Crabbytalk.com - Hermit Crab Care, food/diet, crabitats, & pictures of land hermit crabs

Yes! Hermit crabs do poop. Typically, they will collect their poop in their shell and periodically scoop it out of their shell. Hermit crab poop is very small and if you have a tiny or micro hermit crab you may not even be able to find it in the substrate/sand. Here are a few of my hermit crab’s favorite places to scoop their poop:

1. In the food dish - you lay out a nice organic meal for your hermit crabs and the next thing you know it is seasoned with hermit crab poop. We experienced crabbers think that this is a sure sign that they really enjoyed their meal!
2. Inside choya or cholla wood - this type of wood is hollow; my crabs love to perch on top of the choya and dump their poop in the hollow opening. Messy to clean up.
3. In the moss pit - this is a favorite hermit crab poop spot; I actually like it because I have my moss pit on a removable second level (an aquatic landing) and it’s easy to remove to clean.
4. In fresh substrate - it never fails, deep clean your tank, put in new sand and your hermit crabs will scoop their poop. It’s kind of like kids spilling after you mopped the floors. If you use forest bedding or eco earth as your tank substrate you may never even notice the hermit crab poop, it just kind of blends in.

So how to you scoop the poop? I have tried many techniques for cleaning up the hermit crab poop - from the little shovels they sell in the hermit crab section of the pet store to tea strainers. I haven’t found anything that works better than a lid from a baby jar placed in the tank and my fingers. I pick up the little poops and put them in the lid, I move the lid around the tank floor as I’m cleaning. Sorry, there really aren’t any magical hermit crab pooper scoopers.

So what does hermit crab poop look like? Well, if you must see it, here ya go!

Michelle from Naturally Crabby - for Hermit Crab Caregivers, was kind enough to send this photo of her hermit crab’s poop in the pool. Yes, just when you change the water hermit crabs will dump their poop in the pool.

The above picture of hermit crab poop is on #1 grade crushed coral sand substrate. Thanks to the macro setting on my camera it looks rather huge, but it’s not, it’s smaller than a grain of rice. Crushed coral is expensive, but it really holds up well when you wash it. Soak it in a bucket of dechlorinated water and all of the hermit crab poops will float to the top. Strain and bake and you’re good to go.

So how often should you scoop the hermit crab poop? You should try to spot clean your tank several times per week. Depending upon the size and the regular maintenance schedule of your spot cleaning, you should deep clean your tank every 6 weeks to four months.

I hope that you found this hermit crab poop article informative and humorous. Now go scoop your poop!

Please share your pooper scooper stories and techniques!

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Reference: Everyone Poops (My Body Science) (Hardcover)