What Does It Mean When Hermit Crabs Leave Their Shells?
Crab owners may find their hermit crab running around without a shell. Do not get alarmed. The shell is not a physical part of the crab and shedding it is normal. As your crab grows, it requires a bigger shell to protect its delicate, soft body. Ensure you provide a choice of shells, otherwise the crab may end up forcing some other hermit crab out of its shell. Clean the new shells by boiling them in water before introducing them into the enclosure of your hermit crab. Besides outgrowing its shell, there are other reasons why hermit crabs leave their shells.
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Temperature
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Keep a constant watch on the temperature in the hermit crab tank. Even at 78 degrees, hermit crabs tend to overheat. It is common to come across shell fights amongst hermit crabs living in the same tank for a thinner shell to keep themselves cool. Invariably the weaker crab will end up losing the fight and its shell.
Shell Fights
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Jealousy or being territorial can lead to shell fights amongst two hermit crabs. This is accompanied with chirping sounds. The attacker forces its claws inside the opening of the other crab’s shell, grabs the defending crabs from its legs and rotates it backward and forward. The losing crab leaps out of its shell, giving the attacker access to it.
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Irritant
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Hermit crabs may also leave their shells if there is a sand or substrate particle in the shell that is rubbing against their soft abdomen and causing pain or irritation. Wash the shell in de-chlorinated water and re-introduce it to the crab. If it enters the shell and does not come out, the irritant is no longer present.
No Apparent Reason
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Some hermit crabs may leave their shells for no apparent reason. Take a second look at the shell or temperature in the enclosure, as no hermit crab will let go of its protective shell without a reason. So, there has to be a stressor that is causing the hermit crab to run around naked in the enclosure.
Preventing Shell Fights
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Keep a choice of shells in the enclosure similar to the one that your hermit crabs have. Ensure that the shells are in a variety of sizes, as some crabs may like bigger or smaller shells compared to what they already have.
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References
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