Coenobita perlatus Strawberry Hermit Crab

NOTE: This creature is wild-caught. About this species The strawberry hermit crab is one of the largest and most colorful land hermit crabs in the Indo Pacific. It has a heavier body and requires a more tropical environment. Young individuals are usually pale orange, but their coloration becomes brighter as they mature. Large adults develop a deep strawberry red or orange red body covered in small white bumps that resemble strawberry seeds. Exceptional individuals can approach 8 cm. It usually lives close to tropical beaches, hiding beneath vegetation, driftwood, and coastal debris during the day. At night, it travels in groups to feed on fruit, seaweed, carrion, and other organic material. Care is more demanding than that of common land hermit crabs, mostly because of its large size. It requires warm temperatures, high humidity, deep substrate for molting, spare shells, and pools of both freshwater and marine saltwater. A varied diet containing seafood, plant material, protein, calcium, and especially foods rich in carotenoids helps maintain healthy growth and intense coloration.