HCA: Hermit Crab Association

The last pic of I have of my oldest crab Beau was taken in 2020. So I finally got another snap of him last Aug 2023 having some nom noms. It's not a great pic, because the glass is dirty and it's hard to see (I never clean the glass anymore lol!). He's about the size of 2 golf balls. He's my last store bought crab (the rest are rescues). In June, we will have been together for 12 years. He molts about 1-2x per year, and goes missing for 3 months each time, which is so nerve wracking! He loves friends, and is always nice and welcoming to any newcomers.

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Oh that is cool! What a great story. Wow 12 years, I hope I do a good enough job to have my guys around that long. Thank you for sharing that

Jenny55 wrote:Oh that is cool! What a great story. Wow 12 years, I hope I do a good enough job to have my guys around that long. Thank you for sharing that

Thank you! I'm really surprised he's lasted this long with me. Up until 2019 (when I found the HCA), I was doing so many things wrong when it came to hermit care/husbandry. The HCA has def made me a better crab owner, and helped my crabbies thrive!

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He looks great! I really never clean the glass any more either. But I recently adopted 2 tiny little crabs, and cleaned the glass so I could keep an eye on them. LOL, I was shocked at how clear everything was!

curlysister wrote:He looks great! I really never clean the glass any more either. But I recently adopted 2 tiny little crabs, and cleaned the glass so I could keep an eye on them. LOL, I was shocked at how clear everything was!

Thanks Curly!
Congrats on your newbies! What does Sonny and Cher think about them?
You've inspired me. Maybe I'll get out the vinegar and water this week and give the glass a good wipe haha!

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LOL, you might be as shocked as I was to see how well you could see everything in there!

Well, Cher has been underground for a really really long time, and I am afraid she may not be alive. The person giving away the crabs was also giving away their whole set up, including a 65 gallon tank. So my plan is to set up the new tank, and dig for Cher when I move everyone else over to the new tank. Hubby had shoulder surgery, so have been delaying getting the tank and stand upstairs until he's recovered - which should be any time now.
Sonny really didn't pay much attention to the newbies at all. I did give everyone a quick dip on the fresh water when I put then in together. Sonny was on top of one of the tinies at one point, but I'm pretty sure he was literally just walking around and may not have even realized that there was a crab under him LOL, there was no aggression. I kind of forgot how well crabs that small can hide, I have to shine a flashlight into all the nooks and crannies to find them, and even then sometimes am not sure where they are!

So I'm still fairly new and clean the glass every day lol plus a little ocd I suppose. I will be looking for 2 new crabs, preferably small ones, to add to my new set up. Did you adopt captive bred babies? I'm ok 'rescuing' from the pet shop, thats where I got my last 2 crabs. And I hope Cher is ok!

Also I want to go under the pictures section and post pics of my new tank, I'm pretty proud of myself. But reading the posts with instructions to send pics it seems I can only send a link? Crabby Lover started this post with a pic so I'm wondering if I can do that instead of sending a link. Or maybe I'm just doing it wrong, wouldnt surprise me!

Not captive bred, I got them from someone in the next city who was advertising that they wanted to give them away, due to lack of time.

As for photos, if you download the Tapatalk app on your phone, you can add pictures directly like CL77 did!

Oh my goodness, that easy? Wonderful, thank you much!

Aw, I hope Cher is ok! You'll have to keep us updated.
That is so awesome you got the 65 gallon tank with the newbies. I bet everyone will love it. I hope hubby feels better soon. My friend has to have her rotator cuff repaired. She's going to be in a sling for 4 weeks.
Sounds like Sonny might have thought the newbie was a new rock that was in the way lol.

curlysister wrote:LOL, you might be as shocked as I was to see how well you could see everything in there!

Well, Cher has been underground for a really really long time, and I am afraid she may not be alive. The person giving away the crabs was also giving away their whole set up, including a 65 gallon tank. So my plan is to set up the new tank, and dig for Cher when I move everyone else over to the new tank. Hubby had shoulder surgery, so have been delaying getting the tank and stand upstairs until he's recovered - which should be any time now.
Sonny really didn't pay much attention to the newbies at all. I did give everyone a quick dip on the fresh water when I put then in together. Sonny was on top of one of the tinies at one point, but I'm pretty sure he was literally just walking around and may not have even realized that there was a crab under him LOL, there was no aggression. I kind of forgot how well crabs that small can hide, I have to shine a flashlight into all the nooks and crannies to find them, and even then sometimes am not sure where they are!

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