New Addition

[Farlie]

... When my dad first heard that they needed to change shells, he imagined us pulling the hermit crabs out of their shells and putting them in new ones.

 

[Farlie]

Are shells available for purchase? Do you buy a bag of shells or go foraging for them yourself?

 

[SquawksNibbles]

Are shells available for purchase? Do you buy a bag of shells or go foraging yourself for them?

Pet stores have them available to purchase. Very bright, colorful ones aren't good for hermit crabs, though because of the paint used on them. I try to offer many different natural looking shell options. Pickett is still in the shell he came home in, though.

 

[Farlie]

OK, just curious. I know nothing about a crab.
I see you have a zoo where you live with all those pets that own you.

 

[SquawksNibbles]

This is so frustrating. I was really hoping to upgrade the hermit crabs’ tank soon to a much larger one. My sister seemed actually on board with splitting the money (she has also been interested in the hermit crabs, but I’ve been the one caring for them a little more) for the tank, but my dad said no about getting it. He thinks it’s too big and there’s no need for it. I don’t understand. We would be the ones buying it with our money, and it’d be in my room. I seriously don’t understand why he’s stopping me from taking care of my pets. I feel absolutely horrible that I can’t do this for the hermit crabs and that I’m not giving them as much as possible. All hermit crabs are taken from the wild as they never breed in captivity. Meaning, Jorge and Pickett once had a very nice life being free out in their natural environment. I can’t undo what has been done to them, but I could try to give them the best life. My animal babies are so important to me and I don’t care if I have to spend every last penny on them or take up every bit of space in my room for them. My parents will just never understand that about me.

 

[Sylvester]

What a handsome guy. Are you going to get him a leash and walk him?

 

[hrafn]

This is so frustrating. I was really hoping to upgrade the hermit crabs’ tank soon to a much larger one. My sister seemed actually on board with splitting the money (she has also been interested in the hermit crabs, but I’ve been the one caring for them a little more) for the tank, but my dad said no about getting it. He thinks it’s too big and there’s no need for it. I don’t understand. We would be the ones buying it with our money, and it’d be in my room. I seriously don’t understand why he’s stopping me from taking care of my pets. I feel absolutely horrible that I can’t do this for the hermit crabs and that I’m not giving them as much as possible. All hermit crabs are taken from the wild as they never breed in captivity. Meaning, Jorge and Pickett once had a very nice life being free out in their natural environment. I can’t undo what has been done to them, but I could try to give them the best life. My animal babies are so important to me and I don’t care if I have to spend every last penny on them or take up every bit of space in my room for them. My parents will just never understand that about me.

Oh, I hate when parents are like that. It's so frustrating.

When I got my first betta he was in one of those teeny tiny horrible cube "tanks", and I begged my mother to let me go and get a 10 gallon, but she refused and said it was a waste of money and space. Ultimately I wound up taking the bus to Petsmart and buying one anyway, and once it was in my room, already set up and beautiful, my mum admitted that it looked nice and that my betta seemed more active.

I know I shouldn't be encouraging you to go behind your dad's back, but if he's not the type to get angry over things like this, maybe it would work out? Your dad seems to like your little crabs, so I'm sure he'd like to see them living happily just as much as you.

 

[hrafn]

Oh no, that's so sad! I will definitely be looking into this issue some more. I hope they can be housed together, too, but I want them to be safe, as well! I think I'd be able to divide a tank between them worst case if they can't be kept together. Thank you for letting me know about the potential issue.

Hermies can definitely live together (in fact, they shouldn't be kept alone), but they need to be separated during sheds. A molting crab will burrow down into the substrate to shed his skin, and when his fellows smell him they'll dig him up and eat him.

It's a problem easily subverted by having a dinky little "shedding tank", which doesn't have to be any bigger or more expensive than a critter keeper, filled up with substrate so that the molting crab can burrow down and stay safe for the duration of his shed.

 

[Farlie]

Thot you guys might like this interesting vid about hermit crabs and changing of their shell.

 

[SquawksNibbles]

Thot you guys might like this interesting vid about hermit crabs and changing of their shell.

Wow, that is so interesting!! I have never seen any of our hermies change their shells so I’ve always wondered what it was like. I’m glad that little naked crab found a home in the end.

 

[KatelynDeanne]

Aww hes beautiful! Love the blue color!!

 

[SquawksNibbles]

Y’all, Pickett’s dead. Honestly, I hate myself right now. I have no idea what I’m doing wrong, but clearly I’m a horrible crab keeper because hermit crabs don’t just die for no reason after being home for not even a month. He didn’t deserve it. I went in there to check on him and give him his daily sprays, and he was there, his body dropping out of his shell a little bit, completely lifeless. My heart completely when I saw him all droopy and lifeless. I don’t know what to do.

 

[Shezbug]

Sometimes these things just happen even though we do our very best. I don’t think it’s anything you’ve done wrong, he may have been unwell when he was brought home or maybe it was just his time to go. Don’t beat yourself up for trying your very best, you did lots of research and you are still learning which means you were doing everything right. Sometimes even when we do everything better than just right these things can happen. All living beings have an expiration date and maybe there was absolutely nothing you could have done to extend that for Picket.
I am sorry this has happened but I really do not think you did anything wrong.

 

[SquawksNibbles]

Sometimes these things just happen even though we do our very best. I don’t think it’s anything you’ve done wrong, he may have been unwell when he was brought home or maybe it was just his time to go. Don’t beat yourself up for trying your very best, you did lots of research and you are still learning which means you were doing everything right. Sometimes even when we do everything better than just right these things can happen. All living beings have an expiration date and maybe there was absolutely nothing you could have done to extend that for Picket.
I am sorry this has happened but I really do not think you did anything wrong.

Thank you. It’s hard not to blame myself when I have no idea what the heck happened to my little Pickett. I’ve no idea what to do now. Jorge is going to need another friend, but I’m scared I’m just going to lose them, too. Plus, I think I really need to upgrade the tank before.

 

[Shezbug]

See, you can not be doing some thing wrong or Jorge would be in trouble too and he is not. Maybe it was just time for Pickett? Does anyone know how long they live in captivity?

 

[hrafn]

See, you can not be doing some thing wrong or Jorge would be in trouble too and he is not. Maybe it was just time for Pickett? Does anyone know how long they live in captivity?

Hermit crabs can live to thirty years, but since they're all wild-caught, it's impossible to know how old Pickett was when he was scooped up and sold into the pet trade. He could very well have been an old man.

I'm so, so sorry you lost your little guy, @SquawksNibbles. You loved him dearly and did right by him. Always remember that you did everything you could to give him the best life possible.

RIP little Pickett.