DS brought home a new "pet" from Hampton Beach

[imgoingtodisney]

We actually have 2 of them!
One is in hiding - afraid of "Godzilla"!

 

[02bBarbie]

crabs?

 

[imgoingtodisney]

ayup - 2 Hermit Crabs

Bought smaller crab Mon "Hermit" along with tank, sm feeding dish, sponge for water, etc
Went back Wed and bought "Godzilla"! Man this one is hugh. I dont blame little Hermit for being afraid of it - I would be too.
Right after we bought him we went to dinner. When returning to the car Godzilla was already climbing into a new shell.
When we got back home today DH went out and bought them a 10gal tank, and the little guy a hideaway hole! (a big covered bridge he can climb under)
I hope we dont wake up one morning and find Godzilla has destroyed little Hermit

anyone have experience with hermit crabs?

 

[laceemouse]

We have 2 hermit crabs that we bought at the mall for DS 8th b-day. They were pretty pricey. They are small and live in a small plastic habitat thingy. Please be aware that they molt, and they need bigger shells to move into as they grow. Our's are named Hurricane and Calypso!

 

[laceemouse]

Sorry, I see you already have bigger shells. We researched all about them on the internet before we got them, got lots of good info. They are cute and easy pets. We have several others and the crabs are the easiest! They love to be sprayed with a spray bottle!

 

[Trib]

You got crabs on vacation?

 

[imgoingtodisney]

lol - DH & I were saying that last night. Well when we go back to work we can say "we got crabs on vacation"!

thanks for the hermit crab info - just looked them up on the internet and had DS do a little research - after all he's the one taking care of them

Have you been snapped with the big claw yet?

 

[RNMOM]

OH! You DON'T want to be grabbed by that big claw!! I know this from experience.

We have had quite a few of these little darlings over the years and they can be a lot of fun. We had a large one, Tank, who loved to play legos. He would pinch a small base and the boys would build on to it. He is the one who grabbed me on the palm. it took me a couple minutes to get him loose. Running them under warm water did the trick. When you hold them, extend your hand out tight, bending your fingers back away from your palm as far as you can. They can't pinch you that way. Or...give them something to hold onto.

When they molt they need to get wet. This is when they are most vulnerable and can be torn to bits by the other crabs. If one is burrowing, you might want to isolate it until it changes shell and molts.

Have fun, they have faces, uh, eyes and antenae only a mother could love.