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Hermit Crabs Anonymous
I used to have pet hermit crabs when I was a kid. I loved them, thought they were adorable. They had a lot more personality than you'd expect of a crustacean. I'm considering getting some new ones since I loved them so much, but I'm worried about my cat going after the poor things. Anyone else a fan of hermit crabs?
>> Anonymous
They look really cute. Please tell us more about them.

If you keep them in a terrarium, the cat shouldn't be a problem.
>> Anonymous
no need to worry about the cat, hermies can pinch the shit out of it
>> Gingitsune
I think they are very cute but I know they can run into issues with mites and not finding new shells fast enough, I have a friend who's very fond of them
>> Anonymous
personality, srsly? what sort of things do they do?
>> Anonymous
They are good at hiding in a shell and looking like a spider, IIRC.
>> Anonymous
>>77632

I had three when I was a kid, and they all had very different personalities. I had one big one named Toad who was a huge grump. He would rarely come out of his shell when I held him and when he did would be very suspicious and not want to move much. He's the only one who ever pinched me. I also had a slightly smaller one named Luigi who was super friendly and playful. When I took him out to play he'd crawl all over me and want to explore everything and interact with everyon. The smallest one was Peach, and she was sweet but shy. It took her a while to come out of her shell when you held her but when she did she was a sweetheart, cautiously poking her little feelers at everything before she went over to it. One time I took them out of their tank to clean it and added some new toys (pieces of wood and stuff to climb on). When I put them back in I put them all on the opposite side of the cage from the new things. Even though it was daytime when they're normally pretty inactive, they all came crawling out of their shells and scuttled over to the new things and begin crawling all over them and chirping excitedly. It was like seeing little kids at a new playground or toyroom, lol. The only thing is they're nocturnal so they do most of their playing and things when you're sleeping, but if you stay up late and watch them they're really cool animals, having all sorts of fun playing and fighting with eachother. So yeah, they have a lot more personality than you'd think.
>> Anonymous
Don't let them be around your cat. If you cat attempts to pull one out, it'll rip itself apart clinging to the shell.

They eat damn near anything though. Try feeding them peanut butter O_o. They also like climbing things. And need a couple of shells at all times to choose from.
>> Anonymous
>>77732
Chirping?!
Shit, now I want to get some hermit crabs.
>> Anonymous
I'd love to have a pet hermit crab, they're so adorable with their shifty beady eyes, I love crabs.

http://www.hermit-crabs.com

http://www.petlibrary.com/hermits.htm

http://www.animalnetwork.com/critters/profiles/hermitcrab/default.asp
>> Anonymous
some /b/tard posted his once
>> Anonymous
Yeah they are cute :) I had one, but only one, and I think he was lonely.
>> anonymouse
I have about 12 in my aquarium with my fish/starfish/snails. If you want to invest in a saltwater tank, you have a lot of awesome options with hermit crab species.
>> Anonymous
I heard the Japanese paint shells in bright colors for the hermit crabs.
>> Anonymous
>>78713

Yeah, you can get them to move into any shell that fits them, so if you put lots of pretty shells in their tank they'll wear pretty shells. People sell painted shells now for them.

I also read this interesting news article about these guys who made a plastic box that was shaped to be the ideal hermit crab shell, and were considering selling them as "ad space." In other words, you pay these guys a certain amount of money, and they'll painted your logo onto the plastic shells, then leave them lying around the beach. Next thing you know you're lying on the beach watching hermit crabs scuttle about and one crawls by that looks like a walking billboard XD A lot of people were arguing about the ethics of this. I think the idea is hilarious but also very wrong...
>> Anonymous
>>78726
It's free for the hermit crabs, and it's hilarious advertising.
>> Anonymous
>>78726
It's an awesome concept. I once wrote "snail" on some paper tape and put it on a snail's chell before letting it back into the woods. Just imagine the faces of the people who find it next.
>> Anonymous
I want to start keeping crabs but I learned they need air sometimes or they'll die. Anyone know of a tank setup I can buy where's half water/land and I can filter the water?
>> Anonymous
>>78713
I live in Australia, and I always see folks peddling hermit crabs with painted shells in markets everywhere. They're really cute! Bright coloured ones, ones painted to look like soccer balls or baseballs, ones with little landscapes on them. Very awesome.
>> Anonymous
>>78738
As far as I know, you don't actually need water for them to live in, only for them to drink. But check me up on this, I could be wrong.
>> Anonymous
>>78741

I meant actual crabs, not hermit crabs my bad :P
>> Anonymous
>>78743
Oh, sorry. :P
>> Anonymous
i had some but when they would change shells they would kill each other :(
>> Anonymous
>>78726

Here's an idea....

Pimp my Crab

buy a miniature set of model car spoilers, racing strips, mini stereo speakers to glue on the shell
>> Anonymous
>>78781

Did you have several extra shells lying around for them? They won't usually kill eachother over shells, sometimes they get into shell fights but it's usually resolved fairly peacefully... the only reason they'd resort to killing eachother is if there weren't enough good shells to go around or if they were being kept in too small an area.