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09-02-2009, 07:44 PM
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#1
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Live with Intention
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,100
S/C/G: 260.6/see ticker/160
Height: 5'7"
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Hermit Crabs
They are ugly and have creepy looking eyes. However, my teenager seems to love them and wants to bring two of them home to live with us. Seriously! Should I let her do this icky thing or not? Who has experience with these strange creatures, and who can help me talk her out of getting them.
I actually don't think I mind letting her have them, but I don't know anything about them other than what I just read on some I-love-hermit-crabs website. They seem complicated with their weird molting, cannibalism, shell stealing, need humidity or die ways. Help, please!!
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09-02-2009, 07:46 PM
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#2
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Resident Pixie
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 14,658
S/C/G: Pant Size - 28/12/8
Height: 5'2"
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Oh my..I have no advice, just a for you.
Last edited by Onederchic; 09-02-2009 at 07:46 PM.
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09-02-2009, 07:50 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 456
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Well.... they are kinda yucky. The molting thing freaks me out. If they get sick, they crawl OUT of their shell to die and they are GROSS looking!!!! But overall they are pretty easy to take care of. They are only slightly less boring than goldfish and worse to dispose of when dead.
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09-02-2009, 07:56 PM
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#4
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Live with Intention
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,100
S/C/G: 260.6/see ticker/160
Height: 5'7"
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Thanks for the Chicky. I can always use one.
Tiffany, you see that is what I'm talking about. GROSS!! I did point that out to the kid, but she doesn't seem to feel that is an issue. Although, she does want baby crabs because she bigger ones freak her out a little and she thinks she will be able to get use to them as they grow.
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09-02-2009, 09:43 PM
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#5
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 17
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We have two and they are lower maintenance than ... pretty much anything.
There are little sponges that you can keep wet for them to drink with their antennae. We put their food in a shell. Totally low key.
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09-03-2009, 03:41 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: San Diego
Posts: 6,192
S/C/G: 190/140/135
Height: 5'7"
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I had 2 as pets for awhile - most of the time (99.7%) they stayed neatly in their shells. They were easy to take care of and kind of cute. I never got pinched and they liked to crawl around on my hand. I got them a "hermit crab ball" so they could roll around on the floor, they seemed to dig it.
I did get to see one switch shells and it was actually very very cool. He found the new shell and turned it around and around and around, ran his hands inside and all around it, gave it a very very close inspection. Then, he switched shells (fairly quickly, I did get to see his body, but it wasn't really that gross, kind of like a slug) and that was it. He spent a lot more time figuring out if he wanted to do it.
One thing to know, it is very very difficult to breed hermit crabs in captivity. Most crabs for sale in a pet store were scooped up from the wild. Something to consider - taking a wild creature (even something as "low rent" as a hermit crab) from its normal life.
Mine lived a little more than 3 years, I am not sure why they died (about 6 months apart).
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09-03-2009, 04:20 PM
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#7
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Live with Intention
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Georgia
Posts: 1,100
S/C/G: 260.6/see ticker/160
Height: 5'7"
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Thank you Sue and Glory. I suppose I will let her have them as long as she is fully educated on their care and expense. I just remember that when she was little we got to tiny slider turtles that turned into two big slider turtles that I had to take care of. Not doing that again!
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09-03-2009, 06:16 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: San Diego
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Height: 5'7"
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I swear, they are kind of fun. Hold your hand flat, put the hermit crab on your palm. Be still, wait until they start to peek out under their shell, first their little eyes, then their feet, it's really darned cute (and I am a spider phobe, so you'd think all the legs would freak me out). It has been 5+ years since I had them, but I recall they were very easy to take care of.
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09-04-2009, 10:04 AM
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#9
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getting back to 140
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,158
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Height: 5'7"
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glory87
One thing to know, it is very very difficult to breed hermit crabs in captivity. Most crabs for sale in a pet store were scooped up from the wild. Something to consider - taking a wild creature (even something as "low rent" as a hermit crab) from its normal life.
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My daughter was looking at some hermit crabs at the mall (they were on SALE) and I said "poor little hermit crabs". Another little girl was standing there and said "why do you say that?"
I told her "because they should be out on a beach somewhere"
Last edited by ddc; 09-04-2009 at 10:04 AM.
Reason: typo
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09-08-2009, 05:31 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Elk Grove, Ca
Posts: 373
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Height: 5'5
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You should let her have them cause they are easy to take care of and their shells are so pretty when decorated =) on the plus side they may look ugly but their shells are gorgeous so they can hide their uglyness by staying in their shell lol
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