HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi there! So I am just curious....

I haven't owned any Ecuadorian crabs in years. How large do they get? Does anyone have a large E they could show a photo of? In most pictures of them, they seem rather smaller than the other species. Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon? Or, am I just crazy? (Probably the latter)

Apologies if this post is in the wrong category!

They will seem smaller, but going by mass they are extremely similar to PPs and will actually grow faster in most cases. They are built low to the ground and thick, unlike other species that are leggier and taller. Plus, those tiny little shells they prefer make a HUGE difference in the way we perceive them. The two jumbo Es I had were every bit as big as my jumbo PPs, but by wearing a shell half the size they appeared to be much smaller just to look at them. Pick them up or watch their leg span, and they were the same sized.

My first jumbo E - a female - next to a small-medium:


I don't have any great pics showing BiggE's size. I probably do somewhere, but I'm still sorting through old photos.

Here is in on the handle of a 3-step stool:





And next to a "regular" sized small-medium E shell:


Unfortunately neither jumbo made it. They both molted fine in captivity and were still growing (!), but the female was eaten by another crab within a few days of going under to molt right before I moved them into the 55 gallon, and BiggE was taken out by one of three remaining Es and that was the reason why I sent the Es to live with someone else.

I have a large, just under that jumbos size, 2 mediums and a small. The large is also a serial killer, although she hasn't gotten one recently.

Awesome! thanks for the replies! I've never seen one that large myself, but they are super cute