How you got here?

[mrbonzai211]

This is a post for people to share the story of how the entered this amazing hobby. I think almost all of u started with crabs that we didn't know how to care for and we all had that moment where we had that epiphany where we realized we needed new crabitats and fast! For example, my first two crabs i bought as a whim and had no idea how to care about them. They lived for a week in a metal beach pale that said Coors Light on the front. Later on I discovered the caresheets on the crab street journal where I learned that I was unknowingly killing my crabs. I quickly went out and bought them a 10 gallon and just recently I upgraded to a 20L. I love my crabs and I sometimes get jealous that they even eat better then me, lol. Through all of this however, I've learned how difficult crabs can be and that they should be treated like any other exotic pet and not like children's toy (which is how they're marketed ). Sadly though, of my original two crabs, my favorite and smallest one didn't make through his first molt. I think it's because of that guilt that I've been so obsessed with treating the living ones so well. My colony will always be a tribute to my little Hermies who is hopefully climbing his way up Mt. Olympus right now to the great beach in the sky (i name all my crabs after Greek Gods, have no idea why).

[Hermie Lover]

Wow. This is a loaded post for me. I will be short and sweet I bought some hermit crabs back in 1996 That is when I started with them. Didn't know a thing about them either! I had 3 large and 2 small in a 10 gallon. I never had a heater or a top on the tank :O I didn't know any better. I just knew I loved them. Never seen a molt or anything. They all died within a year.

I had some crabbies again in 2000. They lived about a year, b/c I didn't know what I was doing. I also had a moon crab in w/ them, that I had found one morning EATING one of the hermit crabs It had pulled it out its shell I didn't know any better.

THEN. I got back into them in 2005. Bought some on our honeymoon at the beach. I bought 4 jumbos for 1.99 each :O And loved them. 3 of them molted. One only lived a month. One died during a molt. 1 died after the second molt. And the last one died after the second molt, just recently. VERY sad.

I found the HCA last August, and started changing out my routines, and seeing all my mistakes. $100's of dollars later, speed up to today, I have a 40B w/ Straws, and a 55L w/ PP's, E's and Rugs AND I AM IN LOVE WITH THEM ALL! They make me happy just looking in at them. They are much more active, happy, and eat better than I do. They get anything they want

I LOVE CRABS! Can't help it! They can make me happy when I am very upset, just by looking at them

SO.....I hope to keep crabbing forever, and give them the best home ever They are SO spoiled.

OH, and now since I am so addicted to crabs....I have some fiddlers

[Guest]

i done something so horrible when i started, when i was in third grade my teacher brought two, obviously wrong setup but i didnt know, all she did was feed,water thats all seems easy enough we even wrote a project
on guide to hermit crabs( i wanna find it to see howmuch mistakes theere are ) anways i brought one i put it in a box with food and water no substrate near the window, it was the same setup as my teacher so i thought it would be ok, keep it for about couple months it was all good when i came home from dinner or somewhere i look and i though it was dead so i pick it up and ---------------- Censored and Threw it away [ i though it was dead]

now i cant not forgive my self for whaat i did....
then like 3 years ago i decide to try again i got around 4 adopted 2 more from my cousin in a little KK box iwth Cal-sand and they died because i forgot to give them water....
that was alll when i was 8.. when i started.. 12 when the hermit crabs died of Dehydration so last year i started again but this time i had Internet and computer and was all grownup now i have the crabs in great condition

Pm me if you want to hear what the censored part is

[Hermie Lover]

I am sure anyone who posts in this thread made mistakes...in the beginning. We all have learned so much.

I don't know anyone who started out as an expert crabber....

[brandi9976]

about a yr ago I found this site, started reading it, debated alot then decided they would be a good pet to start my 3 yr old out on. So 1 month before we actually agreed to buy any I actually created an account here, and I read more posts. Then a few days before going to get what we needed I did a post with my shopping list to make sure we weren't forgetting anything. So we started with 3 pp in 10 gal tank and a week later Kathy put her 55 gal up forsale. We snatched that up and quickly grew to alot more crabs and added a 20 L and use the 10 gal we started with as a very rarily used iso.

[Guest]

Well let's seee....

I got my first hermie (Hermie) last 4th of July while on a family vacation. We were going all around, but that was our last place til home, and it was on the beach in NJ. I won a game on the boardwalk and got my hermie. (They wanted to give me a fish, but I asked for the hermie because I figured the fish would die during a 7 1/2 hour drive!) So, I bought him a small KK to live in. I had commertial food, and tap water. (no salt) Then I mved him to a small(2.5G) fish tank. Same things in it, NOTHING! Except food, tap water, and gravel. I bought him a friend and named him Professor. THEN, I saw a 10G for very cheap. I bought it. I then got some sand, and wettend it. But still, everything else was the same. Except I think I had a half log then too. FINALLY I found this site, and got them a glass lid, and 2 more friends (I shouldn't have until I was more ready, but Im dumb sometimes ) But I soon after had dechlor water, and all that. One of the new friends, and Professor still died (the new one form PPS) Unfortunately, hermie died from a bad molt It wouldn've been my first molt as well! but after those deaths only Wally was left. I bought him 2 friends (still alive today, doing very well) Everyone did great in the 10G for about 2 months with 2 2nd levels and lots of shells, ect.

Finally I got a 20GL with 2 second levels, a hammock, and lots of shells, ect. And if I must say so myself, the tank looks great! lol. I now have 3 PPs 4 Straws, and 4 new Micro E's. VERY unfortunately, Wally very resently passed by somehow escaping the tank, and I thought he had dug down He died (froze most likely) under my couch! I feel terrible! But I'm glad that for all the time I had him(except for like one week) he had a great life with me!

That's my story. And I am very pleased to say, that I think I am a very good hermie mom right now, and for many many years to come. (Hee hee, BTW, I am hoping to upgrade my tank with some persuation of *the mother*, lol)

[Tremors]

I had wanted to get hermit crabs for a long time before I actually did. I saw some in the pet store, and I thought they were cool. A kid's magazine published an article on them, and said that they were probably "the easiest pets to care for."

In October 2005, I saw a hermit crab kit for $15 and bought it. It came with a little plastic cage (even smaller than a critter carrier), a little sand, and things like that. I bought two crabs at Petco, named Hermit and Crab. Crab died in a few weeks, and the pet store employees told us that Hermit would be fine by himself.

In December 05, I saw some strawberry crabs at Petco. Since they were more expensive, I wondered if they needed different care than the one I had. I asked my dad to go on the internet and look things up (I didn't have a computer yet). I found the HCA and realized I was doing everything wrong! I read all the posts that I could, although I wasn't able to join because I wasn't 13 yet.

I started to buy everything that I needed. I also bought another crab, named Cookie, later in January. Hermit died in February. But I still have Cookie. I wish I had known more about hermit crabs when I started out, but now I'm a good hermie mom.

[Guest]

This past summer I house sitted for a family I babysit for. They had recently been to the beach and had bought hermit crabs. They told me how to care for them and left for their second summer vacation. From their instructions they were pretty easy pets to care for especially compared to the demon puppy (who caused me to sprain my ankle and ripped my pants )

Anyway, I have tons of pets as you can see from my signature, lol. And being away at college gets lonely so I decided to get some hermies in addition to some goldfish. They're easy to care for right? Well, I decided to check into how long they live. I'd had Zoidi for about two and I'd had the other two for a couple of days before I found out the in-depth details of their care.

Ah, I love them!!! They keep me very entertained and I am most definitely addicted. I have 11 and I want to keep going, but sadly my size alotment won't allow it at the moment. But one day I will probably have a gigantic tank that will take up like a whole room or something, lol!!!!!

I've tried to tell that family I house sat for about the proper care of hermies but they won't listen, they belong to the girls (who are 8 and 5). I'm not even sure if they are alive any more

[Guest]

Living in small units and townhouses meant I could only get a small, enclosed pet. I saw a HUGE tat with about 100 hermies partying in a Pets Paradise store and instantly fell in love with them! My first crab, Krusty, came from there. He was an outcast in the party and missing one and a half legs. Quite a shy boy. I chose him and put in into what I now realise was a very poor set-up indeed! Thankfully, Krusty survived my crap set-up.
Since then, the tat has been transformed to a hermie paradise, and Krusty, (who I named myself after here) molted, growing all his limbs back and has since become the king of the domain (well, he thinks so anyway!). Now im a hermie addict! My gf thinks im obsessed!

[Guest]

Living in small units and townhouses meant I could only get a small, enclosed pet. I saw a HUGE tat with about 100 hermies partying in a Pets Paradise store and instantly fell in love with them! My first crab, Krusty, came from there. He was an outcast in the party and missing one and a half legs. Quite a shy boy. I chose him and put in into what I now realise was a very poor set-up indeed! Thankfully, Krusty survived my crap set-up.
Since then, the tat has been transformed to a hermie paradise, and Krusty, (who I named myself after here) molted, growing all his limbs back and has since become the king of the domain (well, he thinks so anyway!). Now im a hermie addict! My gf thinks im obsessed!

[troppo]

Nearly 2 years ago I saw some hermit crabs at pet-store and decided they'd make a great 7th birthday present for my son, and the shop assistant told me they were very hardy and easy to care for .
So I put a set up on lay-by. It incuded a 4 gallon KK, 3 small ceramic dishes, painted gravel and 2 spare shells.
The first 2 crabs, Yoda & Beta did ok for a few months, but they started becoming very lethargic and pale, I thought they were dying but didn't know why or how to fix the problem.

Went on the net and straight away found Christa's Hermitcrabs.com site and found out so much information! I did see the link to HCA, but thought 'ahhhh, it'll probably be boring!' so it was a few months before I finally joined up here and now the only way I'll leave if someone kicks me out , because the people are great here.

[KitKat]

Back in 7th grade, My friend came back from the beach saying "oh my god! i almost got you a hermit crab! they were so cute.. and i know you love animals! but i wasnt sure if you could have one or not.." and of course this was when i was searching for a pet to keep in my room. So I was like "Hermit crabs, eh?"

Sooo I did loads and loads of research, and a month or so later I got the spare 10 gallon out of the basement and got everything set up and well.. i guess you can assume how the rest goes.

[Guest]

last year, the pet store where i buy all my fish and cat stuff got hermies in. i thought they were completely weird... but i liked watching them. so i'd take a few minutes and watch them every time i was in there. had no real interest in them though.

my three goldies outgrew their 10 gallon. so i bought them a bigger one and moved them out of my room and into the living room. and well, i no longer heard their "blubs" in my room, and the tank was sitting there empty. so i found the hermit-crabs.com site and i was so fascinated about how christa gave them such personalities. they sounded so cool! i went out and bought 3 small Es. of course the pet store gave me wrong info but they werent too bad. i had a lot of info from that web site. i originally wanted a turtle but found out they needed a lot more than a 10 gallon. little did i know i'd just end up getting huge tanks for the hermies anyway haha.

as the hermies got more comfortable and started digging and molting, one would be left on the surface and looked lonely. so i wanted to find somewhere to ask if there would be room for another. so i found this site.

[Guest]

Well my first encounter with hermies was when I was 6 or 7 ( am now 19 going on 20 in march). We had ONE straw, in a WOODEN enclosure, with NO substrate and NO salt water. How it surveved a year I don't know. We did every possible thing wrong. Poor Herman
I started doing research on hermies about 2 months ago...I felt so bad.
Anyway, I thought back to when I was younger and how amazed I was by Herman. Started doing research and fell in love w/ them. The est is History.

[Guest]

well, i never really wanted hermit crabs, like, ever. But i had been wanted a guinea pig for a long time. then one day i saw a hermit crab tank (at Petland) and was like, "hey, what are these???" so i went home and did a quick internet search on them an was like, "YEAH! these are a lot like hermit crabs!" WHOA, was i really wrong there!!
So i asked my dad if i can get them and he gave in, only because i had been bugging him and my mom about a guinea pig for so long. So i got there the next weekend, pick out two crabs (Little Red and Hollywood), but a KK, a sponge, 2 shells, calci sand and a clam shell. Yeah, all for like, $50. great deal, YEAH...yeah, i know.
Now that i look back at it, i was a terrible owner. i feed them comercial food only, dry sand, no hiding spots. I am so thankful i found the sites that i did. Now i have a 20L, a million plants, and about a billion shells, and so many cocohuts...lol! I have come a LONG way!