oimsofunny

[spongebob]

i dont mean to sound funny or weird but init strange to keep crabs
i duess its cos i live in the uk and i dont know of anyone who sell them ive seen the equipment for sale here but not the herms themself but i do find the hobbie interesting (i dont want to pi ss any one off if i have SORRY)

just a few questions
how big they grow
do they change there shell if so where do u get a new 1 from (shell i mean)
do they like being petted and wot not

thanks alot

[oimsofunny]

Hi Spongebob.. I am glad that you are asking questions even if you do think we are weird.. hehe.. You are curious about them even if you do not feel they are right for you.. You and others having the opinion that they are strange or are not right for you, that is your opinion and you have that right to have it.  Anywhere that I post at, I do not allow people to flam others for voicing their opinions. As long as it can be done in a nice a friendly way. There is never any need to make anyone mad and flamming them.. IMO anyways.. lol..

As to your questions:
In the wild Land hermit crabs can live for 50 years or more. Unfortunately in captivity, most of them only live 4 to 5 years at the longest. One family I have read about has had a pair now for over 30 years. Each of their legs is the length of an average persons fingers. When you get hermit crabs they come in alot smaller size then that tho.. lol.. Shell and hermie can be so small that it fits on a dime or can come up to a tennis ball size. Just depending on the size and species that you decide to get and that is available to you.

Yes, you have to have shells for them, as they do change shells. Some hermies change shells, like we change our clothes, sometimes several different shells a day. Others do not hardly ever change at all. You can order alot of shells from online stores( which is where I have gotten mine at). Some people live close enough to the ocean and finds some shells once in a while. Also, it is fun to do shell swaps.. where you swap for the size of shells that you need at that time with other hermie owners.. lol..

Most hermit crabs do not care to be handled alot. Some get used to it and will even come to the people when they reach into their crabitates.. The only thing is that you have to be careful handling them due, due to they need to be in their environment that is warm and high in humidity.  So they are not where you can have them out all day long or anything.. lol..

Feel free to ask anymore questions if you have some. I know that there are some people thoughout the world that has land hermit crabs. Most of the time, if the supplies are being sold, somewhere you can get them..

[spongebob]

thanks for filling me in i will think of some more and post them

merry xmas n happy new year

[spongebob]

rite i got some more questions

how do u know when they are ready to malt
and in there tank is it full of water

[oimsofunny]

Hope you had a Merry Christmas Spongebob...

One main way of telling that they are gearing up for a molt, they start loosing their coloring. They start eating and drinking more and when they do that, then they shut off some of the circulation to other parts of their bodies (Legs) so that they can store the nutrients up for during the molt. When they molt, they shed their outter skin and then that is usually all that they eat until it is gone.

As for the water in the tank, land hermit crabs need to have water dishes. One with regular declor water and the other with Marine salt water. The actual tank does not stand in water. The hermies will wet the sand so that they can dig and play or for gearing up for a molt. They will soak an area, dig down into it and put an air pocket around them so that they can move and have the room to move to eat the exo(skin that they shed). Some people leave the hermies in the main tank to molt and others put the hermies into their own tank so to make sure that other hermies do not dig them up and bother them or eat their exo.