can I use a old fish bowl for a hermit crab?

No you cannot here is a great caresheet that tells you what you need to know.

Housing/Crabitat:

no smaller than a 10 gallon glass tank, is preferable. A glass or plexiglass lid is also preferable, to keep proper temperature and humidity.

Temperature: 74-78 degrees F (thermometer)

Humidity: 70-80% relative (hygrometer)

Substrate:

Playsand, Forestbedding (Eco-Earth, Bed-a-Beast, etc). Moss and calcisand may also be added to the tank, however it is not recommended as a main substrate. Needs to be 1 1/2 times as deep as your tallest crab is tall with a minimum of 3" deep.

Diet:

Commercial crab foods, Vegetables (favorites include-carrots, lettuce, parsley, spinach, and corn), Fruits (favorites include-coconut, mango, apples, grapes, and pears), Meats (seafood, silversides and chicken are favorites), Grains, Peanut butter, eggs, seeds, algae and seaveggies. Please see http://www.epicureanhermit.com/ for a list of other edible foods.

Hermit crabs need both fresh and salt water (dechlorinated and salt water made with a good marine salt like oceanic).

Shells:

Turbo, pica/magpie, Sharks eye. Shells with circular openings are favorites

Molting:

-Lethargic before and hyper after molting

-Legs tend to be dry and ashy pre-molt

-Will sometimes molt without a molt sac or other pre-molting symptoms

-Are thirsty and hungry pre-molt and post-molt

Other Characteristics:

-Sweet/nice temperament

-Love to climb

-Love to crowd into piles

-Not as active as other species such as the Es

-Like to hide during the day and are most active at night

-More willing to pinch if they feel threatened/scared

-Love to change shells

-Love to eat and climb on wood such as cholla/choya and corkbark

No I would not put a hermit crab in a small fish bowl. They need room to move about in the night time when they come out to eat. I would not put one in a tank any smaller the a 10 gallon tank.

No! a small plastic fishbowl is not large enough to house a hermit crab, a ten gallon tank is the minimum size needed... here is a good site with lots of info on hermit crabs... http://www.hermit-crabs.com/

It could be good but it depends what size its going to be and your hermit crab. Me and my sister used like a plastic basket with a lid and drilled holes in them and they liked it a lot since it kept it humid with wet hot towels and dry towels covering it so the heat didn't escape. Also i fish TANK would work good and if you get a small one give him a buddy they don't like being alone. A snake cage or spider cage type thing works but it has to be pretty big. So anything that will give him room and things to climb on and good food such as the crab food and apples and grapes! my hermit crabs go crazy for that. And a lot of gravel for it to molt so if if isnt larger than 7 inches maybe it isnt good since gravel has to be at least 3 inches depth.

If you're talking about a bowl, bowl, no. Hermit crabs need tons of room for the stuff they need. (shells, drinking water, etc.) But, if it's a BIG bowl, then yes. If you're talking about a plastic tank (which i think you're not,) yes. Tanks are ther perfect things for hermit crabs.

First off sorry about your hermy loss. New crabs are in danger of succumbing to post purchase syndrome. Moving from the wild to captivity is nothing easy. If you get a new crab, gradually increase the humidity and temprature. Pet Smart probably kept them at a low humidity. A sudden change isn't healthy. A 5% increase a week from 60% along with a gradual increase from 70F should help your next crab. Don't handle your next new crabs, it can do some serious stress damage to him.

Hermit crabs can live in glass aquariums, but need driftwood or something to climb on. A fishbowl wouldn't house a hermit crab properly. I recommend that you do some research on owning a new pet before purchasing it. Try going here: http://www.hermit-crabs.com/

I Think You Can Use That But Just Make It A Hermit Crab Surrounding

No - they need a lot more room than that, more sand to dig in, and things to climb. They need the right temperature and the right humidity.

If you're going to get a hermit crab, do the hermit crab a favor and get the RIGHT stuff for him. Otherwise, don't get one - that's cruel.

http://www.hermit-crabs.com/

http://www.hermit-crabs.com/care.html

so you want a hermit crab

great pet

as for the fish bowl

i would reccomend that you try

to find a glass bowl if you can

or a new plastic bowl

some plastic absorb germs and bacteria

it'll be best if you don't keep your new

hermit crab in an old fish bowl

it cause to fall ill

=]

good luck

happy hunting