Hermit fight!

[frogmarch]

My middle granddaughter posted on Facebook about her two hermit crabs, Minnie and Clem, fighting over which of them would live in Minnie’s pretty orange shell. I thought it was too cute not to share here.

Witnessed my first hermit crab fight around 5:30 am. I woke to a strange noise which turned out to be little Minnie, my orange-shell hermit crab crying/screaming because Clem, whose shell is bigger and drab brown, wanted Minnie’s pretty orange one and was trying to pull Minnie out of it so he move in. This made Minnie scoot farther back in her shell.

Clem started shaking Minnie’s shell back and forth, which I’d read is typical hermit behavior and makes the hermit living in the shell to experience motion sickness and crawl out. The other hermit then will move into the shell, leaving the naked hermit to die if exposed to air for very long.

Having read about this, I knew the risks and I knew I had to do something, so I used the end of a fake palm tree and a spray bottle filed with filtered water to save Minnie, without harming Clem. I sprayed Clem with a lot of water while trying to nudge Minnie out of his reach. Finally after about 10 minutes, Clem let go of Minnie’s shell and I was able to push Minnie to safety. Clem tried to get the orange shell again, but I kept pushing him away with the fake palm tree - which he then grabbed and fought with for a few minutes. Once he calmed down a little bit I picked him up and moved him to my travel container.

Minnie and Clem both seem to be okay. I’ll keep them separated. I’ll buy a new glass home for Clem and try to find him a prettier shell. It may be hard to find one here in Nebraska, though.

[shenmue]

1. Yay!

[frogmarch]

4. That's what I said too when

it was over and Minnie got to keep her pretty orange shell.

[Kali]

2. good observations!

as a once-upon-a-time pet store employee I would recommend keeping an assortment of empty shells with hermit crabs. they like to move and try on new ones so it is good to offer some variety.

[frogmarch]

5. Thanks for the tip. I passed it along

to my granddaughter so she can check at pet stores for some pretty shells for poor Clem.

[Brother Buzz]

3. Just give Clem, the cad, a tin cup and tell him to buck up

[frogmarch]

6. Haha! I'll show that

to my granddaughter.

[csziggy]

7. Try to get shells in a series of sizes - they want just the right size one!

I love this video and story from BBC One (wish it were on YouTube so I could post the video):

Hermit crab house swap

For a hermit crab, a good 'mobile home' can be the difference between life or death. Second-hand shells provide shelter from predators and offer much-needed protection from the elements. But there is one problem with hand-me-down homes: they don't fit forever. On one small Caribbean island off the coast of Belize, crabs that have outgrown their shells have a pretty amazing strategy: shell swapping.

This unbelievable video from the BBC gets us in on the 'house-swap' action. If a searching hermit crab finds an empty shell that's unsuitable for its latest size requirements, it doesn't simply move its search elsewhere. Instead, it will wait patiently for other crabs to see it. Soon, a line of crabs begins to form in size order, each crustacean waiting for the opportunity to trade shells ... And what happens next is pretty incredible.

http://www.earthtouchnews.com/natural-world/animal-behaviour/form-an-orderly-queue-watch-hermit-crabs-line-up-in-size-order-to-swap-houses

How big is the current shell for each crab? I'll be driving to the Florida coast in the next couple of weeks and pass some shell places. If they're open, I could stop and see what they have.

[FSogol]

8. Corrrect, put 2-3 each of various size shells in the enclousre.

My son has a couple and the swap shells occasionally and then go back to the ones they had before or pick a newer one. Once in a while they be wearing a different shell every morning.

[frogmarch]

13. How cute!

Your son's hermits sound like regular little clothes horses...er, shell horses.

[frogmarch]

10. Wow, that's great! Fascinating!

I'll send my granddaughter the link! By the way, her name is Shell.

Thanks!

[frogmarch]

12. I don't know how big the shells are.

I haven't seen them. My granddaughter lives across the state from me. I'll ask her when I send her your link now. She lives in the Omaha area and should be able to find some good shells at pet shops, maybe even at the one where she bought her hermits. Thanks!

[rug]

9. Lol!

Clem tried to get the orange shell again, but I kept pushing him away with the fake palm tree - which he then grabbed and fought with for a few minutes.

I understand Clem.

[frogmarch]

11. Me too. :-D

I do that sort of thing a lot.