New Hermies! :)

I bought two hermit crabs yesterday in Wildwood. It cost me maybe $21 but overall these boardwalk shops do not know anything about taking care of hermit crabs. I have a small wire cage right now with painted shells and not even an inch of gravel. So I'm off to buy another 2 gallon or 1 gallon tank and some extra supplies so I can have my spoiled hermits again! Hermit crabs require much more substrate and for the bottom of the tank (especially during molting) and much more room. Plus, I need something to keep the humidity in. I know they do like to climb but wire is not the way to go. I'm just going to spoil them.
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They're names are Kirk and Spock, aside from the bigger one (Kirk) being a female, it's still just Kirk and Spock.

Oh and I didn't choose them based on shells, I chose them based on activeness. And they sure are active hehe! I'll be buying them natural shells so hopefully they won't have to deal with the gross painted ones.
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Mikey is extremely curious!

Hee hee, welcome to a good home, Kirk and Spock! And Mikey, these are not dinner, they are your new housemates!

I saw this on FB and I was like "YAY! Another crab owner!" :D I've got two in a 29g (one's a large, the other is a jumbo) and they are seriously so much fun. I feel like a goober saying that, but I really enjoy taking care of them.
Yours are so cute, with epic names to match. I can't wait to see their new digs. I know they will be spoiled with you as their owner. c:

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Miss Monster says "Hi!"

Oh she is so gorgeous, Courtney! I love her shell! Please post more pics!! I LOVE natural shells. I feel bad to have bought them from one of those stores because it just makes them buy and sell more and I admit it was impulsive. I was waiting for my parents to go on vacation so I wouldn't hear them complain but I couldn't wait. It was too tempting!! I "rescued" them I guess;) And don't worry I totally know what you mean! They're such cool pets. I haven't had one since 2011 so I missed having them. They're so fun and easy to care for and I love decorating their little aquariums!

I'll update with pictures of their new digs soon. I'm trying to decide the best substrate to put on the bottom!:D

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Spock and Kirk updated to a 2.5 Gallon glass (humidifying) tank with much deeper coco mulch and lots of room to dig, climb, etc. I also added a pond and some wire for them to climb!! I think they love it already. You can see Spock dug himself a new hole and Kirk was already climbing LOL. I gave them much more food, some lettuce and banana.

My Ideal tank would be a 10 gallon but honestly don't have the room or money for that right now. I've had hermit crabs live much long in less ideal conditions so I am sure this is one of the better "crabitats" I've come up with!

Aww, looks good! And so much better than what they were living in at the store!

MUCH better. :D I bet the hermies love it. I've just got one suggestion. The next time you get new substrate they might enjoy the finer-textured coco fiber instead. Its easier for them to dig and molt in. Their new home looks great, though! I bet they feel so much better now.

And don't feel bad about where you bought them from. Its fine! My sister bought Monster from a terrible little place in the mall about two and half years ago. That place has since quit selling hermies.

I couldn't find many decent recent photos, but I took one of my other crab last night.
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Miss Murder says "Hi! Now put me down. :[ "

I've got a video of Towser barking at the hermit crab tank that I'll post in Dog General later. C:

Miss Murder is so cute!! :D How old is your other Hermie? I'd love to see a picture thread totally for them hehe ;) I'd love to see their tank setup as well.

I thought my mom parents would be mad I spent so much on them but they were actually happy that they have a nice home!

What a great photo of Miss Murder! Hi, cutie!

Thanks you two. :) I had planned on doing a thorough cleaning of their home in the next few days, so I'll take a few new photos then and make a thread.

Alyssa, since all hermits are wild caught, I am not for sure on their ages. Studies have showed that you can guesstimate a hermit crab's age by how big they are, and judging by the chart Monster would be atleast 20 and Murder is closer to 10 or 15. I've had Monster for two and a half years and Murder for almost a year.
I'm glad your parents were okay with it! My mum is afraid of them lol. She says they look too much like spiders. :D

Kirk and Spock are so cool!:cool: I've always been fascinated by hermit crabs.

Thanks! :D

You should get some Annette, they're so cute :) Courtney do you have the link to the chart or was it not online?

I got a cute pic of Kirk I wanted to share. I LOVE when they go in their shells from being scared and then they slowly peek out are you LOL it's so cute.
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Oh and an additional one of Kirk.

I find their eyes so beady and cute:p

Here is the link: Here!
Its a post on a forum that is really dedicated to the well being of hermit crabs in captivity. :) So feel free to explore!

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Originally Posted by Alysser

You should get some Annette, they're so cute :)

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Oh no! Right now I have too many fish to care for! I'm just going to enjoy looking at pics of yours!:D

So Kirk turned out to be a girl like I figured she was. I confirmed it 3 days ago. I didn't want to rename her but calling a girl "Kirk" is kind of mean. So I looked up some Vulcan names for females and T'Stala (pronounced Tastala) struck out to me. I was looking into a name for one of Spocks women but honestly I just really like T'Stala...so I kind of saddled her with that. :p Aside from that they are loving their new cage. These guys are a bit of a pain and like to dig and dig and dig their food so I need to go searching for it. We don't want any mites here! They are pretty active, especially Spock, the little blue one. I got a new camera, so here are some pictures of them. :D
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I don't know why but I just think Hermit Crabs are adorable LOL. I love the beady eyes. Someone told me they remind them of spiders but I hate spiders and I let these guys crawl all over me!

Your hermies are so tiny and adorable compared to my two!

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Originally Posted by Alysser

I don't know why but I just think Hermit Crabs are adorable LOL. I love the beady eyes. Someone told me they remind them of spiders but I hate spiders and I let these guys crawl all over me!

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I think they are the cutest things, too. :) My mum is one of those that say they remind her of spiders. I used to have a few Ecuadorians, and they move a lot faster than these... if mum saw them she would run out of the room squealing like a little girl. lol

Hee hee - congrats on your new name T'Stala! ;) Such fun you guys are having!