HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey! I just joined this site (and may have accidentally posted on the chat forum thing a minute ago). It seems like a great place, and a great way to be reassured that my crab is happy.

Anyways.

A little over a year ago, I purchased a crab from one of the many shops on Jekyll Island. At the time, I was a bit overambitious. I saw this giant mesh cage of 100+ crabs, only a few of those sponge things at the bottom. I thought the conditions looked awful, so I picked out a small crab in a purple shell.

Obviously, I got home and did some research, which led me to a full investment in this crab (which I do not regret at all). Over the past year, he's molted twice, and seems to be doing quite well. He's active and outgoing, and seems to be perfectly healthy.

However.

1) He has not changed out of his shell.
2) I never see him going in either his salt or fresh water dishes.
3) I very rarely see him eat.

I mean, as for two and three, he very well might be doing these as I am asleep. But, in the past year, I have literally never seen him either eat or go into a water dish. Obviously he must be eating, right? Eating something. But I've never really witnessed him doing it. Ever.

The first is what bothers me most. I have a few shells in the tank with him, all natural. But he's very stubborn, insisting on staying in his light purple shell. In the past year, he must've grown enough to change shells. Right?

I don't know. Maybe I'm worried for no reason. But if you can give insight on anything I've rambled about, it would be GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Also, I've never been able to tell which type of crab he is. The Carribean and PP look too similar for me to tell. Help on this? //sorry, I don't really know much about crabs\\

Immense thanks,
-Calyn

PS. His name is Crb. "Crab" without the a. I don't know whether to be proud or disappointed in myself.

What do the shells you have for him look like? Can you post pictures of them or ones from google that look like them? Same with his shell, if you can.

And what are you feeding him? Crabs don't eat a lot, especially just one, so it can be pretty hard to tell! They're also pretty shy about water - I haven't seen any of mine go to their pools either, but I know they're going in when I find sand, etc. in the pools, and occasionally if I pick a crab up, some water will leak out of their shell.

He's probably a PP, they're the most common species sold as pets.

Hi! Welcome to HCA. Please look over our care guides, as information has been recently updated. Then kindly take a moment to fill out the template so we can help address any areas of concern.

Care Guide: viewtopic.php?t=92457

Emergency Template: viewtopic.php?t=46102

Thank you for joining us today, your tour guide will be along shortly. Please keep all appendages inside the vehicle at all times.


Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

Thank you so much for replying so quickly!

As for food, there's always traditional crab pellets out for him, but about every other day I'll put either bits of carrot, strawberry, or melon in with the pellets.

I'm actually right about to sleep (it's 12:30 AM where I live). However, I'll be sure to post some pictures in the morning! I'm so sorry for the picture delay!! I really do appreciate your help!!!

-Calyn

As someone else has said, you don't usually see your crabs eat unless you stay up pretty late. I know how it feels though -- I only have two hermit crabs and I rarely see them eat. I remember when I first got them I was freaking out and giving them all sorts of foods because I didn't think they were eating any! Anyway, the fact that he's still alive and well confirms that he is eating, so you shouldn't worry much about that. I'd try giving him something with lots of protein like egg whites or some meat (not seasoned or anything). It's super popular with my crabs and that's pretty much the only time I witness them eat.

The not-changing-out-of-shell thing is a bit odd, so pictures could help a lot. Since he's molting he should've gotten bigger, so... hmm. My crab, Old Bay (I didn't name him that I swear) is super stubborn and sometimes it takes him a while to change, but a whole year is a long time. I'm sure there's a good reason for that though. Either that or you have a very, very stubborn crab.

As for the Caribbean or PP question, I've always thought they were the same thing! However I'm no where near as experienced as most of the people on here so don't take my word on that. It's probably a PP since those are more common.

Note: I pretty much exclusively call my crabs "Creb" instead of their real names, so the name Crb is perfectly acceptable.

mimirabbit wrote:As someone else has said, you don't usually see your crabs eat unless you stay up pretty late. I know how it feels though -- I only have two hermit crabs and I rarely see them eat. I remember when I first got them I was freaking out and giving them all sorts of foods because I didn't think they were eating any! Anyway, the fact that he's still alive and well confirms that he is eating, so you shouldn't worry much about that. I'd try giving him something with lots of protein like egg whites or some meat (not seasoned or anything). It's super popular with my crabs and that's pretty much the only time I witness them eat.

The not-changing-out-of-shell thing is a bit odd, so pictures could help a lot. Since he's molting he should've gotten bigger, so... hmm. My crab, Old Bay (I didn't name him that I swear) is super stubborn and sometimes it takes him a while to change, but a whole year is a long time. I'm sure there's a good reason for that though. Either that or you have a very, very stubborn crab.

As for the Caribbean or PP question, I've always thought they were the same thing! However I'm no where near as experienced as most of the people on here so don't take my word on that. It's probably a PP since those are more common.

Note: I pretty much exclusively call my crabs "Creb" instead of their real names, so the name Crb is perfectly acceptable.

They are the same thing.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

https://www.dropbox.com/s/8x7rpjlonng1s ... s.pdf?dl=0

Hello!!

Oh my gosh, I didn't know they were the same thing. Thank you.

HOWEVER. Here is a dropbox link to some photos of the shells & Crb. Currently there are only two shells in the tank. I used to have more, but they were all shells I'd found at the beach. I thought he might be deterred from using them, so I removed them. I'm working on getting a few more shells, though!!

Thanks you so much for the help!! I hope the link works.

-Calyn

The link won't work for me.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

I do feel I need to tell you that hermit crabs do not do well alone. They need a friend or 2 or they get depressed. In the wild they travel in groups of hundreds, even thousands so they are used to and need that crabby interaction.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Cute crab! It looks like those extra shells might be a tad too big for him. PP's generally go for turbos (right). I would just try getting a few that are a smidge smaller.

I'm not an expert, but I wanted to share . I had a stubborn crab (also PP) that wouldn't change out of the painted shell for a whole year too, and when he finally changed it was into a magpie that came on another crab (after that one changed into a Babylonia). I don't know if it's just mine.. but these seem to be a favorite. I have 2 out of 4 PPs in a shell like this (and I only have 2 available, since they both came with crabs)

and if you already have shells like that I'm sorry, the link didn't work for me

aerstiel wrote:https://www.dropbox.com/s/8x7rpjlonng1s ... s.pdf?dl=0

Hello!!

Oh my gosh, I didn't know they were the same thing. Thank you.

HOWEVER. Here is a dropbox link to some photos of the shells & Crb. Currently there are only two shells in the tank. I used to have more, but they were all shells I'd found at the beach. I thought he might be deterred from using them, so I removed them. I'm working on getting a few more shells, though!!

Thanks you so much for the help!! I hope the link works.

-Calyn

I looked at the pictures and that crab is adorable! I generally find that mine don't like the shells with the D shaped entrance (the one on the left), but they're picky so maybe that's it. I can't really tell from eyeing it, but the shell on the right (and left) both have pretty big entrances compared to the small one on the shell your crab is wearing -- Maybe try buying a bag of shells from a craft store, boiling them, and then give them to him and see if he prefers them more? I can't really tell how big he is since he's in such a small shell, however I'm worried that maybe he won't be able to block the entrance with his claw if he went into one of them.

The shells are way too big. The one on the left is not a species that hermits wear. (It looks similar to a whale's eye, but the opening is too slanted. It's probably an Atlantic Moon.) The one of the right is the perfect species - a Tapestry aka Petholatus Turbo, but it's just oversized. He would not be able to move around well in it. I'm guessing he probably needs a shell around 3/4 inch opening. As a quick unscientific judge of size, the Big Pincher should be only slightly smaller than the opening.

The dropbox link doesn't work for me but I would suggest ditching the pellets. They really aren't good for the crabs and many have harmful preservatives or toxic ingredients. You can feed cheaply by picking bits off of food you are prepping to eat as long as it isn't seasoned. Meat, fish, shrimp, different veggies, nuts, grains, and calcium sources like eggshells are all often readily available in your pantry.

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk