10 Best Hermit Crab Safe Plants
A hermit crabitat may seem like the perfect place to add live plants, but choosing the best plants and keeping them alive can be tricky!
It’s true that adding plants is a fantastic way to create a more natural aesthetic, and hermit crabs definitely love plants.
Which plants aren’t toxic, which will grow in low light conditions, which can grow in higher temp/humidity environments? Adding plants to a hermit crab habitat can be more of a challenge than you may realize.
In this guide, I’ll list the challenges to be aware of when adding plants to a hermit crabitat. And I’ll list the 10 best hermit crab safe plants to add to your habitat, with a comparison table for easy insights into which may be best for you to try.
I say “try” because finding the best plants for your particular hermit crab habitat might take a little trial and error (and patience!).
And I’ll share my absolute favorite hermit crab safe plants I add to every hermit crab habitat I’ve ever created!!
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Top Challenges When Adding Plants to a Hermit Crabitat
- Toxicity: Some plants can be toxic to small animals (including hermit crabs), so make sure to choose non-toxic plants!
- Pots: Live plants have roots that need to grow in substrate (with a few exceptions), but most won’t tolerate the sand/sand-coco-fiber substrate you probably use (so you have to use a pot)
- Lighting: Most plants need at least a couple of hours of bright sunlight per day, so it’s important to choose plants based on the type of lighting you have for the habitat or type and length of light/sun exposure (consider adding a grow light to your habitat!
- Moisture/humidity: Depending on the type of hermit crabs you have and how humid your habitat is, not all plants will be happy in this type of sub-tropical environment
- Roots: Substrate is expensive real estate in a hermit crab habitat because they need plenty of it to molt and burrow in, so planting plants directly in substrate that have substantial root growth usually isn’t a good idea as they may take up too much space
- Resiliency: Hermit crabs are notorious for climbing on, tearing apart and digging up live plants, and most plants are not resilient enough to live through the attacks (though your hermies are ruining these plants out of love!)
- Food source: Hermit crabs love to eat certain leaves and plants, but not all… if you have limited space, consider adding a plant that is also a nutritious food source
Comparing Best 10 Hermit Crab Safe Plants
To help you choose the ideal plant for your hermit crab’s habitat, let’s compare the following options in a convenient table:
| Plant name | Sand or soil? | Lighting? | Height? | Food source? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Microgreens | Both | Bright, indirect | 2-3" | Yes! |
| 2. | Chia | Both | Bright, indirect | 2-3" | Yes! |
| 3. | Millet | Both | Bright | 3"-40" | Yes! |
| 4. | Air Plants | None | Bright, indirect | 2"-12" | No |
| 5. | Pothos | Both | Bright or shade | 3"-72" | No |
| 6. | Bromeliads | Both/none | Indirect, shade | 6"-36" | No |
| 7. | Salad Greens | Soil, hydroponics | Bright | 1"-6" | Yes! |
| 8. | Spider Plants | Soil | Bright/indirect | 8"-24" | No |
| 9. | Sheet Moss (product) | None | n/a | 1/2" | No |
| 10. | Fake Plants (aquaium-safe) | None | n/a | any | No |
10 Best Plants for Crabitats
Microgreens
Pros:
- Easy, fast growing
- Nutritious snack for hermit crabs
- Can be grown on a sunny window sill
Microgreens are super easy to grow, grow fast, and provide a nutritious fresh food source for your hermit crabs. Microgreens are simply vegetable seedlings that, instead of growing to maturity, are grown to 2-3″ then harvested (eaten) as greens. Packed with nutrients, humans eat microgreens in salads, on pizza, and in lots of food dishes and as garnish.
They are very easy to grow in small shallow bowl or cup, on a windowsill with just a few hours of sun per day. Most start growing within 1-2 days, and are usually ready to harvest (be eaten) within a 7-10 days (depending on the type of microgreen seeds).
Microgreens are my personal favorite live plant to add to a hermit crab habitat. It’s inexpensive, fast, and very stimulating for hermit crabs. They love crawling in it, nibbling on it, and when they’ve destroyed it, simply take it out and put a new little cup of microgreens in! If you want to grow microgreens for yourself AND your hermit crabs, try an easy microgreens grow kit and simply cut off a small chunk and place in your hermit crabitat from time to time. For more ideas and photos on this, see my article “Microgreens in a Hermit Crab Tank” here! B010WDEGL8
![EDI [2 OZ, 50 Sets] Clear Disposable Plastic Portion Cups with Leakproof Lids | Jello Shot Cups | Condiment and Dipping Sauce Cups | Souffle Cups | BPA Free | Recyclable](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41F+Q7yXVTL._SL160_.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1)
Chia
Pros:
- Easy, fast growing
- Nutritious snack for hermit crabs
- Can be grown on a sunny window sill
Chia plants are low-maintenance and produce nutritious snacks that your hermit crabs will love. Their small seeds are easy for your crabs to nibble on, and/or grow the seeds into some healthy “greens”!
Some hermit crab pet owners with larger habitats will plant chia seed directly in the habitat substrate in a particular section. So either the seeds will sprout and grow, or your hermit crabs will eat snack on them! Depending on the lighting of your habitat, and temp/humidity parameters, this may or may not work for you. Chia grows best with at least 3-4 hours of full sun each day. It’s worth a try in larger habitats. If your habitat smaller, simply grow some chia in a small 2 oz. plastic cup! Start growing it on a sunny windowsill, and when it’s about 2″ tall, simply place it where your hermit crabs will enjoy it most!
Millet
Pros:
- Millet seed is a healthy snack
- Millet seed can also be planted for extra grassy greens
- Millet seed sprays provide fun stimulation for hermit crabs
Millet seed sprays (long branch-like stalk filled with tiny seeds) and are generally sold as bird snack food. Millet is a generic term referring to tiny grain cereals/seeds, and there are many different varieties.
Hermit crabs LOVE MILLET SEED SPRAYS! While millet seed is a healthy snack food, it’s the stimulating fun of meticulously picking off seed after seed after seed from the spray that hermit crabs love the most! (it’s kinda like us humans popping bubble wrap!).
Since millet seed can be so easy to grow, why not grow some millet plantlings from some of that seed! Millet seed can be planted in soil and will grow in full sun (or use a grow light if growing in winter or indoors). They won’t grow to be full sized millet spray plants this way, but they DO grow small green grass-like plantlings with small clumps of seeds at about 4-6″ tall. Try growing some millet seed in a small 2 oz plastic cup on a sunny windowsill and when you see a few seed clumps growing at the top, add it to your habitat!
These little millet seed plants won’t last long, your hermit crabs will crawl all over it and much on the seeds. It’s great for stimulation, they’ll love this activity! Grow a few millet seed cups at a time and switch them in and out of your habitat regularly. It’s as easy to grow one cup as it is to grow three at a time (or plant a week apart for a continuous supply!).
In addition to growing some millet seed plantlings, I suggest providing one millet seed spray in your hermit crabitat every few weeks. This way your hermies won’t get bored with it. And ALSO growing some millet seed plants as well, for an added treat!
For more info on feeding millet to your hermit crab pets, see my article Hermit Crabs Eat Millet Spray Seed.
Air Plants
Pros:
- Low Maintenance: easy to care for, they get nutrients and moisture from the air.
- No soil needed: use empty vertical space to secure to climbing branches
- Unique Aesthetic: lots of varieties for different sizes, colors, shapes
Air plants are incredibly low-maintenance and require no soil. in the wild, they grow on branches and in trees. They can add a unique look to a hermit crab. There are many different varieties, sizes and colors and the challenge is to try out multiple ones until you find the 1-2 that will grow within your habitat’s parameters. Secure air plants to a climbing branch or bendable vine by tying it with some natural twine or jute rope.
This is a photo of wild air plants and bromeliads growing in mangroves in Everglades. Found while kayaking inside Everglades National Park so I couldn’t take any home (but aren’t they amazing?!!)
Pothos
Pros:
- Air Purification: known for its air-purifying qualities
- Low Light Tolerance: can thrive in low-light conditions
- Easy Propagation: can be propagated easily from cuttings
Pothos is fairly easy to grow and adaptable to different temp/humidity and light levels. Its climbing nature gives your crabs a fun opportunity to climb and explore (and they will, so make sure to secure it!).
Make sure that you’re adding pothos and not philodendron though, as the latter can be toxic to small animals and both plants look similar. There are several ways to tell the difference, the easiest being the shape of the leaves. Philodendron have heart shaped leaves, but here’s a good website to see more on how to tell the difference between pothos and philodendron.
Bromeliads
Pros:
- Striking Appearance: various vibrant colors and unique shapes
- Low Maintenance: require minimal care and can thrive in low-light conditions
- Air Purification: Like Pothos, bromeliads contribute to better air quality
Bromeliads are moderately easy to care for and bring vibrant colors to the crabitat. They create an attractive and visually appealing environment.
However, they probably won’t last long!
I placed a small 4″ pot with one small bromeliad in a corner, buried in the substrate with sheet moss placed over the soil in the pot/surrounding the bromeliad base. Within 24 hours it was already dug into and within the month the bromeliad died. It was an $8.98 experiment, and a fun new shiny toy experience for my hermit crabs. But I won’t be adding live bromeliads to my hermit crabitats again!
Salad Greens
Pros:
- Organic: fresh, no-chemicals supply of healthy nutrients
- Long harvest: harvest one leaf at a time for a long continuous supply
- Versatile Varieties: mix varieties like arugula, romaine, winter garden, kale
Salad greens are surprisingly easy to grow in lots of environments including a sunny windowsill! And salad greens can be harvested (eaten) from the time they sprout (technically microgreens at this stage) until they are big and mature. They are also fairly fast growing and are a nutritious food source. Consider growing salad greens in a countertop Aerogarden system, so you have a continuous supply of fresh greens to provide to your hermit crabs. Place a salad green leaf in different places around the habitat for added stimulation!
Spider Plants
Pros:
- Low Maintenance: easy to care for and can tolerate low light conditions
- Natural Air Humidifier: Spider plants release moisture into the air
- Bright green: adds beautiful bright green to brighten up any space
Spider plants are known for improving air quality and are non-toxic, making them a safe choice. They grow in low light, but slowly, making them a good choice for a hermit crab habitat. However, make sure there is some light or they will eventually die. Also, your hermit crabs WILL dig through the roots and climb all over their spider plant so don’t be surprised if it only lasts a few weeks!
Sheet Moss
- Visually appealing: Sheet moss creates a lush and green appearance in habitats
- Low Maintenance: no maintenance required and lasts a long time
- Humidity: soak or mist it regularly and it helps keep humidity in the habitat
Sheet moss is excellent for helping to maintain humidity in the tank or crabitat. It’s a semi-soft flat moss that grows horizontally in foresty moist cool climate areas. For the pet industry, sheet moss is sold mainly for reptiles because it’s such an excellent addition to small animal habitats.
Sheet moss bought in packages is not alive, though some people claim they revive sheet moss by soaking it with water and keeping it moist. (I’ve never tried to revive sheet moss but may be worth experimenting with one day).
It’s important NOT to use sheet moss to cover the main largest portions of substrate in the habitat, as it can block or deter hermit crabs from burrowing and molting.
Sheet moss is a great solution in making elements in a habitat look more natural in a habitat and can be easily secured horizontally or vertically by being glued with a non-toxic hot glue or aquarium caulk.
For ideas and photos of using sheet moss for hermit crab habitat landscaping, see my article Add Moss to Your Hermit Crab Tank.
Fake Plants
(my favorite hermit crab plants!)
Pros:
- Tons of options: find safe fake plant options in most any size, shape and color imaginable
- No maintenance: nothing but a good wash every so often is needed
- Inexpensive: fake plants including aquarium-safe plants with weighted bottoms are often very cheap on Amazon
The best hermit crab safe plants to add to any habitat are AQUARIUM-SAFE FAKE PLANTS WITH WEIGHTED BOTTOMS!
There are so many aquarium-safe plants in all different sizes, shapes and colors to choose from. The weighted bottoms make them more secure and harder for your hermit crabs to knock over (though it WILL still happen!). Simply place one in your medium or large water bowl or pool to add a more natural look. Or bury the weighted bottom in your sand substrate.
I’ve purchased all of these fake plants in my habitats (see photos) from Amazon, where (in my opinion) there is the best selection and lowest prices.
I don’t have any regular live plants growing in my hermit crab habitats. Instead, I add a different live plant once a month or so, leaving it in for a few weeks (that’s usually how long they last!).
I choose to put lots of different types of fake plants all over. The plants in the water bowls are “aquarium safe with weighted bottoms”. I also use regular fake plants that have plastic picks on the bottoms, which push into the styrofoam/foam shelves and mountain shapes I DIY’d.
Conclusion
With these 10 hermit crab-safe plants, you can transform your crabitat into a thriving, visually appealing and more natural-looking environment. Whether you choose microgreens for fresh food, air plants for a unique look, or fake plants for easy maintenance, your hermit crabs will love their enhanced habitat. Plant for live plants not to last long, and enjoy all the fun your hermit crabs will have with them in the meantime!
Looking for more ideas for your hermit crab habitat? Check out this Ikea Milsbo Hermit Crab Habitat Hack!
If you only have 2-3 medium or 2 large hermit crabs… and want to give them more climbing space, consider the Ikea Detolf Hermit Crab Habitat Hack! For $79, they’ll be climbing up 5 feet each night… and super happy… guaranteed!
The footprint of this Ikea Detolf is 16″x16″ so it’s important to be smart about adding secure levels and making sure you leave enough bottom substrate for molting. For example, we have the saltwater bowl on a 2nd level, so it’s not taking up valuable space on the bottom level where they molt. See more ideas for the Ikea Detolf Hermit Crab Habitat Hack here!
Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API