Hello, I have a crab that was in a painted shell and I put in a new shell and the crab switched into it.
The question is if I should leave in the painted shell or take it out. What if the crab dosn't like the new shell?
Removing painted shell
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- Posts: 1171
- Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2018 3:33 am
- Location: Louisiana
Re: Removing painted shell
When i first started, i only had 1 spare shell for my crab. When he switched into it, i immediately removed the painted one.. I'd rather him be in the natural one than a painted one. But if you can order some more shells or find some at your local pet store, that would help! 

4 purple pinchers & 2 ecuadorians living a life of luxury in south west Louisiana.
Follow my hermit crab learning journey on instagram! @hermitcrabs_in_the_boot
Follow my hermit crab learning journey on instagram! @hermitcrabs_in_the_boot
Re: Removing painted shell
Naples for new shells which is listed in the shopping link on here. When mine changed out and got a new one I removed the painted
Mom to 3 human boys, 2 dogs - Hemi & Athena, 2 cats - Fat a$$ (realname Spark Plug) & Batman & 5 PP’s - Monstro, Pinkie aka Little Bit, Shellie, other 2 unnamed
Re: Removing painted shell
I would remove the painted shell, but you need to get more natural shells to leave in the tank. I have ordered many shells from naples seashell company, but there are other sources listed on the shopping resources page too. You can also check out the shell guide on here to see what types of shells crabs normally prefer.
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Re: Removing painted shell
I wanted to add that you can find shells on Etsy too although I haven’t ordered any from there yet. I saved a store on there to check out though named Florida Beach Weddings. When I did a search for hermit crab items I noticed they were listing a lot of shells.
Mom to 3 human boys, 2 dogs - Hemi & Athena, 2 cats - Fat a$$ (realname Spark Plug) & Batman & 5 PP’s - Monstro, Pinkie aka Little Bit, Shellie, other 2 unnamed