process a pleasant one for the crab by being gentle and slow moving.
Swish the crab around a bit so the water in the container comes into contact with the crab’s legs and splashes into the shell to make sure it understands that it is in the water. Leave the hermit crab alone for a minute after to allow it to come out of its shell.
Let the crab explore the container and move about freely as it cleans itself. Don’t leave the crab in the water for too long. Allow it to crawl around for a few minutes, then remove it when it either seems like it is trying to find a way out or recedes back into its shell.
You may want to allow your crab to crawl around on a paper towel first to dry off a bit. Be gentle as you remove the crab from its bath and return it to its tank. Do not bath your crab more frequently than once per day, as otherwise it may become stressed out and refuse to leave its shell.
Hermit crabs require bathing daily if the humidity levels in the habitat of the crab are less than 70%. If the crab lives in a habitat that maintains higher than 70% humidity, bathing may be infrequent and sporadic, as the moisture levels in the air will enable to crab to maintain proper moisture levels in its skin. Regardless of humidity level, bathe your hermit crab if you notice mites or small insects crawling around on your crab.
