Hermit crab

fishe1

fishe1

Member
I just got a hermit crab and it came out of the shell it was in. I got one more shell but it hasn't hosted it yet. I have had the crab for two days. Is there something wrong with this or will it take time for it to go in the other shell or should I try getting another shell? I just dont want to have my tank full of shells. Thank you.
 
fishe1

fishe1

Member
Yes I think so to. I wonder if you can sell them back to the store? It was strange, the pet store said you can't put hermit crabs in saltwater.
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
WHAT??? that's the craziest thing i've ever heard, especially since hermit crabs live on beaches... SALTWATER beaches. But there are many different kinds of hermit crabs. Some don't live in the water, and some do. It might be the species they have. But for them to say you can't put any hermit crabs in the tank, that's crazy. you just have to find the right ones.
I've never had a hermie come out of his shell and not host a new one, but i have a number of decorative shells in my tank, and one took a liking to one of them. He's hosted that one. Part of keeping a hermit crab is having many spare shells for him to host. You should have a few different sized ones. If you don't like the shells all over your tank, you can hide them behind your LR, or put them on the LR, to make it look like you have a few hermies... That's what i did.
jenn
 
tnt

tnt

Member
Usually if you have a "

[hr]
" hermit, it's a sign of stress. They are vulnerable without their shell. When they change shells, they do it quickly. You need to have a variety of shells for him to choose from. I have 4 good sized hermits, and 3 of them have changed shells. I did alot of reading about them when I first got one. I learned that they like shells that have more of a round opening instead of a slit. Like Jenn pointed out, there are hermits that only live on land. When you bought him, was he in a water tank or just an empty aquarium with sand?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
As tnt has alluded to, you may have purchased a Land Hermit Crab. If so it has abandoned its shell in a desperate attempt to get out of the water.
 
shoorty069

shoorty069

Member
That poor little hermit crab! i think you may have a land hermit crab! i used to get them in wildwood nj. then they stopped selling them for like a dollar each. Now you can only find them at petcos for like 5$. Then agian, if its been in there for 2 days, it must be a water crab...
<3ryry
 
fishe1

fishe1

Member
Its a pargus crab, I believe that is the name for it. It has one claw larger than the other. I must say reading these threads is getting me a little worried, but the saltwater book I read said they were saltwater crabs. Hopefully I dont go home and find it dead. Its the only thing in the aquarium right now. :notsure:
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
Was it in water when you purchased it (like with fish), or was it in a dry tank with a bunch of other hermit crabs?
Jenn
 
fishe1

fishe1

Member
When I got it, it was in water, but they said they had just put them in there. So I am curious now if it was meant to be in water. You know how pet stores can give you bad information. I went to a different pet store and they are the ones that said you can't put them in water, so I am hoping this other pet store that sold to me was being honest. I guess I will find out when I get home. If it makes it for 3 days then surely it is for water.
 
tnt

tnt

Member
Is your tank still cycling? Maybe the water parameters are stressing it out. If it was in water when you bought it, surely it's a water hermit. One of my hermits changed shells 3 times before he decided on one he liked. I'd definitely put more shells of different sizes in with him. I just bought a bag of them in the craft section of a department store for a couple of bucks and boiled them first to disinfect. Good luck! Let us know what happens.
 
smoney

smoney

Active Member
They will change shells when they want to, I think its just a matter of personality. I put all my empty shells in the back in one spot and they stay in the same spot, even when the hermits change shells, they all seem to stay in the same are.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top