Special Note:
Several members of the Hermit Crab Association have provided additional
information. You can access it at Q&As
Oct.
LA
Pic
Cute little hermit crab at one
inch. He's out and about because he just got misted.
LA
Still awaiting their shower, these guys in their painted shells are staying in.
LA
Pic
100 hermit crabs are shipped in cloth bags with wet newspapers to keep them
moist.
LA
Pic
Hermit crabs feel much better once they get out of that bag and run free range.
LA
Pic
Misting charges their little batteries. Even more important, it keeps
hermit crabs alive.
LA
Pic
Big hermit crabs also come out when misted.
LA
Pic
Little guys and big guys usually get along. Occasionally a big guy will
yank one of
the little guys out of his shell. Not good for the little guy.
Hermit crabs without
shells are very vulnerable. They usually die.
LA Pic
Without a shell, hermit crabs have no body protection.
LA
Pic
Notice how naked hermit crab hind quarters are. He put his shell on five
minutes later.
LA
Pic
Unprotected hermit crabs dry out
quickly.
LA
Pic
Out of his shell, this hermit
crab was soon
fatally injured (see pointer).
LA
Pic
Better to quarantine him away from other hermit crabs while he's vulnerable.
LA
Pic
Hermit crabs live in trees. They're great climbers. And with their
pincers, they're also
great pinchers. They don't want to fall. They hang on (to you also).
LA
They do like to climb.
LA
Pic
Hermit crabs love to climb on coral.
LA
Pic
Here's some more hermit crabs on the same coral.
LA
Pic
Sometimes hermit crabs pile up in the corner and crawl out.
LA
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Here's an escaping hermit crab sneaking out the back.
LA
Pic
If one of these big hermit crabs gets a grip on you, you will never forget
it. You can get
used to steady pinches. But these guys squeeze intermittently.
They hold on
for
15 minutes or more. Pry them off with a flat-bladed screw driver.
LA
Pic
Steven adds another great girl chaser to his collection.
LA
Pic
That big claw can really grab you. Hermit crabs hold on till you pry
them off.
LA
Pic
Hermit crabs gotta have water. A wet floor works better than a water dish
if you keep
a lot of crabs. It also makes their cage easier to clean. A
good weekly hosing works. Add climbing surfaces so they don't stand
in the water. They are not water crabs.
LA
Pic
Give your hermit crabs something with rough surfaces to climb on so they can get out of the water when they want.
LA
Pic
Any rough surfaces work for your hermit crabs. Cholla wood and coral chunks work best.
LA
Pic
Hermit crabs love cholla wood.
LA
Pic
Hermit crabs even climb on top of one another.
LA
Pic
Lots of surfaces for your hermit crabs to grab here. Coral works great.
LA
Pic
Big hermit crabs with fancy shells make the best presentation.
LA
Pic
And big hermit crabs have the biggest grip.
LA
Pic
Little hermit crabs in drab shells just blend into the background.
LA
Pic
Add some sort of color -- at least add a colorful background
LA
Pic
Colored shells help, but these hermit crabs still look drab over this neutral
colored cage floor -- use a colored substrate to perk up your cage.
LA
Pic
Big hermit crabs show up well no matter how you decorate.
LA
Pic
Our advice: Pick out active hermit crabs with good-looking shells.
Activate your crabs with a daily misting. Keep their gills wet or they die. Feed yours
lightly. Feeding them
outside their cage keeps their cage smelling better. In addition to
regular hermit crab
foods, give them a bit of fruit for a treat (not an entire watermelon).
LA
Pic
And sometimes you can find the guys with painted shells.
LA
Pic
Put hermit crabs over a surface that shows them off. They crave
"coolness" too.
LA
Pic
Hermit crabs are cool. They like to play king of the hill. One last thing. You'll hear them clicking all
the time. When they suddenly withdraw into their shells, they click against the glass.
The clicking sounds more intriguing late at night. LA.
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1998, © 2003, © 2004, © 2005 LA Productions

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