Chunky-legged hermit crab?

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Chunky-legged hermit crab?

Post by erin.leaman » Fri Jun 02, 2017 12:13 pm

What species of hermit crabs have those big chunky legs and eyes? They are so adorable! they look like the stereotypical pudgy kid from movies like The Sandlot I would love to have one of these little cherubs some day but I don't know any of the species!
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Re: Chunky-legged hermit crab?

Post by wodesorel » Fri Jun 02, 2017 4:02 pm

That comes with age! All younger hermits are kind of spindly, and as they grow their limbs thicken. Purple pinchers, the most common kind to find and the easiest to care do, will end up with massive limbs when they are fully grown.

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Re: Chunky-legged hermit crab?

Post by erin.leaman » Fri Jun 02, 2017 5:14 pm

wodesorel wrote:That comes with age! All younger hermits are kind of spindly, and as they grow their limbs thicken. Purple pinchers, the most common kind to find and the easiest to care do, will end up with massive limbs when they are fully grown.

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will they eventually get those huge eyes like this one? (I believe this one is a viola)

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Source: Natural History Magazine | "The Social Lives of Hermits" By Mark E. Laidre | Photographs by Mark E. Laidre
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Re: Chunky-legged hermit crab?

Post by wodesorel » Fri Jun 02, 2017 5:26 pm

That one is an E. :) Eye shape is by species, so while their eyes get larger and thicker along with their legs, they wont change shape.

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Re: Chunky-legged hermit crab?

Post by wodesorel » Sun Jun 04, 2017 12:04 am

This Purple Pincher was a pity purchase several years ago and didn't make it, but you can see how absolutely massive those legs can get with age. The eyes get fatter stalks but are still on the beady side. He was a borderling jumbo so wasn't as huge as they can get. Image

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Re: Chunky-legged hermit crab?

Post by erin.leaman » Mon Jun 05, 2017 8:33 am

wodesorel wrote:This Purple Pincher was a pity purchase several years ago and didn't make it, but you can see how absolutely massive those legs can get with age. The eyes get fatter stalks but are still on the beady side. He was a borderling jumbo so wasn't as huge as they can get. Image

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I have some hermit crabs whose shells are baseball sized, but they still seem a little skinnier than some other species that I've seen. (Maybe because I'm so used to seeing them sprawled out from climbing or running around)
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