HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I got Ghostie, my fourth Ruggie, last July; and I named him Ghostie because he almost white with black markings. I was certain he was in bad shape and thought I would lose him when he went down immediately to molt.

I wish I had pics of him when I brought him home, but he went under too quickly . This is how he looked after his second molt with me:



This is how he looks today after coming up from molt #3. This picture doesn't completely do him justice:



I couldn't believe it! He's almost black! I guess he's been hitting CCC's "Indo Color Supplement" . I'm so proud of him .

Wowee. What a transformation! That is a very, very dark Ruggie.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Look at the fuzz ball.
That is one healthy chap you have there.

Oh, Wow!!! Now THAT is what I call a very successful molter!!!! Dark AND fuzzy!!! What more could you ask for!!!

I named him Ghostie since he was as white as a ghost! Now I wonder if I should rename him -- it's like he came back from the dead!

Wow!!!1 Ghostie is very dark now! And cute as a button!
Congrats on the sharp toenails!

As far as renaming, I say no. Because you can remember his past.

Oh, I wouldn't rename him! I learned a long time ago that naming ruggies for their coloring was probably a mistake. Most of my rugs have changed colors, and continue to change colors.....they are like a bunch of geckos!

For instance, "Kahlua", who was dark brown, is now blue. "Charlie Brown" is now green. "Fig Newton" is now black. And "Sapphire" is now brown. :roll:

What Kathy is trying to say is that Ruggies are just a bunch of rainbows!

I like your Rugs new look. He has a very nice color. I also liked him when we was ghosty!

I can't wait when my Ruggie comes back from molting/destressing. I kinda forget what he looks like.

I lost half of my Rugs on their first molt with me -- all sickly painted-shell Petco finds -- so I still bite my nails when they disappear for "too" long . I have a heart for my little Ruggie-babies -- especially since they seem to have come through so much .

Nice molt!

peggycats wrote:I lost half of my Rugs on their first molt with me -- all sickly painted-shell Petco finds -- so I still bite my nails when they disappear for "too" long . I have a heart for my little Ruggie-babies -- especially since they seem to have come through so much .

I brought my very first ruggies home about 2 1/2 years ago. There were 8 of them......After only a month, only one remained. I really think that rugs are more fragile than straws. But, once they successfully molt, they tend to survive quite well. Be prepared for molting deformities.,.....if any species is prone to them, it's rugs. But, they also seem to do okay with twisted legs & locked joints. They correct those mishaps with the next molt. Goofy things!!! :roll:

Oh he's absolutely gorgeous!! I wish I could find more ruggies. I keep going back to the pet store, where I found my one and only ruggie. However, I never leave without a pp, since that's all they ever have.

I haven't seen any here since last July. I think maybe they're seasonal in this area since that's about the time the Straws also ran out. I'm lucky to be near FOUR Petcos, so I found my eight Rugs among those four stores, but none of them were in great shape when I found them, though if they survived that first molt they've done well . They're such sweeties .

Four Petcos??? Lucky! I've never even gotten the chance to SEE a Petco!