How to Help Hermit Crabs Switch Shells

If you have a hermit crab as a pet, you may notice eventually that your hermit crab seems a little too large for his shell. To hep your crab to make the shell change, the right hermit crab shells should be provided to your pet.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hermit Crab Shells

1. Inspect prospective shells for suitability. You can get hermit crab shells from general merchandise stores or pet stores or you can buy hermit crab shells online. Look at the shells to make sure that they don't have any holes or cracks. A hermit crab will perform his own inspection on potential shells and will reject any that won't keep him safe.

2. Choose shells that have an opening large enough for your hermit crab. To judge the size, take a look at the largest claw of your pet hermit crab. The opening should be that size or larger and should be close to round in shape.

3. Provide several shells to your hermit crab so that he can pick the one he likes best. If you provide only one and he doesn't like it, he may reject it. Hermit crabs will outgrow their shells and die before they will move into a shell they don't like. Provide three or four shells for each crab to choose from in order to give them a good chance of choosing the right shell.

Tips & Warnings

• NEVER, ever try to remove your hermit crab from his shell. This will cause severe injuries to your pet and will not encourage him to switch shells.

[crabby62]

on 9/13/2009 Great article. The only thing I'd like to add is that you should boil them when you first get them as some of them have gunk inside. Pour them out after boiling and allow to cool, then dip them in your salt water mix (not table salt), leave a few drops inside and offer them. Dipping them makes them more appealing and can increase the chance the crab will chang shells.