HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Has anyone modified any of the spikey types of shells? Were they well received? My gramma bought me a really pretty pink murex, not sure if a PP would ever want to use it but I was thinking about cutting off the syphon and the spikes to lessen the weight and make it easier to maneuver in. Its a nice big shell, I'd hate for it to go to waste.

Gail wrote:Has anyone modified any of the spikey types of shells? Were they well received? My gramma bought me a really pretty pink murex, not sure if a PP would ever want to use it but I was thinking about cutting off the syphon and the spikes to lessen the weight and make it easier to maneuver in. Its a nice big shell, I'd hate for it to go to waste.

Many PP's love murex shells. They do not require any modification. I have 2 in murexes right now.

I wish mine would wear murexes! One of my crabs came home with me wearing one, but he eventually ditched it for a turbo. Sigh. They're super lightweight, which I think some crabs like. I think they're so pretty, too.

I don't see the need to modify it. The only issue my crab who wore one ran into was he couldn't fit into some of the hidey spots with the other crabs.

I've only ever had one crab wear one. Goji was in a big one for about three months. I loved it! But he always did like weird shells.

Yours are light weight? The ones I have are really heavy. I'll weight them tomorrow.

actually i know exactly what you mean, im actually getting back into crabbing after a devastating heat wave last year that knocked out my power, and my hermit crabs. :'( most of them, but i did have one big pp that wanted to move into this big pink murex but it had a huge siphon like an inch or 2 out and a couple of huge spines, as soon as i cut all that down he moved right into it. so i know exactly what you mean, most dont need to be modified but some of the bigger ones just have alot of stuff, unnecessary stuff and that siphon was huge, i crushed it up and had enough calcium for weeks for the little guys

I think they may be farmed commercially, so the farmed ones have thinner shells, and the wild ones have thick ones. There are several species are farmed, not just for commercial use, but also as food.

Yeah, mine have huge siphons and a lot of long heavy spikes. I don't think I'll bother with them, it would be easier to buy the thinner ones but honestly, I like the turbos better.
Maybe I'll make my murex into a nightlight.

my tiny pp's wore murex's, all of them at the same time put them on, but none of them are still wearing them and i've never had anyone bigger than a tiny/small pp wear it.