HCA: Hermit Crab Association

All my PPs easily (and readily) switch shells. However, my three E's have not switched shells (two I acquired last week). I know E's prefer different 'types' of shells so they have a plethora of options...but they all look so squished! Do E's just not switch shells as readily as PPs?

They're notorious for it! Even the ones of mine that switch shells always choose ones that leave themselves unable to fully draw into their shells.

Stubborn crabs! I am glad to know it isn't me. They have a smorgasbord of shell choices yet they are in these cracked / broken shells that are WAY TOO SMALL. All their legs and claws are sticking out!

I've yet to have an E stay in a holey shell once a better alternative is available. And for the most part all of mine who have moved into a new shell are in ones that fit properly. It's the trying to find shells that they actually like that is the hard part! It takes a lot of trial and error.

Wodesorel can you please have some of your E's come talk to my E's? I mean I've explained to them that I could buy smaller size clothes but it would actually look worse on me because they wouldn't fit and that wearing larger sizes is nothing to be embarrassed about.

OH how I am laughing! This sounds like my house. I have one particular, Molly who has molted twice since the beginning of summer and still won't give up its shell. I am going to have to work hard at finding other options. Any ideas as to where we can get them?

E shell round up!

I have two of my E bunch that are still in the shells they came in.

Monkey recently gave up the nerite she came in for a record 10 hours before going back to it. Unfortunately nerites don't seem to come any bigger than the one she has so I can't get her any more. (no permanent changes)

Minkay has never tried anything else on and is still in his original small immature crown of thorns conch, same size as Monkey's nerite. (no permanent changes)

Michael Jackson ditched the shell with holes that he came in for a tapestry shell and hasn't worn anything else since. (1 permanent change)

Mozart ditched the shell with holes that he came in and wore a tapestry for awhile but recently switched to a jade turbo. (2 permanent changes)

Peek-a-boo went down to molt as soon as I got him, still wearing his terribly chipping pirate painted gray snail shell. After he came up he immediately ditched it and wore a tapestry for a little while, tried on a babylonia, then settled on an (unpainted) gray snail shell. I thought it was interesting because no one else ever showed any interest in them. (1 permanent change)

Jiffy Lube ditched the shell with holes that he came in for a beautiful banded tapestry shell. He tried on Mozart's old tapestry shell but went back to his banded tapestry the next day. (1 permanent change)

None of them can pull themselves into their shells much past their eyes. :roll:

i've had surprising luck with shell changes. my Es seem to be all too happy to change shells and completely confuse me as to who is who (oddly enough, my PPs seem to change once into an over-sized shell and stay there). they're all in reasonable shells - they can actually withdraw enough to cross their legs (a little, anyway)

so if i recall correctly and disregard my sneaking suspicion that there's a nerite merry-go-round happening...

franziska came in a whale's eye, changed to a black nerite (1 change)

mia has changed from a brown snail shell into her current nerite (1 change)

edgeworth has stayed in a nerite (0 changes)

phoenix moved from a zebra to a a striped tapestry turbo (he has trouble with the opening, but he likes the shell...) (1 change)

trucy...oh, geeze. trucy switched from a black nerite to a lightning whelk to another striped tapestry turbo (2 changes)

godot changed from a weird, worn-down white shell to a rapana bulbosa, then to trucy's lightning whelk. i was extremely confused when i found out i apparently had a gender changing crab...

The shells don't have holes, they are just cracked in the front and broken. LOL, like that makes it better. I buy all my shells from the HCP!