Ever Seen a Hermit Crab Change Shells?

I have an Ecuadorian hermit crab (used to have 3, but only the largest is left now), which are apparently somewhat notorious for not changing shells readily. Ringshark has always been reluctant to change shells, so despite a tank full of shells she rarely changes, except occasionally back and forth between her two favorites. I've written about her indecision over shell changing before -- and that was the one and only time I've actually witnessed her making the switch. If you'd like to see a crab making the switch, this site called Naturally Crabby has a piece that features a great YouTube video of a crab changing shells along with a description of some interesting things to note about the process. I swear I could watch this all day -- it is so amazing (and a bit weird to see the abdomen of a hermit crab, so different from the end we usually see!).

As fun as watching shell changing is, this is also a good reminder about how important it is to provide a good variety of shells for hermit crabs, as they will be stressed if they don't have decent shells. You also need lots of good shells, as they will get into serious battles over the best shells. More information on shell changing and choosing shells can be found in Choosing Shells for Your Hermit Crab, including why I won't buy painted shells.