Yes, no, Maybe so?

[Pengy]

Should I get another hermie and Also can I boil th e hermit crab shells to get the paint off?

[CrabbyJo]

Pengy,
how many hermies do you have, and what size tank? How large is/are your current hermie/s? This matters in deciding whether it's time for more.

Sadly, those painted shells are ruined, you'll never get every bit off. There are a lot of inexpensive shell suppliers online and on ebay, check out the thread in the seashell section about websites that sell seashells. It's about the 5th thread down. All the Ebay sellers I've used have combined the shipping, and it's been really cheap.

Good luck!

[Wai]

Not all paints on shells can be removed by boiling or other methods. For example, I managed to tear off the entire paint layer on Jupiter's first shell after dumping it in hot (but not boiling) water. On the other hand, I have another painted shell that I boiled for 10 minutes and used nail polish remover on it, but traces of paint are stuck to the shell after slowly chipping off the paint layer flake by flake.

[Foxydiva3]

It's Sad bad I Just throw the Painted ones in my garden. I tried Boiling them once and ruined a whole pan from the paint and the glue on them. I boiled them for 1hr and most of the paint never came off. But I Had one crab who refused to change shells and the paint came off over a period of time in the tank from the humitity. I had to search for paint chips everyday! thank goodness he finally changed. Im Hate Painted shells!!!!!!!!!!! Ruins the pretty nature under neath.

[Pengy]

AWWW MAN!! I can't get it off.. grrr

I ahev five hermit crabs in a 25 gallon tank one small and four medium