A few questions about crabs

Please post here if you are a new crab owner and someone will be along shortly to welcome you to the HCA! This is also the place to welcome new crabbies to your clan!
Post Reply
User avatar

Topic author
yame1324
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2024 8:48 am
Location: Polish

A few questions about crabs

Post by yame1324 » Sun Apr 28, 2024 9:38 pm

Hello again, everyone. I still have questions about keeping hermit crabs, so I decided to make another post.
(In my country hardly anyone keeps hermit crabs as pets, so I didn't have much information...)
1. Is it normal that a larger hermit crab will sometimes attack a smaller crab? (I already did a post about this, but I'm still worried...). As I realized one of my crabs is not very social, so he is not interested in being friends with my other crab. The big crab doesn't try to pull the baby crab's shell off or anything, it just jumps forward and pushes it away with its claws. Is this crab more dominant or something? This problem started after the molt. The crabs molted at the same time and then the larger crab started to misbehave. Unfortunately, as I wrote before it is very hard to find hermit crabs for sale in my country, so I can't buy another one so that the small crab can socialize with someone.....
2. Is it normal that crabs do not change their shells for several months? I have put about 12-15 different shells in their terrarium, different sizes, but they have not decided to change their shells. They had a molt a week ago, so the crabs have grown a bit, but they don't change their shells. (There are no painted shells in my terrarium, just natural shells. So no worries).
Image
3. Is there any way to leave the crabs alone at home for a week? I have no problem with water filtration and humidity in the terrarium, but I don't know what to do about food...
4. Can anyone tell me the name of the shells (I have attached a picture). My hermit crabs love these shells and don't want to change them, but I can't find the name of them to buy more of the same shells


Отправлено с моего iPad используя Tapatalk

User avatar

curlysister
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 4296
Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:54 pm
Location: Manitoba, Canada

Re: A few questions about crabs

Post by curlysister » Sun Apr 28, 2024 11:46 pm

I can help with two of your questions....
Yes, it is very normal for crabs to stay in the same shell for a long time. And the larger they get, the less they will change shells.
I often leave my crabs for up to a week without having anyone come and look after them. I always leave dried foods only, no fresh. Even the dried ones will be moldy by the time you get back, but it isn't a big deal - the mold won't hurt them. Just take it out and replace with fresh as soon as you get back.
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers

User avatar

Topic author
yame1324
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Mar 01, 2024 8:48 am
Location: Polish

Re: A few questions about crabs

Post by yame1324 » Tue May 07, 2024 9:23 am

curlysister wrote:I can help with two of your questions....
Yes, it is very normal for crabs to stay in the same shell for a long time. And the larger they get, the less they will change shells.
I often leave my crabs for up to a week without having anyone come and look after them. I always leave dried foods only, no fresh. Even the dried ones will be moldy by the time you get back, but it isn't a big deal - the mold won't hurt them. Just take it out and replace with fresh as soon as you get back.
Thank you very much!


Отправлено с моего iPad используя Tapatalk

User avatar

JoeHermits
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 2115
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2018 9:26 pm
Contact:

Re: A few questions about crabs

Post by JoeHermits » Tue May 07, 2024 5:34 pm

1. Sounds like a dominance thing, some crabs just don’t tolerate others very well. So long as it’s just pushing they’ll be fine, just be sure they have a few different hideouts available so they can avoid each other if they want to

2. I don’t recognize that shell but looks like a nerite

Shell guide: viewtopic.php?t=92552


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Post Reply