Our Hermit Crabs

[LoveCharlie]

Just wanted to share some pictures of our crabitat. We're keeping 3 ecuadorian Hermit Crabs in it. Their names are Shy Guy, Sonic & Daisy and we love watching them eat, climb, dig, etc. The decoration isn't finished: we want to add a nice background, some nets and plants for them to climb on and a few toys.

Here's a full shot


This is Daisy snacking on pumpkin, apple, cucumber & cereal


Side view


Charlie loves to watch them walk by (this was before we added the 'second level')


Another shot of Daisy sporting a different shell (girls have to change outfits often)

[Melinda]

very cute, you sound like my sister, she has 7 she bought around here and then brought 5 home from jamica in feb, they are growing by leaps and bounds.

[chico2]

Wow,those look amazing and have a great home.
I see those in the tourist-stores in South Carolina when we go there on vacation and I always feel sorry for them,but your crabs seem to have a great life.
I am totally ignorant to the fact they change shells,or ignorant to the life of a Crab,period,but it looks like fun..

[hazelrunpack]

How cool! I had no idea that crabs would be interested in climbing!! Had to laugh at 'crabitat' New word for me.

How many shells do you leave lying around for the crabs to check out? Will you have to get bigger ones as they grow?

[Rgeurts]

I love your "crabitat"
New word for me as well, Hazel!
I just love Hermit crabs. I used to have a few as a kid. I'm not sure about the type that these are, but we had to get bigger shells for ours as they grew. We had 3-4 shells per crab. They're very fun to watch

LoveCharlie, I don't think I have ever seen such lucky Hermits!! You have made a wonderful home for them

[LoveCharlie]

When my fiancé and his daughter brought them home, I wanted NOTHING to do with them. But once I started reading online on how to care for them, I found myself really enjoying them. It's fairly easy to care for them: humidity should be between 70-80%, temperature between 75-80* and keep the sand moist (same consistency as to make sand castles).

They're super easy to feed (any fruits, any veggies, eggs, meat, nuts, cheese, cereal). They do need a dish of fresh water for drinking and a dish of salt water for bathing. They say you should have about 5-7 empty shells per crab to make sure they have lots to chose from.

I'm glad you like them, I'll update with new pics from time to time.

[hazelrunpack]

Do you make up your own salt water or is that something you can buy?

[Dee-O-Gee]

That is one cool crabitat LoveCharlie!

My daughter had a couple of them many years ago and they were very interesting to watch and care for.

Shy Guy, Sonic and Daisy sure look like they have a wonderful home and spa.

[LoveCharlie]

Hazel, you have to mix your own salt water using the same salt used in salt water fish tanks (one of the most popular one is Instant Ocean). Most people will mix about a gallon at a time and keep it in a sealed container.

Hermit Crabs ''grow'' by molting. They burry themselves in the sand during this process and can stay there for weeks. When they come out, they will eat a lot and bathe in salt water a lot too. I've never had a crab molt yet and I know I will be nervous because it takes quite a while and you always wonder if they're still alive.

I'm having a hard time finding shells for them though. If anyone can think of a place I could find some, let me know. They can't be painted or varnished...

[CsqU4r3d]

That is one snazzy crabitat!! I had no idea they had a veggie diet. They are very nifty looking critters, love those eyes. I bet Charlie loves them.

[renegaderuby]

You can buy shells online. Or sometimes you can find them for decorations in places. But they wont like them if they are not lined with mother of pearl (that smooth shiny feeling on the inside of most shells).
Our crabs didnt make it because they were "intertidal" crabs and we were not able to recreat the ocean waves and such (stupid us brought them home from the gulf of mexico).
but i did a lot of research.
You also need to pay attention to what shell they are in (snail shell, or the more scalloped type one ect). reason I say that is because from what I have read they can only go into a LIKE shell , because thier adomens FORM shape from the first shell they ever crawl into. So if they go into a rounded shell, then they are stuck with rounded shells for life.
But they are a large assortment of crab shells availible. There is a hermit crab forum I once visited where the people are extrememly nice and informative.
...if you are intrested in the name, pm me, and I'll give it to you. They often trade shells with one another, and are very very helpful.
(hope I didnt do a no no by posting that).

[LoveCharlie]

Thanks for the info Renegaderuby. I did find a few sites that sell shells but many of them don't ship to Canada I found a place that sells and ship to Canada PLUS the guy makes his own Hermit Crab organic food (priced very reasonable I must say). I've already placed an order And I'm going to Michaels to day because I've seen a lot of things I could use for the crabitat like beautiful plastic plants, climbing nets, cholla, etc.

We've only set them up in the 15 gallon tank about a month ago and I'm already hoping to move them in the 55 gallon we have sitting in the basement, it's so much fun!

[LoveCharlie]

Here are a few pictures from today. I found some awesome shells at Michael's and Daisy wanted to try them all on!

Here she is with 1st shell


Here she is with 2nd shell


Here's a family picture on a piece of cholla wood. From left to right: Sonic, Daisy, Shy Guy

[hazelrunpack]

Daisy is so cute! I had no idea that hermit crabs liked to try on clothes or look out windows! She's got a lot of character, that one!

Did she eventually make a final fashion decision? I think she looks stunning in the blue one!

[Dee-O-Gee]

Oh my!!! Daisy sure does look like she's having a grand time checking out her new digs. How big are the shells?

I like the last picture with all three of them but Shy Guy looks a little naked? I concur with Hazel. Blue is Daisy's colour.

[LoveCharlie]

I placed her on the side of the window to get more natural light for the pictures. She seemed to enjoy looking outside . She changed shells a few more times last night before settling for her old one But this morning she was back in the blue one.

Dee-O-Gee: Ecuadorians (this type of hermit crab) are known for being stubborn in changing shells, they'll stay in shells that are too small for them for ever until they decide to ''buy a new house''. Sonic and Shy Guy haven't changed shells yet and I can't wait for them to do so because I want to throw their small shell away

I fed them boiled eggs and begonia petals last night, huge hit. This week we'll try popcorn with sea salt on it... I'm really enjoying these little critters.

[hazelrunpack]

Daisy is a true femme fatale! It'll take her a while to decide what fashion statement she wants to make.

Boiled eggs and begonia petals! Who knew!?!? Bet it looks pretty, too.

[chico2]

LC,to be honest,I think these little guys are very interesting and had no idea they did not have their own shells..
I gave away 3 aquariums last year,wish I had kept them

[renegaderuby]

Oh..she is fun. trying on all the shells. that is actually A VERY good sign that she is healthy and normal.
Question...did you boil and cool the shells before giving them to them? Reason I ask is because someone on the hermit crab forum told me that if they dont like the "smell" of them...they wont switch, or if they switch they wont stay. . But who knows...I'm not a hermit crab expert.
Good luck wiht them, you sound like you already are a fantastic place to be , if your a hermit.

ps: popcorn is usually a big hit. Try strawberries with a tiny dab of cream cheese on them...if you havent already. I've heard a friend that I know that has several of them, say its her big ones first choice. lol.