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Hermit Crabs Welcome to the hermit crab page! Did you know that as hermit crabs grow they change shells for larger ones? When they are about to change shells, they need to have another shell ready. They try to change shells when no one is around so they can do it on their own. Did you know that hermit crabs aren't really crabs at all? Unlike a true crab, hermit crabs have a long abdomen, and they don't have a hard covering. The shells they use are leftover shells from snails. They use them for protection.
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| Animal Communication |
Be Sure to Chick Out This Video of Hermione the Hermit Crab Do
you know how hermit crabs communicate?
When its time to mate and have young, they behave like other After the male finds a mate, he might want to spend sometime with her before the mate. Some males stroke and tap their partners’ claws with their own claws. In some species, a male will take hold of the female’s snail shell and carry her around for awhile before mating. In order to mate, hermit crabs have to crawl out of their shell houses. Did you
know that hermit crabs have been heard making croaking sounds.
It is being studied to find out if it is another way for hermit crabs to
communicate, and if it's not, they want to know what it means.
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| Physical Characteristics |
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People who keep them as pets can see that they are very fast walkers. Usually the entire body is covered with hard, calcified armor. The hermit crab does not have this protection on the hindmost part of its body, the abdomen, which is soft and vulnerable. Did you know that Ecuadorian hermit crabs come in many different colors? Some of these colors are bright yellow, dark grey or orange. More often they are tan, but they sometimes have a tint of blue on their bodies or on the insides of their legs. They also can have a purple or red pincher.
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| Habitat |
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Hermit
crabs live on the Pacific seashore around the tidal pools and high |
| Food |
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Do you know what hermit crabs eat? Well they eat almost anything such as fruit, veggies, and cereal. Mashed bananas work best for growing crabs and strawberries work best for growing pinchers. Also hermit crabs like to eat hermit crab food. That is a mixture of octopus brains and raw fish. As pets, hermit crabs can also eat nuts and meat (although uneaten meat should be removed immediately). In the wild, hermit crabs are scavengers. They will eat seaweed, dead fish, and other stuff that washes up on shore.
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| Growth & Reproduction |
 Did
you know that hermit crabs must hatch in water? Like other crabs, they
grow by shedding their ex-skeleton. During this time they need to
be moist, and they should be able to bury themselves.
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| Other Interesting Facts |
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| Citations |
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Online Recourses Green, Jonathan. "Hermit Crab." World Book Online Reference Center. 2006. World Book Online Reference center. 2006 24, Feb. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Article?id=ar254180>. Rubin, Dawn. "Choosing a Hermit Crab." PetPlace.com. 5 May 2006 <http://www.petplace.com/reptiles/choosing-a-hermit-crab/page1.aspx>. Images Movie of hermit crab created by teammate Marissa. Permission to use photograph of hermit crab in spotted shell, hermit crab on branch, hermit crab looking at you, and hermit crab on rocks is granted under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page>. Copyrighted
image
of colorful hermit crab from "Microsoft
Office Online" <http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx?lc=en-us&cag=1>
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crabs.
Hermit
crabs have five pairs of legs that are used for different things. The
first pair of legs have claws. The claws are used for eating and
climbing. The other four pairs of legs are used for walking and used to
find food. 
tide
pools. They also live on beaches, sandy shores, in their shells,
and in people's homes. (They make very good pets for little kids.) Did you know
that hermit crabs can be found almost all over the world? Well, they
are.