Hermit Crabs with Boxies

[paschallraschalls]

Hello I know there have been several threads about keeping hermit crabs with either box turtles or redfoot torts. In general, I LOVE the idea.

I have kept small hermit crabs in with an adult box turtle before, but I am planning to get a couple of yearling boxies next week (yippeeee) and wondered if you all thought it would be safe to put them together. The hermit crabs are small!

Thanks for any advice!

 

[wellington]

Congrats on getting the babies. As far as I have ever heard on here, it is fine even with babies. I wouldn't do it with a hatchling tort that still has it's hold sack but other then that it seems to be fine.

 

[paschallraschalls]

Thanks! That is what I was hoping! I just didn't want to take any chances!

I am soooo excited about the babies, I have been wanting some for almost 2 years now!

 

[jojodesca]

I don't know much about it and if it's ok or not...but why would you want to? It doesn't happen in nature since hermit crabs like sand..and boxies prefer dirt. Sounds a bit silly to keep them together...not to mention the needs of both creatures are not the same.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

I don't know much about it and if it's ok or not...but why would you want to? It doesn't happen in nature since hermit crabs like sand..and boxies prefer dirt. Sounds a bit silly to keep them together...not to mention the needs of both creatures are not the same.

Actually, depending on what type of hermit crabs we're talking about, this is somewhat incorrect. Marine hermit crabs DO like sand, but they are also mostly aquatic, living nearly all of their lives in saltwater.

Most terrestrial hermit crabs do not live on (or "like") straight sand. They actually dwell in the leaf litter and soil areas in the forest, and can be found considerable distances inland.

Many keepers have good success keeping them with redfoot tortoises (I'm thinking about trying it myself!). Both species prefer relative humid environments and similar terrains.

With some supervision, I don't think this would be a horrible idea.
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And personally, I think the substrate requirements of a box turtle can be described a little bit better than simply "preferring dirt." Every time I have found a boxie in the wild (minus the wandering adults trying to cross roads), it was either half buried in mud, dead leaves, or pine straw. Some were even chillin' in pools of stagnant water!

 

[Saloli]

I don't know much about it and if it's ok or not...but why would you want to? It doesn't happen in nature since hermit crabs like sand..and boxies prefer dirt. Sounds a bit silly to keep them together...not to mention the needs of both creatures are not the same.

Actually in some areas of Georgia and Florida along the coast they do occar together but here is the catch the boxers sometimes eat the hermits. By the way hermits don't prefer sand they live most of the time in the dune and maritime forests.

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Actually, depending on what type of hermit crabs we're talking about, this is somewhat incorrect. Marine hermit crabs DO like sand, but they are also mostly aquatic, living nearly all of their lives in saltwater.

Most terrestrial hermit crabs do not live on (or "like") straight sand. They actually dwell in the leaf litter and soil areas in the forest, and can be found considerable distances inland.

Many keepers have good success keeping them with redfoot tortoises (I'm thinking about trying it myself!). Both species prefer relative humid environments and similar terrains.

With some supervision, I don't think this would be a horrible idea.
-----
And personally, I think the substrate requirements of a box turtle can be described a little bit better than simply "preferring dirt." Every time I have found a boxie in the wild (minus the wandering adults trying to cross roads), it was either half buried in mud, dead leaves, or pine straw. Some were even chillin' in pools of stagnant water!

They are the mud if it was in a forest may have been wood humus (forest soil) which is mostly organic in origin as opposed to true soil which is mostly inorganic and found below the forest soil which is the a horizon in soil terminology.

 

[dmmj]

Some people use them to eat left over food, I have never encountered that problem with my RF or boxies.

 

[jojodesca]

oh ok.....i guess I was wrong.....

 

[pryncesssc]

oh ok.....i guess I was wrong.....

haha i would have thought the same thing as u !

 

[jojodesca]

on a personal note i wouldn't want them together....i couldn't imagine those pinchers hurting my beloved boxies....but what ever floats other ppls boat...lol

 

[Saloli]

If they eat them I am guessing they would deal with the pinchers like the Spotted turtles deal with crayfish. They rip them off.