Halloween Hermit Crabs

[Rue]

I brought home 3 Halloween Hermits yesterday.

One immediately moved into a brand new shell that I picked up at the local craft store...

The second moved into the discarded shell...

Somebody moulted overnight...

And the 3rd crab isn't doing much, but is definately alive...

I've found very little info. on them so far...and as always...some conflicting...

I find them adorable, and want to make sure I set them up properly...so that's why I bought extra shells...

Anyone else have any first-hand experience with them?

 

[Rue]

No one has had Halloween Hermits? They can't be rare, can they?

 

[GS-Rock]

i have had experance with them, but i find them to be the same as any other hermits, they are native to the hawaiian islands. its good that you got bigger shells evendoe they are herbivorous they will kill a crab and take its shell. but as with any scavenger they will take what ever they can get

 

[Rue]

Thanks! I mostly wanted to make sure they didn't come with any 'issues' that I was aware of!

 

[Steve 926]

Halloween Hermit

One Algae eating machine !!

 

[finsurgeon]

Steve's picture makes sense, with black and orange as halloween colors, but my "halloween hermits" are red with yellow or orange stripes, like on Liveaquaria. They're bigger than any of my others, and there's nothing to kill big enough for a new shell. I, too bought some larger shells, and some trading has occurred. They have generally behaved well, though I caught one once picking on a "burrowing snail' , even though his shell was smaller than the crab. I bumped him away and buried the snail, and no further hostility noted. Had 2 of them for about a year.