I was ripping up the old indoor Red-foot habitat, when I heard noises in the debris- all three hermit crabs were alive and active!
So, backstory: Back in early December, I added three Hermit Crabs (the purple clawed versions) to my 9x4' indoor tort habitat like was suggested in Vinke and Vetter's "South American Tortoises" to serve like catfish do in a fish tank.
There was some give and take here- many seemed to think that the crabs would nibble on the tortoises, or the tortoises would eat the crabs. I offered nothing for the crabs other than a hiding place the torts could not access- which the crabs rarely used.
By March, I saw and heard one crab often, and occasionally a second one and assumed the 3rd was a casualty since I never saw it again.
In June, the torts went outside and I stopped watering, heating, or lighting the habitat- frankly I had rather forgotten about the crabs because of other issues in the house at the time.
So- from early June to mid-August- no water, no food, no shells to move into, and I find them apparently hale and hearty! I dropped them in the little guys habitat to recuperate and within an hour they were hiding and nestled in the moss. Amazing!
And to think- whenever we bought these silly things for the kids- they died in weeks!
So, backstory: Back in early December, I added three Hermit Crabs (the purple clawed versions) to my 9x4' indoor tort habitat like was suggested in Vinke and Vetter's "South American Tortoises" to serve like catfish do in a fish tank.
There was some give and take here- many seemed to think that the crabs would nibble on the tortoises, or the tortoises would eat the crabs. I offered nothing for the crabs other than a hiding place the torts could not access- which the crabs rarely used.
By March, I saw and heard one crab often, and occasionally a second one and assumed the 3rd was a casualty since I never saw it again.
In June, the torts went outside and I stopped watering, heating, or lighting the habitat- frankly I had rather forgotten about the crabs because of other issues in the house at the time.
So- from early June to mid-August- no water, no food, no shells to move into, and I find them apparently hale and hearty! I dropped them in the little guys habitat to recuperate and within an hour they were hiding and nestled in the moss. Amazing!
And to think- whenever we bought these silly things for the kids- they died in weeks!
