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Hermit Crab Behavior As Pets

By: Kelly Church

Just as humans and other animals have personalities, you will find that hermit crabs behave uniquely as individuals as well. Many are exploratory and look for adventure. Others are timid and barely dare to take a trip to the food dish. Some hermit crabs are social butterflies, so to speak, and others just behave like, well, like crabs. Hermit crabs react to each other in many different ways but some hermit crab behavior is typical. For instance, when crabs come into contact with other hermit crabs, by way of greeting, they will crawl over each other to feel each other out. Meeting crabs will touch feelers many times to say hello. Other greetings include pushing each other around. Hermit crabs are seemingly unaware of the concept of moving objects out of the way. If something is obstructing the path of the hermit crab, rather than moving around the object, many times they will simply crawl over it. All of these behaviors are typical of hermit crabs and are no cause for alarm at all. Aggressive behavior, however, should be monitored. For example some crabs will pick up other crabs and shake them to force them from their shells. Shell fights do occur in the wild and with pet hermit crabs. By having many shells for hermit crabs to choose from, you reduce the risk of crabs taking or fighting over shells. Usually fights like this end in one or the other of the crabs giving up. They typically end in a mundane way.

While most of these behaviors are mostly harmless, some hermit crabs are not friendly toward other hermit crabs. Wild and pet hermit crabs have been known to kill each other so monitoring the interactions with the other hermit crabs in the habitat is very important, especially in the beginning. Signs that things are going wrong are limbs strewn in the substrate.

Another crab behavior trait you may notice is that you're hermit crab is too shy to come out of its shell. Many times in the beginning of making a new crab habitat, the hermit crab is traumatized from the ride from the pet store. Pet stores also have a bad reputation for letting potential customers handle the hermit crabs roughly and pet stores also don't take care of them like they should. Chances are if you have purchased your hermit crab from a pet store, it has been dropped, shaken and mishandled. Give your hermit crab a little time to explore and figure out how they will interact with their environment and each other. After a few days, most hermit crabs will take to their new surroundings and begin to thrive. Also you need to get the hermit crab used to you by holding the crab still in the flat of your hand. You may have to hold the crab for a long time, but being patient will help your hermit crab have a chance to get used to being held.

Overall most of the behavior hermit crabs exhibit is totally innocent and exploratory. Every once in awhile, aggressive behavior is displayed, but most of the time, hermit crabs are definitely great little pets that are rewarding and interesting to own. Knowing typical hermit crab behavior can help you be more successful in keeping your hermit crabs happy.

About the author

One hermit crab factis that they can live for over a decade as a household pet. Your hermit crab behavior and live span can be greatly influenced by the habit that you provide them. The author has many tips and tricks for providing a healthy and safe environment for them on her website.

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