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Postby Jenn » July 18th, 2006, 3:18 pm

Sorry for the picture quality, but they weren't the easiest to photograph, and I borrowed a camera, lol. Introducing Sandy, Shelly, and Crabby ~ my daughter's little Hermit Crabs. I didn't think they would last very long, or be very entertaining, but they really are. They all have their own unique personalities, and are pretty interesting.

In order Sandy, Crabby, and Shelly
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Crabby & Sandy taking a bath
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Doing what they do, lol
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All three in their "home" after bath and playtime.
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Thier extra shells for when they need a new home. ;) Can you guess which one is my favorite?
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Postby Maryellen » July 18th, 2006, 3:20 pm

omg they are adorable.. those extra shells are WAY COOL!! but you will need bigger ones too.. much bigger, they grow like crazy
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Postby Jenn » July 18th, 2006, 3:47 pm

Those are supposed to be the next "grade up" for each of them. Then I guess I'll need some bigger ones, after those. :|
Hmmmmm, what do you mean grow like crazy? :shock: They had some that were HUGE, where we got them from in Galveston. We're learning as we go, and they are suprisingly enjoyable.
Last night we had hermit crab races, lol. Poor Shelly is missing quite a few legs, and can only go backwards. My daughter felt sorry for her, when the lady said "oh you don't won't this one." She decided that she in fact did want that one, and would take care of her. I figure she'll be the first to settle in a new home.
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Postby Maryellen » July 18th, 2006, 3:49 pm

they will grow out of their shells fast. i had a few and i had to buy lots of bigger shells.. if they cant get into a new shell fast they will die..so make sure you have alot of larger shells around..
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Postby babyreba » July 18th, 2006, 4:45 pm

god, i used to have 15 or so hermit crabs . . . i bought a couple on chincoteague island a few years ago and then ended up "rescuing" a bunch from various petstores and people who posted them on freecycle.

they all finally were sent off to live with a nice lady who had a 50 gallon fish tank for them.

a couple of things . . . the one-legged crab probably needs desperately to molt in order to grow those legs back. stress and dehydration have a lot do do with why crabs lose legs.

the best thing to do is to get the crabbies out of that wire cage they sell you at the crab-selling store . . . hermit crabs are taken from the wild off humid beaches in the caribbean and florida and whatnot, and mostly they enjoy high humidity. the wire cages don't offer that . . . hermits often die in captivity because they never get the proper environment in which to thrive.

buy them a cheap 10 gallon tank at a walmart or something . . . put a screen lid on it, and cover half the lid with saran wrap. you need a substrate on the bottom deep enough to cover the largest crab up completely, because the crabs need to bury themselves to molt underground in order to grow and regenerate limbs. mist the tank with dechlorinated water every day or every other day to offer the crabs the much-needed humidity that keeps them healthy.

i know they tell you to bathe the crabs with stress coat, but it's actually healthier for the crabs if you offer them a water dish in the tank that's deep enough for them to submerge completely . . . they can then bathe themsevles as needed rather than have people force bathe them . . . and the crabs like salt water, too. not made with table salt, but the kind of salt you would use to make a marine-tank . . . it's a few bucks at walmart or other pet stores to buy "Doc Wellfish" brand salt. you can put a little dish of it in the tank and the crabs will sit in it and soak or take little sips from time to time.

as for the shells, a good rule of thumb is to have 2 to 3 extra shells for each crab in varying sizes . . . the crabs will "shell shop" and try on various ones that they like and if one appeals to them, they'll change into it and keep it.

sorry to write a book about crabs, but i had them for a few years and i really, really loved them. they can live for something like 30 years in captivity if you treat them well and they can grow to the size of a softball. i had a couple that were as big as my fist!
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Postby Jenn » July 18th, 2006, 5:30 pm

Whew that was a lot to sink in, lol. I'll have to go back and take notes! I really appreciate it though!! We've had them almost exactly a month. She didn't have her little legs when we got her (him whatever it is). They have a few different tanks, that we alternate them in, but since I read they like to climb we let them mainly stay in the wire cage. They climb up on the sides, and that's where they stay. I had sand, but it made the biggest dang mess.. Is the sand better than rocks? They normally stay buried in the rocks all day, and become extremely active at night. The only other time they even come out is when my daughter, or myself are letting them crawl around. I don't understand what you mean about the saran wrap... I read they can drown in a bowl and just to dip them in for no longer than a minute? :? We really like them too ;) looks like I'm going to have to go on the search for some shells, and some more accessories for them.
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Postby babyreba » July 19th, 2006, 9:25 am

they are pretty hardy, i'm sure they are doing great with you! but the things i put in my post will help them thrive a bit better/longer.

the saran wrap is to cover half the screen, so half the lid is covered . . . that way, more humidity is retained in the tank.

gravel is fine for them, sand is not necessary . . . as long as they can bury themselves to destress and hide and molt they'll be happy.

and they do love to climb, so when i had my tank, i built a couple of little climbing areas for my crabs out of plastic mesh and stuff and they were all over it. they like this stuff called choya wood, too. i guess it's like a dried cactus stem or something, and they sell it in the bird section of petsmart. it looks like a long hollow wood tube with holes in it!

there are a few message boards and web sites dedicated to the crabbing hobby.

check out http://www.crabstreetjournal.com or http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com . . . both should give you a ton of info about hermies!
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Postby Jenn » July 19th, 2006, 11:23 am

Thanks very much!!! :)
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