HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I am continuing from my March 2018 Intake topic.
I want to do intakes every month to help keep track of my crabs and *try* to remember/identify who is who. I have lost count of how many PPs I have and in January added 3 Es. Hopefully this will catch me up, so here goes attempt # 2 in April! *** I am posting crabs in number order. If I have not seen them yet this month I will be posting MIA with a description. When said hermit crab comes up from being buried and is identified photos will be added for their monthly intake. ****

No one really follows me on here but if you happen to stumble upon this and have a keen eye feel free to step in and give me your input every month on who you think each crab is. Hermit crab version of "Guess Who" lol. I started intakes in March. To catch up please take a look at my March Intakes and let me know if you agree with me on who is who or if you think a "new" crab I have found is actually the same crab as in last month but just in another shell.
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 0&t=116585

As no one has names they will be numbered for now.

*******Please note! Unless you have to make it clear to which comment you are responding to please keep quoting down to a minimum!!! It makes the post very long and messy, I want to try to keep it organized. Simple comments like "wow I really like your hermit crabs" doesn't need to have a quote of a huge paragraph I wrote previously; like I said it just makes the post very long. However if you think crab #3 looks like crab #2 from the previous month and you believe they may be the same crab by all means you may quote or screen shot the two photos together for comparison. I don't think I need to worry much though I generally never have anyone respond to my "fun" posts lol. Okay rant over!********

Hermit Crab #1 MIA
Small Ecuadorian Female: Black Neritidae Shell with Purple Gem
Edit: 4/7/2018 still down under. Missing this little girl!

Hermit Crab #2:
Small Ecuadorian Male: Neritidae Shell, Black with Orange Spots, Black Gem

Edit: 4/7/2018 I love this little man! He is up all day all night scurrying around active as ever eating everything he can get his little claws on enjoying life. Deff a favorite.


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Hermit Crab #3: MIA
Third Ecuadorian that hasn't had an intake yet. Has been buried since he/she was put into the tank when he/she came home with me. Small Ecuadorian, Shell Unknown, Sex Unknown.
Edit: 4/7/2018: Still haven’t seen him. Since the first day I got him I’m January) Hope he’s molting and that I didn’t lose him to PPS. Won’t go digging for him.

Hermit Crab #4:
Small Purple Pincher. Very shy! Sex Unknown. Found shell empty in shell shop, since I found no naked or dead crab I am assuming he/she chose another shell and buried down with it. When he/she comes up it will be very hard to identify other then knowing it's personality as being very shy.

EDIT: Pretty sure I just found this crab! Very shy small Male Purple Pincher. He is now in crab #6’s shell.



This was him last month in March:


What do you think? Same crab?

Edit: 4/7/2018 please excuse quality of pics it is 5am in the morning. Pretty sure I can confirm it’s this male

Crab #5: MIA
Small/Medium Purple Pincher Male
This guy I’ve had for 3 years now. His color keeps getting darker and darker.
Edit: 4/7/2018 still down under.

Crab #6
Now this is a tricky one! Now originally when I checked this crab last month it was a Female. When I found it today (it’s the same shell) I double check with intakes and it is a Male. I believe this is crab #4 that was too shy to come out for me to sex last month. I do not have any other small males of this color so I am pretty sure this is crab #4..... and crab #6 is either Crab #9 or in a different shell. UGH!!!! This is why I am trying out this intake thing! I cannot keep up with who is who and it is bothering the ever loving crap out of me!!!

Here is crab #6’s shell from March but with a small male crab who was super shy who I believe to be crab #4



Here is #6 from March
This was a small female at the time. The BP on this crab is bigger then the one currently in the shell so I don't believe I sexed the crab wrong, I believe they swapped shells.


And here is mystery crab who I am referring to as #9 right now. Could be #6 or could be its own #9....


4/7/2018
Now that I can confirm crab #4 has crab #6’a shell I am still trying to figure out if crab #6 is crab #9. I’m starting to really think they are the same crab. Opinions? These look like the same crab?

Crab #7
Small/Medium Purple Pincher Female




Here is #7 from March.


4/7/2018
Found my tricksters! No shell swapping and now I can tell the male and female apart. Here is crab #7 and #8 in similar shells. Female is smaller and male is bigger and more aggressive and I can tell the difference now with their shells: Again I apologize for bad quality photos it’s 5am and I’m still exhausted. Just so happen to get up to use the bathroom and saw these two together and was like YES two different shells! In first photo Male shell on top female shell on bottom.

For future reference, try to get high quality pictures of the BP. The BP markings change very little in comparison to other markings, and things like the same black dots - believe its sensory - continue to have the same pattern..

For me, mystery crab looks like #6... but that me

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aussieJJDude wrote:For future reference, try to get high quality pictures of the BP. The BP markings change very little in comparison to other markings, and things like the same black dots - believe its sensory - continue to have the same pattern..

For me, mystery crab looks like #6... but that me

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I’ll try my best to get more pics of the BPs. Sadly all I have is an iPhone camera so the quality really won’t be there. I have learned that taking videos of them and then taking screen shots out of the videos makes the pictures (Screen shots) come out less blurry since I’m not taking them as they are scurrying away.

Thanks for your input! In March #6 was very orange and this new female doesn't seem as orange hence why I was leaning towards #7 more or I have also posted that it can be crab #9, the female I have been missing.
So hard to tell with these Purple Pinchers! They are all becoming the same size, color and I have so many extra shells in the tank with numerous ones being same in size, type and color it's hard to tell when they change or IF they changed.


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Crab #8
Medium Purple Pincher Male
Can be aggressive




EDIT: Okay this is starting to get NUTS! Saw this shell moving along and when I looked it was a smaller crab inside! Checked and it’s a Female. Gosh stop swapping each other’s shells you guys are confusing me so bad!!! I’m starting to think I may never know who is who!!!! If I had to make an educated guess I would guess this is crab #7. But previous pictures above ^^^ are the Male. Pictures below are the female that took the shell.



Yay for more confusion! Not.....

Edit 4/7/2018
Found the difference and no shell swapping male is still in same shell.
Male shell on top female shell on bottom.


And here is comparing sizes: female is smaller and male is bigger and noted much more aggressive still will stick that big claw out!


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Kaleighshermies wrote:

Like this one! you can clearly see all the markings and what not and easily make a 'map' out of it.

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Crab #9 (Mystery Crab)
Small Purple Pincher Female
I am giving this girl her own number for this month as I cannot be 100% sure if she is #6 until #6 pops up around the tank to confirm it's not the same crab. Also at the end of March I was knowingly missing two purple pinchers; a Male and a Female. Well guess what, today I have both a male and a female in new shells up and walking around. She *may* be a same crab as last month in a new shell BUT she may also be the Female I have been missing, so for now I will give her the #9.



4/7/2018
Now that I can confirm crab #4 has crab #6’a shell I am still trying to figure out if crab #6 is crab #9. I’m starting to really think they are the same crab. Opinions? These look like the same crab?

Crab #10
Medium Purple Pincher Male
New arrival! Missing Male from March




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Alright so that's what I have for April for now.
Any MIA crabs will be updated if found and hopefully by the end of the month I will get to the bottom of who mystery crab is!

Last Months Results: (March)

March 27, 2018

3 Es:
1 Female (#1: Small - Black Neritidae Shell with Purple Gem)
1 Male (#2: Small - Black with Orange Spots Neritidae Shell with Black Gem)
1 unknown (#3)

5 PPs:
2 Females (#6: Small-Orange- Green Polished Banded Turbo) (#7: Small/Medium- Orange,White,Purple, Hairy - Murex Shell)
2 Males (#5: Small/Medium- Dark coloring- Pearl Banded Tapestry Turbo) (#8: Medium- Orange, White, Purple, Hairy, Aggressive - Orange Banded Turbo)
1 Unknown (#4: Small and Shy - Found his/her old white beat up shell in shell shop, not sure what shell he/she is in now)

8 Hermit Crabs total.... I think I am missing only 2 Purple Pinchers now (Should be 1 Female and 1 Male)
Mystery Crab may be missing female #9 and this month I found missing male #10 woo hoo

According to an old topic:
January 2017
PPs:
3 Females
3 Males
then add my sisters crab
then add the 3 E's
I should have 10 total.
April 2, 2018 have counted up to 10 crabs, hopefully not mixing anyone up. Will see with mystery crab as time goes on
April 10,2018 if Crab #6 is the same as #9 which it's looking like then I have 9 crabs possibly one missing still?