If you’re a pet lover like me, you must have wondered at some point if it’s possible to keep different kinds of pets together. I have heard so many people ask if they could be able to have lizards and hermit crabs in the same tank or environment. Well, I have once asked this question severally to many people, especially to pet shopkeepers, well I was ignorant about pets then, that’s why am writing this article, in order to help newbies who might be asking this same question.
Can hermit crabs live with lizards? No, hermit crabs and lizards cannot live together in the same environment because non of them can tolerate the temperature the other can live in.
I know it’s sad telling you that your precious lizards and your fine hermit crabs are not compatible to each other’s environment and so can’t live together.
Related: Can Hermit crabs be kept with Anoles?
The fact is, almost all lizards are hot blooded animals, that means they live in dry and non humid environment, on the other hand, all crabs are water animals, including land hermit Crabs.
So they choose to stay in water or at least very closer to water inorder to breath effectively, hence they all make use of gills for breathing.
Lizards are not water animals and does not in anyway share the same temperature with crabs, again they don’t make use of gills, instead they use lungs just like every other land animals.
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Trying to keep lizards in the same cage or tank with hermit crabs is unbelievable.
It’s a know fact that lizards don’t swim, even if they do, they can’t last long in water or on a humid environment, so how is it possible to keep these 2 different creatures in the same place? how do you even go about it in the first place?.
Even if they could live together, hermit crabs although very social, but they’re trouble makers.
Related: Can Hermit Crabs molt at the same time?
They will always try to pinch anything that comes closer to them, so even if lizards could be able to survive in the same temperature and environment hermit crabs live in, they will always fight and kill each other because the crab will always pinch the lizard, in return, the lizard might try to eat it, especially when the crab molt.
Apart from environment, let’s assume they could be able to live together, what about their food differences? Hermit Crab is omnivore, that’s they could eat both plants, vegetables, fruits and the flesh of other animals.
Related: Can Fiddler Crab live with African dwarf frog?
Lizards could eat insects and table scraps such as rice.
Both animals have their different types of food which the other can’t be able to eat, so keeping them together will be very difficult when it comes to feeding them.
Hermit crabs are high temperature animals, they could live in a high humid and cold environment such as 70 – 80°F, but such high temperature could only end up killing lizards because they can’t be able to tolerate it.
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Although there are some species of lizards that could tolerate close to this high humid temperature such as the Anoles but all the same, they can’t be able to tolerate it for long, or they will die.
Also many lizards such as Anoles are not as social as hermit crab, and so they’re territorial and might try to harm the crab when it crosses their way, the same goes for hermit crabs, they might attack the lizard and kill it.
The fact is, there is no way a lizard and hermit crab could be able to live and coexist in the same environment without the temperature killing the other, or they fight to death etc, so lizards and hermit crabs are not good tank mates.
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Can Hermit Crabs live with Geckos
Maybe you have a pet gecko and you’re still wondering if some species of lizard such as gecko could be able to live together with hermit crabs.
Can hermit crabs live with geckos? Leopard geckos are desert dwellers, while hermit crabs are water dwellers, so both cannot live together.
The fact is almost all species of lizard are dry land and desert dwellers, with the exception of few, so trying to keep geckos with hermit crabs is impossible.
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Geckos and hermit crabs don’t have the same nature, so trying to keep them together could only lead to the death of either the crab or the lizard.
Can Hermit Crab live with Bearded Dragon?
Like I explained above it’s very hard or nearly impossible to try to keep lizards with hermit crabs, but what about bearded dragon? can they live with hermit crab. Let’s find out.
Can hermit crab live with bearded dragon? No, bearded dragons are desert lizard and can’t survive in humid environment like hermit crabs and hermit crabs can’t survive in the desert like bearded dragons.
So it is impossible for hermit crabs which dwells on water and on humid environment to live with a bearded dragon which lives on dry land and deserts.
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If you try keeping them together, one will actually die because the environment can’t favor both at the same time.
Conclusion
There is no specie of lizard that could be said to be a perfect match to hermit crabs.
So therefore, lizards can’t live with hermit crabs or any other specie of crab due to their differences in nature and everything.
So don’t try keeping them together, no matter how tempting it might be to do so.
