what if they pinch

Tidytourniquet · Post by **Tidytourniquet** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:21 pm

I actually made one of my crabs pinch me before. I was curious how it felt and well, it hurt and I was kinda shocked that it actually pinched me. I had him pinch the little webbing area between my thumb and pointer finger, he held on for a few minutes but by the time he let go it wasn't hurting that bad anymore but I had a tendency to become numb to pain. I just had my hand relaxed and had it laying on the bed and he let go by himself.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:38 am

My biggest E Red was being stubborn the other night and he got ahold of my thumb nail. It didnt hurt so I just let him hang there. After about 30 minutes though I was tired so I just dunked him in his bath water and after about 30 seconds he released my nail.. Lol. He prolly would have hung on all night if I let him.

I have never severely been pinched. Only once did grape ape get me between the webbing of my fingers and it didnt hurt as much as startle me because I didnt know it was coming. My E's like to pinch around my thumbs and I think they are eating my skin.. is that weird or what? i always know when they are gonna pimch so I know to let them know they are not in danger right away. And its weird but I think most of them know who you are by your scent or taste? anyone else notice this?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:54 am

CrabbyKate wrote: And its weird but I think most of them know who you are by your scent or taste? anyone else notice this?

Makes a lot of sense, crabs have very fine-tuned olfactory senses and use those to process a lot of information about their world. I imagine they place a lot of importance on being able to identify the huge thing that randomly picks them up as non-threatening, and smell is one of those things that does that.

Then there's always the classical conditioning..."This smell comes, and then there is FOOD. So this smell must not be that bad, because it brings FOOD."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 07, 2007 12:48 am

If you say it really didn't hurt then you really haven't been pinched. I have been crabbing for 2 years next month and have been nipped at, which doesn't hurt but when they really pinch they PIIIIIIIIIIINCH! I was doing a total clean of the tat today, so everyone went into the iso tank while me and the kids cleaned it. Then we thought it would be fun to get new pics...we especially wanted pics of our newest tiny straw - which you almost never see...who just came up from a successful molt YIPPEE..

anyway...I was carrying the 2 smaller PP back to the tat and Molly must have gotten scared, she was crawling up my fingers and took both her large and small pincher and got the side of my left pointer finger, if I tried to pull she just pinched harder and she pulled inside her shell with my finger with her! She had the skin where the nail meets it and wraps around, and she wouldn't let go...I tried putting her down into the sand to no avail...tried to put the other PP next to her to let them scurry off together - she wasn't interested! I put her in the salt water pool because I thought she would like it the least and she just hung on...In the iso tank we have a bubble pool so I put her in that with her shell opening near the bubbles...eventually she crawled out of her shell then very slowly let go of my finger. I have 2 indented bruises from this bratty crab - the top bruise she shredded the skin because it was so near my cuticle I guess - needless to say I won't be thinking the "little" ones don't hurt...and I am not at all interested in knowing if the big ones do!

After keeping ice on it for a while the swelling is almost down but it will be tender to the touch for some time - she got me good!!

I only ever read they really don't hurt...but keep them away from your fingers and the webs of your hands - or better yet - in the tat!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 07, 2007 7:09 pm

some of u said that i should not have poured tap water on them but i would like u to know that it was a battle of salt-waterglub from the petstore so i knew it was safe

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 07, 2007 7:09 pm

some of u said that i should not have poured tap water on them but i would like u to know that it was a battle of salt-waterglub from the petstore so i knew it was safe

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 08, 2007 10:17 pm

there is a crab at Petsmart here that has been there over 6 months....in the same painted shell.....everytime i pick it up it freaks out...put your hand in and it runs at you with BP waving......when you pick it up it comes almost out of its shell trying to get you....i am going to see if they still have it and most likely get it....i was told by my friend everyone picks it up and it is just to agressive...i think it needs to molt really bad....i really dont want another PP but that is all there is around here...that and jumbo straws. i want some E's!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed May 09, 2007 4:18 pm

I had Gandalf, My large straw pinch me the other day. my gosh that hurt! he held on for like 5 minutes before crawling of my hand into the tat

Dawn · Post by **Dawn** » Thu May 10, 2007 2:26 pm

I have had two medium size guys pinch me. One I thought was my favorite girl, Tank, who would never pinch me and it turned out that it was Max and he's a little bugger... He had a history of pinching. Hubby was holding him with his calloused hands and Max grabbed a big gob of skin and held on for a long time. Drew blood. Pulsing his pincher for about a minute. When he got ahold of me, I'm sure he thought it was hubby and pinched HARD. His bp was about 1-1/4 inches long at that time (he's molted twice since then). But I pushed my hand down on the table and was as still as I could be and just gritted my teeth. He let go in 30 seconds but it hurt so bad...I cried.

The other one who pinched me was my first pinch and he was pretty gentle. We still call him Tiny but he's alittle over quarter sized now.

Now we have jumbos who have bp's bigger closer to 2+ inches and I'm sure they could snap a pencil...Definately. I keep my fingers well back and don't just play with those guys. They play rough...

I haven't had a tiny guy pinch me but I bet they hurt...Just not as bad as the bigger guys. You don't want to have one pinch you anyway, even if it doesn't hurt. It scares them as much as it does us, I believe. And they get in the habit of doing it when ever they are picked up...We're the bigger animal in that case.

I'm reminded about a line in Night at the Museum. "Who's Evolved?"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu May 10, 2007 2:38 pm

My Jumbo PP Peirce pinched me. It took about a week
for the mark to go away. He's named peirce because the
pain level was the same as some body peircings that I
got in March.

It was my fault that he did it ~ I learnt my lesson, that's for sure!
I didn't have myhand out flat enough so he found some skin and
did the crabby instinct of "what's this?"

Thank lord I knew how to react and managed to keep calm!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat May 12, 2007 7:06 pm

Just try to get the hermie to relax... they will eventually let go. Once a small PP pinched my hand and it hurt like HECK. It lasted only 5 minutes but it felt like an hour. After 4 1/2 min. I decided to turn off the lights and he let go
maybe he felt more safe? Has anybody here found that they let go quicker when its dark?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 14, 2007 5:10 pm

I think the best way to prevent a pinch is to just not hold the crabs of yours that are particularly prone to pinching...but I think that is a given.

however, if it is already to late I think waiting is the most hassle free way to get'em off. Another idea would be to submerge him in salt water although that can also trigger him to retract into his shell wile still grabbing your skin....ouch XD

HCA: Hermit Crab Association

what if they pinch

It hurts like crazy - pinched by my littlest PP!!

i would like u 2 no

i would like u 2 no

I never EVER let my guard down...