HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey all,

I've been thinking about making this thread for a while now, so here it finally is. I've had five of my Purple Pinchers for over 5 years now. They're my first Hermit Crabs ever. When I got them they were so tiny and I was amazed at how much they grew with each molt. I've held onto the original shells of all my crabbies for nostalgia reasons and now I'm going to take pics of each of them next to their "baby shoes". It's hard to believe they once fit into these shells. Rufus is down moulting and Belle is hiding, so their pictures will have to wait, but they'll be up here eventually. Please post pics of your babies with their first shoes if you've got them.

Socrates Johnson:



Cornelius:



Sebastian:

Very Cool!

Here's Belle:



Rufus is actually the biggest of my oldschool crabs, but he went down to moult about ten days ago, so it could be months before I get a pic of him, but it'll be worth it. He dwarfs his original shell.

oh my goodness i love this idea!!!

Wow! I'll have to be sure to save my shells when my babies change, because I just love this idea. I'm curious to see more people's pictures, too.

I've saved all my first shells!!! Even the ones that were broken and ugly (they AREN'T in the tank) lol Great idea! I can't wait to see the difference in my crabs! Hopefully I can take a "year 1" growth picture series!

Neat idea. I saved all of my crabs' "baby shoes" too. I'll have to pull them out and compare.

Oh cool!

I have my crabs' "baby shoes" also! They're packed away somewhere and so I'll have to pull them out. It brings back memories of my first crabs. My last firstie, Carmen, just recently passed during the move, but I've got her memory in that old shell.

wow,!! I would've never thought they would grow that much- if it wasnt for the little baby shells next to it!I love the pale pink PP(1st pic) as I've always had a soft spot for pink ones(one of my small PP is pink).. I love LOVE the pictures of your PP family, you are taking a such a good care of those babies

Such a great idea! I did that a while ago, but need to do it with some of my other crabs. It is amazing how fast they grow up!

<3 it <3

Hey all,

I have one more of my original Purple Pinchers who I've had for about 6 years now who I had forgotten to post a "baby shoes" picture for. This is Rufus and he is my largest Purple Pincher. It's crazy to see how much he has grown since I first got him. He can't even fit a foot in that original shell which I got him in.

very cool.. He is so pretty.. lovely colors

Great idea! I love doing things like this. My problem is I can barely tell one crab from another. Most of small ones are wearing the same type green turbo shell (the Walmart shells were a big hit).