HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hello Everyone!

I have a bunch of shells that are really long and have unnecessary little pokey pieces sticking out of them, making them too big for a crab to go down to molt with. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried to sand/carve off pieces of shells? The little pieces are sticking out of all ends, (I'll attach a picture if anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about) but think my crabs would benefit from the shells if less long. They don't have huge ends but was wondering your thoughts?

Hermit crabs of different species inhabit all kinds of shells, so I would put them in the tank as is and see what happens. If they ignore it or try it on and then switch back, you could maybe sand the inner rim of the shell (the parts that touches the crab) with a little sand paper to smooth it out. I wouldn't try to shorten it, you could compromise the shells ability to retain water and it won't look natural. I've sanded the inner rims of shells before if they look a little pokey or a small piece had broken off. I try to change as little of the shell when I do just to keep things looking "untouched". You can use any kind of sandpaper and I've even used a nail file to get in small places. I hope this helps!