Purple Pincher Hermit Crab Care
Purple Pincher Hermit Crabs have different basic needs than other types
Purple Pincher Hermit Crab Care relies on understanding how this species lives in their natural habitat. This type of land hermit crab (also known as Caribbean Hermit Crab) has a unique set of basic needs, different from other types of land hermit crabs.
This species is the primary hermit crab found within the U.S. pet industry. Most owners of hermit crab pets in the United States have all (or most) Purple Pinchers in their crabitat.
Purple Pinchers are the most resilient, and easiest to care for of all the land hermit crab species. When given a healthy, happy hermit crab habitat (crabitat) they commonly live more than 20 years.
How to Identify a Purple Pincher
The Purple Pincher species is very easy to identify. Here are the most obvious identifiers:
- large purple pincer claw
- round eyes
This species can be lots of colors ranging from light beige (very young) to dark reddish brown. They usually prefer shells with circular openings and a medium weight. Typically, if given a choice, purple pinchers will choose turbo shells, especially as they get larger and older. Younger purple pinchers will try on all sorts of shells, often spending time in Florida Whelks and Frog (Bursa) shells.
Purple Pincher is the primary species sold in the U.S.
The purple pincher hermit crab species is found along the coast in the southern tip of Florida including the Florida Keys plus Caribbean Islands, West Indies to Venezuela. They are considered a “Protected Species” on the island of Bermuda.
They can be found along beaches and barrier islands, and people often take them as “souvenirs” (please don’t do this!). While they need the ocean to reproduce, they can be found living a little further inland than most other types of hermit crabs. This reflects their differences in basic needs with most other types of land hermit crabs.
Purple Pinchers are very social
As with all land hermit crab species, Purple Pinchers are very social. They live in large groups called “casts” in the wild. Purple pinchers are often observed in their natural habitats clinging to the branches of mangroves or huddling in “caves” in large clusters.
This species likes to explore and travel further inland from the oceans edge than other hermit crab types. They need space to roam, climb and cluster with their fellow hermies. For this reason, it is not a good idea to keep Purple Pinchers in a small crabitat enclosure and definitely not one hermit crab alone.
Natural Habitat of the Purple Pincher
This crab species can be found along beaches and shorelines, in mangrove forests and sometimes inland around sand dunes and dense vegetation.
They love to climb (they are also known as “tree crabs”) and cling to bushes and branches during the day.
They also love to dig. They dig in sandy substrate and will burrow in between mangrove and seagrape roots, and other ocean-adjacent vegetation.
Common Misconceptions about Purple Pinchers as Pets
Seawater (saltwater):
Purple Pinchers require fresh water to survive, but in the wild can go for periods without saltwater. Other species of hermit crabs CAN NOT SURVIVE WITHOUT Seawater. It’s a very big difference between the different land hermit crab species.
But why? In the wild, Purple Pinchers are born at the ocean’s edge, but they often migrate and choose to live a little more inland back inside mangrove forests and thick vegetation. There they can find the freshwater they need pooled in holes, on leaves and in between tree roots.
They DO need seawater to reproduce, and will migrate back to the shoreline for this task.
However, in captivity it’s important to provide both fresh and saltwater at all times. Why? Salt (ocean) water contains essential minerals they need which is crucial to their health, and it’s good for their exoskeletons to soak in, and helps keep their soft bodies inside their shells, moist and hydrated.
If space is an issue, a larger water pool should be freshwater with a smaller dish for seawater (saltwater). If the crabitat has plenty of space, provide a pool for both fresh and seawater and your hermies will enjoy bathing in both.
*Make sure ALL water, both fresh and salt is detoxified first before putting it in your crabitat! Buy distilled water, or use a product like Amquel Plus or similar. Then for seawater, add a saltwater mix like Red Sea or similar (comes in crystals that you stir in to fresh water – NEVER use cooking salt!). Use a good reputable ocean mix when making saltwater, to ensure it has the crucial trace minerals so important to the health of your hermit crabs.
Humidity:
Purple Pinchers do not require a very high and constant humidity level to survive, like other hermit crab species do. Their crabitat humidity and temperature levels should be in line with typical South Florida climate and weather. The weather and climate of Key Largo is a good baseline to keep your crabitat parameters near.
Below, a chart shows the average humidity in Key Largo is 74.5% and never above 78%. Humidity fluctuates throughout the day, and throughout the year. Look on a weather app for Key West or Key Largo temperature and humidity levels whenever you want to compare with your own! Keep them similar and your hermit crabs will be happy!
Note:
6pm in Key West on a hot August Saturday evening shows a humidity level of just 67%. This IS the environment thousands of Purple Pincher hermit crabs thrive in!
There is NO NEED to provide humidity above 75% in your hermit crab habitat IF you have Purple Pinchers. That much humidity creates mold and mildew issues which cause health issues!
The ideal crabitat parameters of a Purple Pincher Hermit Crab are very different than those of a Strawberry Hermit Crab, which requires a humidity level between 78% and 84% at all times. Only very experienced hermit crab pet owners should mix types of hermit crabs in the same enclosure. It’s better to keep just one type of hermit crab pet in an enclosure, and we recommend Purple Pinchers because they are the most resilient.
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Purple Pinchers are resilient
These land hermit crabs are the most resilient and easiest to care for (but should never be removed from the wild!). What makes them easier to care for than other species?
- they like a wide variety of foods BUT they are not very picky eaters (fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, meats –> more info on what to feed hermit crabs here
- they need seawater for reproduction BUT don’t need seawater (saltwater) to survive (fresh de-chemicalized water is necessary at all times!)
- they are generally peaceful and not apt to bullying or fighting under normal circumstances, make sure there are plenty of extra shells and space especially in substrate (more on how to avoid bullying in a hermit crab habitat here <–)
- they like a wide variety of foods BUT they are not very picky eaters (fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, meats –> more info on what to feed hermit crabs here
- they need seawater for reproduction BUT don’t need seawater (saltwater) to survive (fresh de-chemicalized water is necessary at all times!)
- they are generally peaceful and not apt to bullying or fighting under normal circumstances, make sure there are plenty of extra shells and space especially in substrate (more on how to avoid bullying in a hermit crab habitat here <–)
Last update on 2024-05-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API