Hermit crab from the wild

You can keep them and treat them the same as you would the ones from the pet store. As for the changing of the shell I would put a couple of other shells in there and you never know when he will change. They are critters that are very picky when it comes to shells. Also you might want to have more than one for these lil guys are community guys. I have three. I have the oldest one has molted twice now which means he is liking where and what he lives in and what he is fed. Make sure they have plenty of water because a crab can go a few days without food but not with out water. When I put new shells in I boil them in water first to make sure they are clean and once they cool down I drop into their tank. Also remember to much stuff in their tank or living area cause stress as well they do not like clutter. They like to climb on things so keep that in mind as well.

I guess you have a new pet hermie...hehe I have 13. You can get lots of iformation about hermit crabs at these links. What is required for the care of them etc. www.crabstreetjournal.com www.hermitcrabassociation.com www.hermit-crabs.com You can also identify what kind of crab he is at these sites. Good luck with your new hermie.

We have 10 hermit crabs - 5 giants and 5 small. The giants change shells all the time and are very active. The smalls have been with us over a year and only 2 have changed shells. They need a number of shells just a bit larger than their current one to choose from. Sometimes it happens immediately but if they really like their shell they aren't going to leave it. The hermit crabs from the pet stores are almost all wild caught. If you keep your crab make sure he has water, humidity, sand to bury himself and molt and a variety of food. You can feed him veggies, fruit, peanut butter, cooked meat and just about anything you have.

Don't keep a wild animal as a pet! He's going to be way different than ones from the pet store. However, I don't really know much about hermit crabs. :P

Please turn him loose, put him back where you found him the shell looks better on him than on a mantle, he will only switch when he finds an empty bigger shell.