HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hermit crab now has a small hole in his shell...

We are brand new to these cute little guys and to here. Thank you for having us! I'm 66, disabled, and going blind. If info on this is listed in here already, I apologize but it's hard for me to read on a phone.

We've had these three guys a couple of weeks now. A few days ago my daughter noticed one of the smaller ones has a small hole in his shell and were worried about him. Is there anything that we could and should try to do for him? Is he in danger of drying out? I was going to attach a photo but couldn't figure out how.
Thanks in advance!
Ginny

PS On the subject of shells, where are some of the best places to order/buy some extras? Our three are all in snail type shells (sorry I haven't learned the proper terms yet ). The pet shops nearby only seem to have conch shells which we put in there but don't know if any of them will like them.

Shells can be found on Etsy and Amazon. Since you are in the US, you more than likely have purple pinchers and they tend to prefer turbo shells.

As for the hole. If you get some extra shells, he should switch out (if the hole is bothering him)




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I don't think the hole is an emergency situation unless it's a large hole. They keep brackish water in their shells to keep the humidity up by their gills, and if a shell is unsuitable for any reason, they will be on the lookout for a replacement. If you have a caribbean hermit crab (also known as purple pincher), they prefer shells with circle shaped openings, like turbos. Purple pincher hermit crabs have, you guessed it, purple pinchers. the rest of their legs are shades of red, orange, brown, and tan. If you don't have a caribbean hermit crab, then your crab is almost certainly ecuadorian. Ecuadorians usually come in shades of tan and brown (sometimes their lighter areas look bluish). Ecuadorians prefer shells with D shaped openings.

All you can really do is provide suitable shells in the correct size range (you wanna look at the size of the opening. I usually try to offer shells that are slightly smaller, the same size, and slightly larger than the shell the crab has on currently). If your crab is bothered by the shell he has on, and he has options that are better, he will change when he's ready. If he doesn't, then he's probably doing fine with what he has on. They tend to know what they want.

Sounds like you're doing great so far. Smart thinking, to consider a hole like that, knowing that crabs need high humidity by their gills. Thankfully though I wouldn't worry too much.

Some crabs have absolutely no problems with holey shells. Obviously always have a nice selection for him to change if he ever gets in a mood to look, but don't worry if he's the one making the choice to stay. I've had crabs stick with shells that I would consider falling apart. My one crab wore a hole in the bottom of her shell almost two and a half year ago now, and still won't even look at other shells! When they're new crabs it's usually a sign that they hadn't been given great options along the way, but once they are able to go shopping and still won't then it becomes their personal preference and there is no way to force a crab to change against their will.

Thanks everyone for the help and kind words. All three of ours are in turbo shells (which I now know what to call them instead of shells that look like the used to belong to my snails). Our largest, 8 ball, came in a painted shell which from what I've read here and other places we will take out whenever he molts (it's pretty easy to see how he came by his name). Then there is Sir Patrick Henry who climbed up the side of the box on the way home, grabbed onto the box through one of the air holes, and rode the 30 miles home right there. Eugene is the little guy with the little hole.
I don't know how to respond to a specific comment or how to tag someone to respond, or if either is even possible. I'm old but maybe not too old to learn a few new tricks. lol Anyway to the one that posted the pics of the shells for me, they are beautiful! Are they all nature's too? I want to find some of them! To that same person we play WoW too but not too much atm because of our lack of decent internet. I'm looking fw to learning lots here!

Yes, they are natural.. you can find many shells on Etsy. Just search "hermit crab shells" Mostly you 'size' them by the opening.

here is a post about measuring: viewtopic.php?t=119718#p1074921

Naples Sea Shells and Richards Sea Shells are two stores that have been around for a long time, and are great to order shells from in the US.