HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Thanks guys! The two shells behind him are other crabs so there was no empty shells. He has stopped doing it so I guess he was just cleaning out his shell. That is the first time seeing my crabs sit like that so I wanted to make sure he is not sick or anything.

Ok , I know it is not the best picture but do any of your crabs sit like this? He just started sitting like this tonight.



The crab towards the bottom is the one I am talking about.

I have not smelled him since but he has dug down a little. Tip of his shell is sticking out so I will leave him be. Wode, it wasn't pleasant or unpleasant.

Jackolope, wasn't old leather boot smell. I am thinking it might be a molting smell because he had a molt sack. I will sniff him in a couple days. Although I have this vision of smelling crabs and them pinching my nose with their big pincher!

OK, did some investigating. He bathed himself in both salt and fresh water because there is sand at the bottom. I scooped some sand and sniffed it(which got some weird looks from my daughter) and it didn't smell like him, neither did the moss pit. I smelled him again and he doesn't smell. So whateve...

Do they have the smell even if he did not molt?

I had life last night in one of my tanks, Unicorn has come up but he did not molt. He was moving around and what not. I scared him and he tumbled over in his shell and it looked like there was a bug on him. I took him out to get a closer look in the light and he had a smell. Not a fishy smell at all...

OK thanks, he really is spunky and can really move around fast.

My PP Nemo moved into a shell way to big for him. He has other shells to choose from. He has been hanging out of his shell but when I go to see if he is OK he either sucks up into his shell or he crawls away. Like he hangs out far. His abdomen is not out but he lays his claws out in front of him. He...