HCA: Hermit Crab Association

This may be a question for the more seasoned crab owner of 5+ years, but what is the longest you have seen your crab "live" within a single shell.
My purple pincher Hermie, has lived in the same shell for at least 3 years. He is about the size of a golf ball now, and I've owned him for about 3.5 years.
He was already a medium sized crab when I got him, and soon switched to his current shell not long after he was introduced into my crabitat.
The shell is not a bad fit or anything, it is actually a shell I found at a park here in Indiana, from a land snail, I don't know the exact variety of snail, but the shell is very similar to a Tulip shell, yet very thin and light.
I believe he likes it so much because it is such a light shell in comparison to other "preferred" shells of the species.

Hmmm.....I have no idea! LOL. I am pretty sure they have stayed in the same shell for well over a year for sure. Sonny has been in the same shell for a long time now because he doesn't like any of the other shells I have for him.

Yeah, some of mine have been in theirs for probably 5+ years. Many of my big guys stopped swapping or taking new ones years ago. They found a good sized turbo (petholatus or fluctuosus) and they stopped caring.

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wodesorel wrote:Yeah, some of mine have been in theirs for probably 5+ years. Many of my big guys stopped swapping or taking new ones years ago. They found a good sized turbo (petholatus or fluctuosus) and they stopped caring.

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Good to know, thanks.

wodesorel wrote:Yeah, some of mine have been in theirs for probably 5+ years. Many of my big guys stopped swapping or taking new ones years ago. They found a good sized turbo (petholatus or fluctuosus) and they stopped caring.

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Same here. My biggest guy has been in an abnormally large tapestry turbo (which is frightfully small on him) for at least 5 years, and refuses to swap it in for any of the larger shells I've provided.. No jades, pearled, or camos for this picky guy.

gunstreet.girl wrote:

wodesorel wrote:Yeah, some of mine have been in theirs for probably 5+ years. Many of my big guys stopped swapping or taking new ones years ago. They found a good sized turbo (petholatus or fluctuosus) and they stopped caring.

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Same here. My biggest guy has been in an abnormally large tapestry turbo (which is frightfully small on him) for at least 5 years, and refuses to swap it in for any of the larger shells I've provided.. No jades, pearled, or camos for this picky guy.

Apparently I just needed to shame him on the internet?? I woke up this morning and he had switched into a ~2” opening pearlized turbo I bought for him years ago.. huzzah! here’s hoping this one sticks!

Also, the tiny adoption/rescue I took in about a year and a half ago, and who I hadn’t seen since her first molt a few weeks later and was convinced hadn’t made it, just appeared yesterday. Weird s*t going on in my tank this week! Fingers crossed the next surprise is also a good one.

Lunie and Whimsy both switched within a month of their gotcha date, but then Mo had to come into the tank with his butt crammed into one of those longer shells with the sticking out bit and refuses to change. Been at least a year now. Finding shells his size is challenging though, even at the craft store.