The Importance Of Hermit Crab Shells

Hermit crabs are interesting creatures and are one of the most unusual crustaceans

in that they are born with an exoskeleton and a soft abdomen, and not an external shell for protection from predators. This can pose as a huge problem when you are born in the wild and need to find shelter as quickly as possible before becoming dinner.

In the wild, hermit crabs immediately seek out shells to occupy as their new home, and in particular, they search for discarded sea snail shells. These new hermit crab shells act as their defense mechanism or amour.

In the wild, these crabs have different behavioral patterns in the selection of their shells, the frequency they change their shells, and sometimes the process of fighting other hermit crabs for their prized shells.

Shell preferences can vary based on species of hermit crab, where some crabs change their shells often and others keep their shells for longer periods of time. Other hermit crabs keep their shells when they are old and worn out or are too small for their needs. Their exoskeleton protects their legs and claws and they shed this exoskeleton in a process know as molting. During the process of molting, they are not very active and are not known to change their shell during or after their molting process.

To help emulate the natural environment for your crabs, it is best to have a larger selection of hermit crab shells in your cage. These crabs often fight with each other to steal shells if you do not have enough shells for them to choose. If the crabs feel the need to fight for another shell, these fights usually lead to the death as the other crab would hold on to their shell to the death. Overall it is just best to avoid such animalistic complications and have many shells on hand for your crabs.

These days you can find more shells at your local pet store than you can bring home, and there is an even greater selection if you shop online. The only issue is making sure the right shells are selected for your specific hermit crabs. You will want to make sure you have a large variety of sizes and shapes for your crabs to choose and give them the opportunity to discard other shells they do not need or want.

The size of the shell is important like fitting into a shoe for us. If it is too small it is very uncomfortable. The only way to ensure a good fit for your crab is to provide shells with different sizes and openings such as slit, D shape, oval, and round openings. Your crab will enter the shell they feel most comfortable based on the opening shape and size.

It is important to note that you will have a higher likelihood of success in providing other shells for your crabs if you supply shells of similar size and opening to what they currently use. You will begin to learn their desired shell pattern.

Simple rules of thumb is to provide high quality shells, and not shells which have holes or cracks in them. It is also best to provide shells that are natural looking and not painted, as studies have shown painted shells are known to flake and harm your crabs. Remember that your hermit crab shells are literally their home and their life, so you will want to understand their needs and plan accordingly to keep them as happy and healthy as possible.

by: Jessica Peloski

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