A Story of Hermit Crab Intelligence

There have been many speculations regarding land hermit crab intelligence, but no one person can decide whether land hermit crabs are smart animals or not so smart animals.

There is one theory that I support which says that hermit crabs may not have direct intelligence, but they act with instinct. This may appear to the human as intelligence, but underneath it is actually the crab acting upon an instinct to survive or to eat.

There are three basic instincts that go through an animal's body. The instinct to get nutrition (to eat and drink), the instinct to reproduce, and the instinct to survive. Hermit crabs have these all successfully managed because they are scavengers and exist in large colonies. They have a shell to help them survive.

This story that shows a bit of land hermit crab intelligence happened to one of my very own crabs, a Fenwick Island micro, Sayang. I found Sayang's shell in the water dish and began to think, "What could be wrong?"

Fortunately, I found Sayang's nude body underneath a plastic plant. I quickly brought her out and got her to reshell. I was very thankful for that.

I quickly placed her back in the tank and she went along her way, never to drop the shell again. At least she wasn't stressed. After this episode, I began to ponder what happened.

The only story that I can think of is a very interesting story indeed. Normally, I have fish nets going into the water dishes to help the micros out if they need to, but sometimes a larger crab will knock them out of the way.

In this case, the rope was not in the water and the crab may have fallen in. Sayang could not get out of the dish, so she had to drop her shell and use it to climb out of the water to prevent drowning. Is this intelligence or instinct?

Either way, she managed to save herself. I thought this may be an interesting story to share with all of the other hermit crabbers.

Clan Update!

So, it's been a long while since I've updated on my entire clan, so I figured I should. I started out with eight of my crabs, but sadly, two of the Fenwick Island crabs died. Now, I'm left with six of these crabs. Here are their stories.

Mako has been doing great. He is looking up to par and is also very healthy. He likes to walk around a lot and he enjoys eating. It's funny because since I've had him the longest, he really isn't afraid of my hand or the camera anymore.

Shinto Tetracolor is doing great also. He's only molted once since I've had him, but his color is much darker than Mako's. It's funny that Mako has never really darkened up while I've had him, despite the good foods that I feed him. Anyway, Shinto is looking great, but he is in the same type of shell as Mako!

Pompeii is doing amazing! She recently completed her fourth molt with me and she is finally losing her baby blue colors. When I compared her old picture to her after-molt picture, it's amazing to see the differences! She really is darkening up.

Ryukyu, the Viola, is also doing great. I'm not sure if he is planning on a molt, but he has been digging down for the past few weeks. It may be the winter weather that is forcing him underground. Either way, he is also looking great and is very healthy.

Kamranga, one of my Fenwick Island micros, is doing the best out of all of the Fenwick Island crabs. She is extremely healthy and has molted once or twice with me. She likes to hang out on the resin log and is very active. I am happy she is doing so well and I am expecting her to have a long life with me.

Sayang, one of my Fenwick Island micros, is not doing so great at the moment. I was moving one of my waterdishes out of the way and I found her underneath the dish with only two of her legs left. Her pinchers and another pair of legs were completely gone! I placed her in a shell pit with honey for isolation, but she seemed pretty active and wanted to get out of there (she was even shell shopping!), so I moved her down and somehow (don't ask me!) she managed to dig down underneath the substrate with only two legs!

So, that is basically the entire clan. I am hoping to find another Ecuadorian for Pompeii still, and hopefully another Viola for Ryukyu. I feel bad that Pompeii hasn't had any communication with any Ecuadorians in the past few months, but I am hoping I will find one soon for her. I am also hoping to find some Straws in the area.

The tank is needing a deep clean by the end of December, so you can expect a post about that soon!

Happy Thanksgiving, Crabbers!

Thanksgiving is a truly great holiday for everyone. What could be better than family getting together and enjoying a delicious, hot meal while thinking about all of the things they may take in life for granted. As much as you enjoy this holiday, it can also be a great feast for land hermit crabs, provided that everything is safe for them.

Here are a few holiday foods that are sure to be a hit in your land hermit crab's diet!

Turkey can be a great food for land hermit crabs because of it being a good source of protein. Additionally, land hermit crabs are known to eat dead birds in the wild, so this closely resembles what they may find. Please be careful if you are planning to give your land hermit crabs turkey that you pull some aside and do not add salt or pepper to their portion.

Sweet potatoes or yams can be another good food for land hermit crabs because of its high concentration of Vitamin A and beta carotene. This can be a great color enhancer for lighter crabs and will really bring out the color in your hermits. Be sure not to feed the canned variety, but you can buy fresh and cook those (without any seasonings!).

Green beans and other vegetables are a great food to offer to the land hermit crabs because of the wide range of nutrients and vitamins. Just make sure they aren't seasoned with anything!

Finally, cranberry sauce may not be the best option for your land hermit crabs, but naturally dried cranberries with no added sugar or preservatives are the closest relative to that delicious jelly that the crabs will love!

Will all these ideas, here's hoping that your land hermit crabs will have a delicious and nutritious Thanksgiving!

Recent Perlatus Findings

Before I talk about what the title says, I'd just like to mention that contrary to my hypothesis, the crabs did not respond to raw sweet potato all that well... it wasn't eaten... at all. I don't have many crabs that are active right now, but it wasn't eaten at all. I may try steaming one in the future to see if it gets any different results.

As for the title, there have been a boom in the findings of Coenobita perlatus, or Strawberry hermit crabs lately! They have been appearing all over the place. I would suggest checking your local pet stores (big chains, too).

Straws come from the tropical islands around Indonesia and are a protected species in Australia. They are known for their stunning red exoskeleton, but also for not having a great survival rate in captivity.

Of course, the looks of these crabs draw every crabber into wanting to obtain one, but you really should make sure you have the right conditions for this land hermit crab before making a purchase.

As aforementioned, make sure if you are planning on acquiring any C. perlata, you have a proper set up. These jewels need to have a strictly high humidity level and temperature and I also recommend UV lighting. They can be a great addition to any crabitat (especially because they are so active), but often have low survival rates in captivity.

They are known for fading into less bright shades of red, too. This can (hopefully) be changed by a diet high in color-enhancing pigments and possibly the additon of UV lighting.

To any who venture off to get any Strawberries, good luck! If you are willing to put forth the cash, they are also available at LiveHermitCrabs.com, but I do not recommend purchasing them in the winter, even though they are currently having a sale on Straws.

A Sweet Treat

A while back when I was a bit younger, I remember wading through streams and catching crayfish. This was always a fun activity for my brothers and I (and hey, this might have even started my addiction to crustaceans!).

Anyway, we kept a few of those crayfish and went to the library to see what they liked to eat. One of the recommended foods was sweet potato (or yams, whatever you want to call them), along with other protein sources.

I've pretty much figured that land hermit crabs and crayfish would enjoy the same foods, so I have finally decided to give them some fresh sweet potato! The crayfish used to love it and eat it all, so I am sure the crabs are bound to love it.

The sweet potato is full of beta-carotene, so that means a lot of vitamin A for the crabs tonight. It is also a great enhancer in color. Just in case they like it and if the United States goes on a yam famine, I have some extra stored up in the freezer along with some other fruit.

So, the results for the yam test will be posted some time soon! Keep an eye out for that post. Hopefully it will have some pictures. :)

Species Highlights: Purple Pincher (Coenobita clypeatus)

This is the first “Species Highlights” post, so I hope all of my readers will enjoy it!

Purple Pincher (Coenobita clypeatus) hermit crabs are found throughout the Caribbean Islands and the entire area of the West Indies. Purple Pinchers are commonly known for their large, purple big pincher.

Where the average temperature is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity level is usually 60% to 85%, you can see how these land hermit crabs require a tropical climate at home, and not a kritter keeper that is cool and not damp.

Purple Pinchers are unlike other land hermit crabs in that they are usually a hardier species than the other land hermit crabs that exist. Purple Pinchers seem to endure slightly tougher conditions.

Purple Pinchers come in ranges from tan (while they’re young), to purple, red, burgundy, mahogany, or blue as an adult. They can be anywhere from the size of a dime to the size of a large apple. Some Purple Pinchers can even live long enough to be 35!

Purple Pinchers don’t truly need any special care compared to the other species of land hermit crabs, but they require the basic necessities you can find on the HCC. Purple Pinchers can be a fun species to watch as they will usually be a little active in the day and quite active at night in your crabitat.

As an owner of many Purple Pinchers myself, I can tell you that they are a great species of land hermit crab to own and also the most abundant here in the United States. They molt well and they are always around the tank somewhere. The smaller ones seem to be more active than the larger ones, but they are all great overall!

The best thing about Purple Pinchers is the range of colors that they display. Although they are common to buy in the United States, other countries think of them as an exotic species. If you are a hermit crab lover and crave other species of land hermit crabs, definitely look at your Purple Pinchers a bit harder - they are great, too!

The Verdict: Kiwano

A few days ago, I trialed the kiwano melon to see how it went over with the crabs. Unable to find it on hardly any food lists, I went ahead and trialed it, knowing that it wasn't necessarily deemed safe or unsafe.

However, there was no evidence proving that this food was unsafe for hermit crabs, and I have to say that my hermit crabs most likely agree.

The kiwano was eaten a bit, but it definitely wasn't a huge favorite in my tank. If you're looking for exotic fruits for your crabs, stick to pomegranate, mango, kiwi, and the like. The kiwano was not a very interestinting food for my crabs*.

*Trial was conducted on fresh and three-day old kiwano. Dried kiwano may produce different results with land hermit crabs.

On a side note, I've tried a new lettuce with the crabs and they seem to like it. It's called escarole. I also enjoy it with a bit of vinegar!

It's always a good idea to offer leafy green vegetables with land hermit crabs because they can boost calcium and other vitamin levels in your land hermit crabs. There is, however, a debate about oxalic acids (how's that for a big word) which bind to calcium sources, so this is a potential problem for leafy greens. Observing a land hermit crab's diet in the wild would be great in order to see if they eat leafy greens. Then, finally, the myth can either be proved or busted!

Food Trial: Kiwano

A new food is being trialed in my crabitat today. Recently, I purchased a kiwano melon (also called a horned melon, melano, and African horned melon) for $3.99 at my loca supermarket.

While a little expensive, I always enjoy trying new fruits, so I couldn't pass this delectable fruit up! I came home and cup it open, scooped out the green guts and began to eat!

I'm not going to lie, the texture of this fruit is a little gross - kind of like fish eggs. However, the flavor is very subtle and reminds me of a kiwi and cucumber mix. I actually enjoyed it, even though the texture was a little strange (but also kind of fun).

I just recently placed the green inside into the crab tank to see how they go over with the crabs. Bon appetit!

Species Highlights

Hey, KH Readers!

I would like to take this blog post to inform you that I am going to be writing a post for each species of land hermit crabs, highlighting their differences, explaining how to identify them, where they come from, their special needs, and what their owners think about them.

Look for new Species Highlights every week! I am going to be trying to post them frequently. The order that each species comes out will be posted below:

1) Coenobita clypeatus Purple Pincher
2) Coenobita compressus Ecuadorian
3) Coenobita violascens Viola
4) Coenobita perlatus Strawberry
5) Coenobita rugosus Ruggie
6) Coenobita brevimanus Indo
7) Coenobita cavipes Cavipe
8) Coenobita purpureus Blueberry
9) Coenobita variabilis Aussie

So, keep an eye out for these posts as they come in! Note that some posts may take longers to other depending on when an owner gets back to me with the required information!

*Note: Order was updated to reflect order of importance 7/20/09. :)

Possible Effects of UV Lighting

UV light sources (such as UVA and UVB) have potential to be beneficial in the world of land hermit crabs. UV Lighting can even go as far as helping molts, creating a stronger color, helping land hermit crabs digest food, and also increasing activity level. Throughout this article, I will examine the effects that UV has had on my crabs since being introduced.






As far as molting goes, my crabs have always molted well. After introducing UV light, I have noticed no true different in my hermit crab's molting behaviors. However, I do believe that introducing UV has helped my land hermit crab's color and activity level.

Getting a UV light source for land hermit crabs seems to help them in one way or another. Having an active day and night cycle mimics what you would find in nature, and having the most natural settings reduces stress and creates the most comfortable environment for your land hermit crabs, which results, in the end, for a long, healthy life.

Happy Halloween Update!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Sorry I haven't updated in a long time; I've had a lot of school work on my hands and hardly no time for leisure activities. The crabs are doing great, besides on death of the Fenwick Island Crabs (Komodo). He had molting troubles and may have been attacked. Other than that, everyone is doing great!

I am going to try to post more often and make it a habit. As for now, I'd just like to put it out there that my crabs have loved pumpkin! If you still have any parts of that jack-o-lantern left, don't hesitate to give it to the crabs as a treat (if the pumpkin is dry, a couple hours in a pool of freshwater should rehydrate it).

Not to mention, pumpkin is a great color enhancer, too!

Don't forget that it's pomegranate season, too! My crabs love the crushed seeds of a good pomegranate. Pomegranates are great in antioxidants and are very nutrient-rich. The dark color of the seeds may also induce color changes, but this is unstudied. I haven't tried offering the white parts of the pomegranate (because they taste nasty anyway), but the seeds are definitely a hit here! Try it!