HCA: Hermit Crab Association

We were looking in the tank the other night and noticed a large E in a different shell than we'd seen one wearing before (I think it's a Florida Crown Conch). We assumed it was Parker, because he's big and is the only E out of the three I have that has changed shells.

But as I sat and watched, Parker came climbing out in the Banded Turbo that he's been wearing for the last few weeks. Lo and behold, it was Tobias who had molted and changed out of his awful purple painted shell that he'd been wearing since we got him last April!

I don't know where Tobias' painted shell is. I guess I'll have to go digging for it.

Now I only have one crab who's never changed shells - Blaise. We've also had him for 14 months.

Congrats! They can be picky little things.

nice!

Congrats on the shell change!

Yay!

That's awesome! I've only had my E's for 3 weeks and they have those painted shells too. I can't believe it took so long for a change in shells!!!! Why are the little boogers so picky?

Oh I hope my E changes out of his shell too! I got E's last May and 1 is still in a chipped paint, cracked off edges, way too small shell and everyday I keep hoping he will change, But so far no such luck!!!

Congrats on the shell change! They are really picky! One of my Es changed twice, and i think it is satisfied with its current shell. The other one is refusing to change out of its way too small shell! Hope it changes soon, and same with Blaise!

Blaise changed shells too! He's in a pretty orange-y tapestry turbo.

I don't know what prompted him and Tobias to change shells right around the same time, but I'm sure glad they did! Now all of my crabs are out of their original, painted shells. Yay!

I did clean my shells a couple of weeks ago and put olive oil around the edges, so that may have been why they changed. I wouldn't have thought it would have taken a couple of weeks for them to decide, but who knows what goes on in their little heads!

You can always tell the E owners. We do dances of joy and pass out party balloons whenever we have or hear of an E changing shells. Congrats!

A funny E shell-changing story... the gal I adopted my two Es from apologized to me for the condition of Spider's shell - it was an old painted one, with a clay doo-hickey (the stupid cartoony things they add to them) that she'd tried to sand off (part of it kept snagging on plants/nets/etc). As well, the shell itself was way too small - but Spider had no interest in changing, for as long as her previous owner had kept her. Wouldn't you know, Spider changed shells the day after I brought her home - I just happened to have the perfect one, I suppose! I texted her owner, who laughed about the whole thing...