Strange Behavior from a Crab Who Just Switched Shells

Archived information regarding hermit crab behavior.
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Guest

Strange Behavior from a Crab Who Just Switched Shells

Post by Guest » Mon Sep 12, 2005 5:38 pm

my big crab sandra, who hasn't changed shells is contortingherself and seems to be trying to pull herself out of her shell. i'm very worried about her. should i help her pull it off or just...man, i dont know, i'm just worried. i have a larger shell for her, but she hasn't changed yet, right now she is kindof digging, but then flips herself onto her back and just..spreads her arms out and seems to pull herself out a litte, its just very odd it seems


Topic author
Guest

Strange Behavior from a Crab Who Just Switched Shells

Post by Guest » Mon Sep 12, 2005 6:40 pm

Is she in a painted or a natural shell? I wouldn't do anything like trying to pull her out of her shell, you could wind up injuring her pretty badly. If she's in a natural shell, then it's not likely that she's stuck. If she's in a painted shell, there is a chance that she may be stuck, but I'd be VERY certain of that before doing anything, as you're quite likely to wind up injuring her in trying to get her out of that shell. I'd advise waiting a while before doing anything. You might provide several other shells for her to consider, it may be that she just doesn't like the one you've got. It's a good idea to have several extra shells per crab in any event, they can be quite picky. As long as she's able to move around and is having no trouble eating or drinking, then give her time before trying any sort of drastic measures.

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Nicole
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Strange Behavior from a Crab Who Just Switched Shells

Post by Nicole » Tue Sep 13, 2005 2:22 am

Ditto what kittish said. I have seen my crabs in ill-fitting shells, that do all kinds of strange things when the shell doesn't quite feel right. Offer Sandra lots of different shells, some bigger, some the same size, also maybe different kinds of shells. It could also be there's a rough spot inside her shell that you can't see that is causing her discomfort.Good luck!
~ crabbing since 2003


Topic author
Guest

Strange Behavior from a Crab Who Just Switched Shells

Post by Guest » Tue Sep 13, 2005 3:05 pm

There could be something in her shell she's trying to clean out.When they put a new shell on, they often do some amazing weird stuff while they try on the fit. I had one crab do a 180 degree circle -- looked like Linda Blair's head in the exorcist. It was really weird to see, but it's completely normal.


Topic author
Guest

Strange Behavior from a Crab Who Just Switched Shells

Post by Guest » Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:26 pm

Yeah, every crab has a similar ritual when it comes to trying on shells, but sometimes they do strange stuff, like wiggle around. It's almost like us trying on a new pair of jeans. What's the first thing we do? Well, we try sitting down in them, then we try walking around in them, etc, just to check out the fit and see if we really like them enough to buy them! lol I guess it's a simplified analogy but it works for this case.I would suggest you give her more shells, not just one or two. Give her a multitude of choices, and believe me, even the shells that seem too large or even too small might be just the right shell for your hermit hehe. It's impossible to predict what size or even what kind of shell, so just try and gather a whole assortment and see what happens I doubt she's stuck, but I guess it is possible, although I've never heard of that happening before. My largest hermit crab duncan (he's about the size of a golf ball, a little larger maybe) tried one a shell that was meant for my smaller (former ) hermit Shorty, who was about the size of a quater. Good luck!

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