HCA: Hermit Crab Association

So last night I heard some weird noises and shells scraping against the glass but when it started to sound like foil being touched I went to check it out. I kid you not, my biggest crab climbed up and out of my cage and was walking on the hecking roof.
My cage is not small from the floor it comes to my hip and the only thing that touches the top of the cage is the bubbler tubes. So they only way this boi could have gotten out is by clinking up the climb wall, around the side of the water tank (I have a smaller tank for salt water in my giant tank) and up the tiny bubble tubes and some how managing to squeeze past the lid. (I have plastic wrap and aluminum foil taped across)

I didnt know this was possible, but my hermit crab is an absolute god.


Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Wow, if you are thinking it is the lid I think using clips or putting weight on it might help.

I caught my crabs climbing up air tubes, wires for the temperature probes and wahever else they can get their legs around. I heard smaller crabs can even climb the caulk in the corners of the tank. Every once in a while I will see a crab climbing on the hinge area of the lid too.

Some people duct tape their lids down to prevent a wild crab in the house.

They can do some crazy things! I had Rod on top of my analog gauges once, there was absolutely nothing for her to climb up to get on top of it, but she did it somehow. I think she was trying to tell me she didn’t like those old analog gauges either.

Once my crab Bubbles managed to shimmy around the rim of the tank and how he even got up there I'll never know for sure...

Sent from my SM-T813 using Tapatalk

my crab climbed up the climbing branch, JUMPED on to the plastic plant hanging from the lid to provide shade, and climbed up that and hung upside down on the lid. he was so scared! my dad had to help me get him down by sticking his hand a couple cm under the crab in case he fell, and i had to coax him to the plant, and he climbed down. there was a close call when he slipped, but my dad caught him while i was keeping the lid up so he could put his hand through, and my other hand was holding the branch to keep it sturdy. dads are awesome sometimes!

and after all that, the sneaky little guy just went up the same branch and sat there. we eventully removed the plant for safety purposes.

and the name of this little booger is... acorn.

purplepincher wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 15, 2019 9:29 am

my crab climbed up the climbing branch, JUMPED on to the plastic plant hanging from the lid to provide shade, and climbed up that and hung upside down on the lid. he was so scared! my dad had to help me get him down by sticking his hand a couple cm under the crab in case he fell, and i had to coax him to the plant, and he climbed down. there was a close call when he slipped, but my dad caught him while i was keeping the lid up so he could put his hand through, and my other hand was holding the branch to keep it sturdy. dads are awesome sometimes!

and after all that, the sneaky little guy just went up the same branch and sat there. we eventully removed the plant for safety purposes.

and the name of this little booger is... acorn.

He was most likely not scared at all, crabs climb on the lid all the time and they rarely need human help unless they appear to be struggling to hold on, and if they do fall it won’t hurt them at all.

really? my cage is pretty tall...

but you are probably right! i will keep that in mind.

purplepincher wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 16, 2019 7:49 am

really? my cage is pretty tall...

but you are probably right! i will keep that in mind.

They're also called tree climbers. Because they climb trees in the wild. 30ft trees and drop at times, pretty much unharmed.

Last night one of my new big crabs decided to climb on the back plastic piece of the glass lid, to the power cord going between the two LED lights... Nothing is within reach of those items by like 5" or more....... I have no idea how he got up there, but there he was when I got home. Stayed there for almost an hour going back and forth a bit, before dropping 10" or so to the sand. Big Red (which I have started calling him) is fearless! lol