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Hermit Crab Care

A Note to Joe on Junior. - Sarah - 1/17/2004
Hi Joe!
I too have a hermit crab named Junior! He was afraid to come out of his shell for me. He is an ecuadorian tree crab, and has grown to be very lovable. I have gotten past all but two of my shy guys and I have over 60 crabs at the moment, so thus far I feel that we are doing pretty good. We aren't prefect though, so just take these as ideas that you can use and let me know how it goes.

How long have you had your hermit crabs?
Usually when I get new hermies I do a lot of talking to them when I go by the tank and handling them calmly. If the hermies are brand new I would give them a few days to get use to your voice first, then I would begin picking them up while staying still. I held my Junior on the couch while I watched my children play or watching the tv, and just let him set on my chest looking toward my face. This got him use to my presense, and after a while he would come out to peek at me out of curiosity.
It takes time for some of these little guys due to the many travels they have made, in shipping and such, as the one on the way to the last pet store where they were purchased. I think they begin to wonder if it will ever end. Finally they get to their new home and don't know just what to think. In time your Junior will come out to see you. One way we like to get our hermit crabs to come out is durring bath time. They will usually come out of the shells after awhile and then I can sometimes hold them at that time, but my Junior was an exception. He didn't even want to come out for his bath. Another method we use is by blowing into their shells Kind of as you do when you are going to clean a pair of glasses. It is that humidity that brings them out. It doesn't work with all of them but for many it will. If your shy hermie is one of those that needs the one on one attention in order to come out and get to know you, then that is what I recomend. For many they are just afraid of the unexpected. Give him some time and he should begin to trust you.
Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you, and let me know how your little hermie does with these recomendations. If these don't work, we will try to figure out if there is something more we can do.

Thank you for your email Joe!

Sarah
Mommy of Many