Misting
is a method of keeping your hermit crabs moist in between baths.
As in the
case of bathing, only use water that is free of chlorine and
chloramine and if the water in your local water is deemed as
not suitable for keeping fish in (eg. heavy metals, chlorine
or chloramines) then it is not suitable for your hermit crabs
. For more information on water quality see the
FMR crab care site.
Misting
should never be done inside the crabarium because moist substrate
leads to the growth of bacteria which is often fatal to hermit
crabs.
A gentle
misting is also a way to ease out a shy hermit crab.
FMR (Florida
Marine Research) sells a mister that can be used when training
a pet hermit crab to be more active They suggest a light misting
to coax a shy hermit crab out to play.
If the temperature
rises and you are worried your hermit crabs will dry out, give
them a light misting outside the crabarium and wait until they
dry before putting them back inside the tank.
Misting
once every few days or so is beneficial to your crab but not
compulsory. Use common sense and provide the extra moisture
when your crab needs it.
