HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey guys so i just wanted to ask a few question. I went to petco yesterday to see if they had any E's, i didnt plan on adopting any of them if it wasnt an E lol. So anywho i asked one of the workers if they would please check if there was any hermit crabs. When she opened the tank and moved the rock there was about 7 small hermit crabs hiding. I picked each one of them up and looked at them. The last one i came across had absolutely no tips and the others did. I felt so bad for her and she came out right away when i picked her up. So i brought her home. This is her, my friend named her booty bean, i call her bb for short


It was hard to get her to stay still.


No tips.

Now my other question is, i have a 20 gallon crabitote. With 7 other hermit crabs ranging from med-small to small. I have 2 other ones that are about the same size as her. I was wondering if it would be okay to have those 3 smaller ones move into my 10 gallon, just so i dont over crowd the other ones. I have everything i need to set it up, just wondering if it'd be a good idea. Also is there anything i could help do about her tips? Currently bb is in my 10 gallon with just food, water, and a hide. Sorry for this being so long!


Bb blessing you with her presence.

Thanks in advance!


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Hi! BB is very cute. A lot of times crabs come with worn off leg tips. They wear them down from walking around in the wild. She will probably molt soon and will return with all new leg tips. My crabs don't wear their leg tips down now that they are in captivity but many came with worn off tips.

I would definitely recommend putting some crabs in another tank as it sounds like you are crowded.

E's should not be in anything smaller than a 40 gallon tank. They are very active and need a lot of space to run and dig. They are fun to watch and their eyes are beautiful. They need temps of 80 to 90 and humidity of 80. Some purple pinchers can tolerate conditions that are less than ideal but exotics like E's can not.

Thank you for the response! I just found it weird that she was the only one with no tips and was in a painted shell, all the others were in natural shells. Cant wait till she regrows them! As for E's, im aware of what they need, currently my kids are in my tote as they wait to move into their 80 gallon bow front tank! Thank you for the info!