Hermit Crab & Almost 8 Year Old

We like ours. No poop to clean up.
I have an aquarium. and 2 crabs. You have to have a shallow water dish with a sponge in it. That's how they drink. You have to have a heater. They need to be warm and moist to be active. When it's cold, they bury themselves and don't move around at all. You have to have something for them to walk around on, bury themselves in and little hollow tree huts for them to hide under. The whole set up is EXPENSIVE! But they are very little upkeep once you get them. You put a few bits of apple, lettuce, celery every few days for them to eat. Keep the sponge wet and they say to pick the crabs up and spray them with a spray bottle to keep them happy. They're most active at night and the more youplay with them the more friendly they get.

Well, my one grandson was younger than your son when he got his but it had to be kept damp or wet or something, does nothing to be 'fun' but his had an sad end when he let it out one day and forgot it. His mom found it months later. I think they are not a good 'pet' but your son is older than my grandson so he may take better care of it.

My daughter is 12 and we got one at the end of last summer. We find ours interesting, although others might not. They don't do much. You have to keep them and their environment moist and warm. The are low maintenance other than that. They don't eat much, there's no poop to clean up. Ours is in a small covered aquarium - half sand, half coconut shavings. I only have to clean it out once in a while. Ours was actually under the coconut for the last 2 months - yes, 2 months - no movement, no coming out to eat, nothing. He just came up the other day & he's happy.

Do some research online before you get one. Set up can be a little expensive, but again, we think ours is educational for all of us. They can be picked up by the shell and you can let them crawl around on the carpet. Don't take your eyes off them - they move faster than you'd think. They also shed their "skin" every few months and then they need bigger shells to move into. We haven't seen this yet but we have a bunch of extra shells available for him. I think they live a few years? Not sure. Good luck.

boooooring! Had them, sincerely & adamantly dislike them!

Sorry. For my family, it was like trying to watch a rock move.....

We've had birds, iguanas, the crabs (haha), & many dogs. Oh, & fish.

#1 fav- dogs. #2 fav - the bird, even tho' he was messy. Hated all the others.

My son wanted them for a few years. Last year, on vacation, we got 3. Two died within the first 2 weeks. O. is still going strong.

Hermey is now MY pet.

My 8 year old lost interest months ago.
I don't have a heater, just keep his terrarium moist, keep water/sponge dish, food (cornmeal, lettuce), and spritz him with saltwater everyday--he seems to like that. They LOVE humidity, so if keeping them in the bathroom with a shower is an option--consider tat.

You DO need to condition their water (drinking and saltwater) and have both available to them.

The woman that cuts my hair had theirs for so long--6 years? She took them back where she bought them and begged them to take them back. They did! So some DO live quite a few years....