The serious (crazy? LOL) keepers don't recommend handling them unless you have to move them, etc. There's always exceptions to the "rules" though. Check this hermit crab video out:
Besides Fish...
- Thread starter NoodleCats
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I now aspire to be that lady when I retire. That lady living with her free roaming crab, she's awesome.
Gotta wonder though how it molts and how it gets enough humidity wandering like that.
They carry water in their shells to keep their soft bits moist temporarily. I've seen some other videos with her out there. She's got a big enclosure for him with all the proper amenities and that's where he spends most of his time. She's had him molt for very long periods of time and he had a tank mate for 20 something years(?) that had passed some time ago. If they can't bury themselves to the proper depth/temp/humidity to molt, it puts immense stress on them and they won't live long.
Then he's living the dream lol that's really cool, you don't even see ones that big in the wild either.
I've caught them down in Florida, fun little things running around all over the Keys. Was a really neat experience to share with my son since we don't have those things up this way. Some other kids got to see them up close and showed them how to safely handle them and to never drop them because they can hurt themselves. It was nice.
I think there's a lot of factors that shortens their lifespan in the wild where they're abundant. Suitable shells is a big one. I've seen videos where as soon as one swaps shells, it starts a chain reaction of shell changing down the line. That's a major expense when they get big. The size shell that Johnathan is in, in that video is a $30-40 shell easy and you need 3-5 extra suitable ones in the enclosure per crab to keep them healthy. Shells get super expensive in the larger sizes. They have to be turbo snail shells, round opening, smooth texture. It's so funny to watch them inspect and measure out a new shell.
Probably doesn't help that suitable large shells would be snapped up by people looking to sell them. Now thinking about that, that's pretty sad to consider. Lots of tourist shops sell huge shells because tourists love them. Not just conches but ones that the crabs would use. I wonder what impact that has had on them...
I'm sure you're right on that!
There's footage online of them in the wild using broken bits of bottles or other pieces of garbage as shells just because that's all they could find.
Interestingly I encountered that footage randomly scrolling through Facebook reels!
Guy Finds Hermit Crabs Living In Plastic And Offers Them New Shells | Hermit crabs who were living in plastic on the beach have the best reaction when this guy offers them new shells! ✨ | By The DodoFacebook
Hermit crabs who were living in plastic on the beach have the best reaction when this guy offers them new shells! ✨
www.facebook.com
This guy is a good dude, helping the environment.
Love to see that!Interestingly I encountered that footage randomly scrolling through Facebook reels!
Guy Finds Hermit Crabs Living In Plastic And Offers Them New Shells | Hermit crabs who were living in plastic on the beach have the best reaction when this guy offers them new shells! ✨ | By The DodoFacebook
Hermit crabs who were living in plastic on the beach have the best reaction when this guy offers them new shells! ✨
This guy is a good dude, helping the environment.
Have you seen footage of baby hermit crabs, when they need their first shell? They're so incredibly small, they're hard to see. The incredible individuals who've been successful with captive breeding have a hard time sourcing the tiniest of tiny shells and all the sizes in between that are required along the way. It's basically why they gotta charge so much for captive bread.
