This summer would be a perfect start for your kids to have pets. If your kid is nagging you to give him a pet, you may consider a terrarium. A terrarium is a glass container with or without top, used for growing plants but now it is also used for pets like turtles, snakes, lizards, chameleons, iguanas and hermit crab. What kind of pet to choose depends on what type of habitat you want to recreate, desert, savanna, rainforest, aquatic, semi-aquatic, woodland and then do some research to see which animals are suitable for the environment.
If I am to choose, hermit crabs would be an interesting pet for kids. They live inside their shells and carry their home wherever they go. But do you know that these shells are not their own? Hermit crabs are known to use the shells of dead animals, in particular the sea snail, to help protect their soft bodies and also to maintain moisture levels inside their shells. Some change their shells quite frequently while some are contented with their current shells.
What your kids will surely love is, there are Painted Hermit Crab Shells you can buy at the pet stores or aquarium shops but there is a much larger selection of painted hermit crab shells on the internet. There are different colors, designs, sizes with various shape openings. Your hermit crab will surely find shell that it’s comfortable with. It is also important to choose a shell with good quality condition.
In the wild, hermit crabs live in an environment where they can dig, climb, get wet, keep dry and have lots of room to move around. A 15-25 gallon terrarium will be best to recreate seashore, the natural habitat of hermit crab. Interesting, isn’t it? Aside from it requires almost no maintenance, it is safe around children and fun to make.
