Is this shell dangerous?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 11:29 pm

I had been using the shell to scoop old food out of the substrate and hadn't expected any of my crabs to move into it. But, when I put it down and left the room to throw away the old food, Lili made a run for it.

She doesn't seem interested in changing back to her old shell or to any of the others available to her. Should I be concerned about her new shell choice? What can I do?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 11:34 pm

LOL!!!

That is adorable! I'm sure she'll find out she can't do all the things she could do before. I think this home will be short lived.

Its just a fad. No worries. Personally I think it makes her bum look big but don't tell her I said so. Just between you and me

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 6:51 am

Thanks for the reassurance. It just worried me a bit because my 10 gallon tank is a little overcrowded right now (2 strawberries, 7 PPs, 2 water dishes, etc.) I'm working on getting a larger tank but in the meantime, there's so much stuff that she can get stuck on. I guess I can at least use this as an oppurtunity to try to get the purple paint off of her old shell. I wonder if it was the paint on the old shell that made her think this new one was a good idea.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 7:58 am

Your best chances of getting her out of that shell is to offer her some choices of more appropriate natural unpainted shells in her size. Do you have 3 other shells in her size you can give her?

I think it looks cute but your right she may find she gets stuck easy.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 9:58 am

I have three appropriately-sized painted shells. I'm working on getting the paint off. How long does it normally take? Lili's old shell seems to have a thick layer of accryllic over a layer of purple paint over a layer of orange paint.

I hadn't planned on owning PPs. I bought two strawberry crabs last month and they were to be my only crabs but there's a horrible stand in my local mall that mistreats PPs. I've posted about it on the appropriate board, but to sum it up here, I've rescued 8 PPs from this stand and the nearby trashcan(!), and I've only lost one of those eight. Now I'm scrambling to get everything they need. They all come in painted or polished shells so I'm trying to get them all into natural shells ASAP.

I'm taking my hermies with me to Cape Cod in two weeks so hopefully I'll find some more shells there for them, but until then I'll work with what I have available. The only shells sized appropriately that I've found locally are painted. I guess I'll have to order online soon.

I've been boiling the vacant painted shells all morning. Is there anything else I can do to speed up the process?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 11:38 am

I peeled and scraped the paint off of one shell once but there were others that I just couldn't get it off of. Sigh.

Well if you have other shells that are the right size in there if he wants to switch he will... he may just like the crazy shell.

Try and get some natural shells in the right size and maybe he'll switch for you. I am sure Cape Cod has a ton of shell shops (though I have never been).

Did I read that right... you rescued live Hermits from the trashcan?

How can people be so mean as to throw them away.

I'll have to look for your post in the activism threads to see the hole story.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 12:27 pm

I posted on the Petstore Info forum under the ME, NH, VT, CT, RI, MA Pet Stores that need improvement Thread.

The crabbies are mistaken for dead because they hide in their shells for a long time. The two girls are afraid to touch the crabs so they assume they've found a dead one. I've only had to pay for three of the eight I've rescued.

I made progress with one of the shells I was boiling. It belonged to the crab that died. (When I found him he was missing his large claw and didn't survive the night.) After over three hours of boiling the shell I was able to peel off the paint.

Before:

After:

The yellow one on the right is one of two hermies of mine that are still in painted shells.

Of course, this is only one more good shell and I need to gather up more of them real soon.

And of course, Lili still isn't interested.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 1:08 pm

The shell you uncovered a babylon (I am pretty sure this is what it is called)... is one like I have that one of my PPs likes... I have a pp that switches between a gold mouth turbo a green turbo and a babylon ... about every 3 days or sooner she trades out shells.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 2:05 pm

WHen she finds a new shell she wants, she'll switch.....good luck on getting new ones!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 5:53 pm

Hi, I find it hard to get the paint off, and most importantly you cannot be sure to get it off on the inside. I would just take the painted shells to Petco and ask them to exchange them for natural ones, that is what I did.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 2:03 pm

Has she changed shells?

Kathy

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:37 pm

Yes, she changed. In fact, the day I brought home the new shells, she changed 4 times that I know of and was wearing this by morning:

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 12:37 pm

Wow that shell sure is bigger than what it needs. LOL