HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hello,

If I have a pp with 1.5" inch opening is it ok if I get a couple of 2" inch opening shell?
or should I really search the dark side of the web to find a 1" 7/8 or 1" 3/4?

please let me know.

TY

bmer wrote:Hello,

If I have a pp with 1.5" inch opening is it ok if I get a couple of 2" inch opening shell?
or should I really search the dark side of the web to find a 1" 7/8 or 1" 3/4?

please let me know.

TY

I think the recommendation would be to go up in size by 1/8" at a time, so you'd be looking for an opening of 1.625" or 1 & 5/8 inches. You could get a few 1.75" opening shells to, and a few 2" shells won't hurt, and it's always a guess on how exactly the seller has measured the opening. Calipers are the way to go. I measure my shell openings twice, at 90 degrees apart, so I measure the biggest and smallest diameter of the opening - I think the HCA shell guides tell us another way to do it, so check them out if you haven't already. The HCA recommended vendors list has some really great places to shop online, some of which aren't that expensive. I think GotButterflies recommends Richards Seashells...

Anyway, the forum recommendation is to get at least 5+ shells for each crab in the next largest size to what they're wearing (so in your case, I think the forum recommendations would be 1.625", but I'll let others chime in), and each shell will vary slightly on EXACTLY how big it is, so the more shells of the correct size and type that are provided, the more chance that your crab will be happy, is how I think of it. They need to get a good fit in the shell to hold onto their shell water well. If the shell's too big or too heavy, they spend a lot more energy lugging it about.

I have one crab that likes to change 1-2 times a week, so I've got more shells for her. It keeps her happier, I think, to have a large selection. I've got one crab that persistently wears a shell that is huge on him, and some crabs prefer shells that are too small, so shell selection is also highly dependent on the individual crab. Buy what you want to and see how your crab likes them. Don't forget about craft stores - that's a good place to get many shells relatively cheaply.

The easiest way to go about it is to buy a large selection of shells at once with a range of sizes. There are a few good sellers on Etsy that will sell the shells in bulk at really good prices, and they list the overall size range of the set. Pay careful attention to the item description and make sure they specifically state the "shell opening size", as some don't measure for that.

It can be a little bit of a gamble with some vendors, as they may list a range like 3/4"-2" but then you mostly receive the smaller shells and none, or very few, of the larger ones (this just happened to me). A good way to avoid this is to include a note to the seller (best done before making the purchase with them) and specify the range of sizes you're in need of. Most will honor your request, if they can. Be sure to have a good range, from slightly smaller than what your crabs wear now up to a size slightly bigger than you think they'll need. The crabs will do the rest of the work, so don't get too hung up on specific sizes.

Whenever you find them showing interest in shells and they don't seem to settle on one for any length of time, you'll want to provide more options for them.

Another thing to pay attention to is the cost to ship. Sometimes a set of shells (or other decor item) will look like an incredible deal, until you factor in the shipping costs. I try to keep my $-per-shell as low as possible.

Keep in mind also that the larger the shells are, the more they'll cost, and it's never a bad thing if you accidentally end up with shells that are too big.

bmer wrote:Hello,

If I have a pp with 1.5" inch opening is it ok if I get a couple of 2" inch opening shell?
or should I really search the dark side of the web to find a 1" 7/8 or 1" 3/4?

please let me know.

TY

I wouldn't get a 2" right away. I've only had one crab come anywhere close to needing a shell that large, and ended up selling the shell because it was like $18 from Naples.

The only crabs I have in 1.5"-1.75 openings are around 10 years old and one seems smaller after its last molt.

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