HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have a crab who is in a novelty shell that looks like a football helmet. This is my first pair of crabs, and I'm still learning. I know now it's not good for him, 1 because it has hot glue all over the bottom, and 2 because there is a gap above the shell and the football helmet that collects debris. I can't make him get out of it obviously, but I also can't figure a way to help him. He can't tunnel underground with it, i assume, since he never has. I thought about cutting it off, no go without damaging his shell. Only other option is to remove the hot glue and it should come off. But how do I do that? Rubbing Alcohol is supposed to remove it but I'm afraid to use it so close to him. And I also don't want to stress him out picking at it. Maybe just leave him be? Thoughts?

carrieaurquhart wrote:I have a crab who is in a novelty shell that looks like a football helmet. This is my first pair of crabs, and I'm still learning. I know now it's not good for him, 1 because it has hot glue all over the bottom, and 2 because there is a gap above the shell and the football helmet that collects debris. I can't make him get out of it obviously, but I also can't figure a way to help him. He can't tunnel underground with it, i assume, since he never has. I thought about cutting it off, no go without damaging his shell. Only other option is to remove the hot glue and it should come off. But how do I do that? Rubbing Alcohol is supposed to remove it but I'm afraid to use it so close to him. And I also don't want to stress him out picking at it. Maybe just leave him be? Thoughts?

I would say let him be. Any handling will atress him. Make sure he has several shells to choose from. How deep is your substrate? How long have you had him?

I've had them for about a 4 months, substrate is about 3 times taller than they are, but the shell he has on is super tall so it will cover the shell if he was at the bottom. Thinking to just get more sand. I have several shells in there to pick from but I just looked at the shell guide and I think a few aren't for him. I'll get some more to see if that helps.

If you ever need us to ID shells or let you know what will and won't work, we are happy to help!

A big variety of shell varieties and different sizes are your best option. The more choices they have the better the chance of them picking a new one. Once you get them a few more shells you may have better luck.

One thing I have found seems to help my picky crabs is boiling shells in saltwater on the stove for a few minutes. Once they cool I pour a little saltwater into the opening and put them in the tank that way. My guys may not switch into the shells but they usually check them out.

Sometimes just dipping and rinsing the shells off in saltwater to clean out substrate may help them decide too.

I have also figured out that crabs and shells act the same way as dogs and toys. You can have 26 different toys for two dogs. When one of the dogs decides to play with one particular toy the other dog must have that toy too!

carrieaurquhart wrote:I have a crab who is in a novelty shell that looks like a football helmet. This is my first pair of crabs, and I'm still learning. I know now it's not good for him, 1 because it has hot glue all over the bottom, and 2 because there is a gap above the shell and the football helmet that collects debris. I can't make him get out of it obviously, but I also can't figure a way to help him. He can't tunnel underground with it, i assume, since he never has. I thought about cutting it off, no go without damaging his shell. Only other option is to remove the hot glue and it should come off. But how do I do that? Rubbing Alcohol is supposed to remove it but I'm afraid to use it so close to him. And I also don't want to stress him out picking at it. Maybe just leave him be? Thoughts?

You could provide your hermie with more shells (turbo shells are best) and removed the shell with the football helmet while he is in another shell. It is good to still keep the other shells in his tank so he still has options, too.

Thanks for all the replies. I got a bunch of turbo shells different sizes and am waiting on them to get here. I had a hard time finding the right ones even through the lists here. But I def got the right ones so now we can wait and see if he switches!