Question about Ecuadorians and their temperament

[jeskalyn]

I recently bought 2 new Ecuadorian hermit crabs from a reptile expo as I have read all good things about them and their sweet and trusting nature. I could not find them in pet stores, but found them at this expo in less than optimal conditions. So I took them home to find that one's lower limb was partly severed, and both crabs were incredibly skiddish and afraid of me. I put them in a 10-gallon tank with deep substrate, hiding places, climbing toys, plenty of shells, fresh and salt water, two food dishes, adequate humidity, etc. They did, however, seem very active when I would sneak up on their tank and peek in (until they noticed me, at which point, they would fall over or run away).

The day after I got them, I put Lola in my palm and talked nicely to her...and the second I set her down, she took both pincers, grabbing a hold of the skin in between my thumb and pointer finger, and pinched as hard as she could, alternating her grasp between pincers. I screamed in pain, squirted her with water, and eventually had to run her under tap water, unfortunately, in order for her to let go (and even that did not work right away).

I thought Ecuadorians were supposed to be sweet and trusting, but nothing has really changed in the past two weeks that I've had these 2. They are deathly afraid of me.

They're also incredibly MESSY. They trash the tank within an hour of when I clean it, dragging their food all over, knocking everything down, etc. That doesn't bother me as much as their general behavior. I'm afraid to put them in with my purple pincers (and possible ruggies - not sure if I can tell the difference).

What is up with these hermit crabs? Please help!

[CrabbyJo]

Your little Equadorians have been through a hellish experience. You said you bought them in less than optimal conditions - can you imagine the awful things they have been through, since being harvested and most likely thrown into a sack full of other crabs and wadded up newspaper, kept there for who knows how long, flown on an airplane who knows how long, put on display and handled and harassed for who knows how long?
The poor little dears have no idea that you want to love and care for them. So here is what you do - give them 2-4 weeks undisturbed, other than changing their food and water and cleaning up the mess they make (yes they are very lively little crabs). You will have to get used to that, they are active and fast, compared to PP's which lumber along compared to E's.

These little guys need time to destress, where they can grow used to food always being available, water and space always available, and they need to get used to the sounds and vibrations in your home, and the patterns of activity. After that they may settle down a bit.

As for all E's having a sweet, trusting disposition, don't believe everything you read.
I have 7 E's, and the first two have been very reclusive. I see my PP's more than I see those little guys, but I have obtained several more over the past year, and I have only one that is pretty reliable for being out a lot. he spent 2 months trashing the tank, digging like a crazy crab. Every day new tunnels and hills. Now I haven't seen him for a week or two, so maybe he is molting again, but my other E's are making regular appearances now. I'm not sure if it's the climate, the time of year, but their activity changes frequently, and I can't rely on anything lol.

E's tend to become frightened very easily, depending on their personality, and will scuttle away quite quickly. Give them time to get used to your home, first, then after a few weeks, you can start to work on getting them used to YOU. Start slowly, and gently, and start practicing hand feeding with a little honey on the end of a spoon handle or something small like that (flat toothpicks work well too).

Don't worry about your PP's when the iso time is up (those few weeks, minimum of 2, but 3 or 4 is better), they will get along fine with the E's.

[Wai]

Ecuadorians sound like my Aussies.

Unlike dogs, hermit crabs tend not to be affectionate pets. You can't really tame them and as Jo said, they have absolutely no idea that you just want to love and care for them. Instead, they just see that you are some freaky giant who has imprisoned them in a glass tank against their will. However, some hermit crabs do eventually "get used" to their owner and will not be as easily frightened, but that's as far as it goes.

All my hermit crabs, except for Eris and Ixion, are still somewhat frightened of me. Although Eris and Ixion are not affectionate, they have stopped trying to run away to the furthest corner of the tank upon seeing me peek into the tank.

[emmac350]

Size seems to have a decent amount to do with the temperament of a crab. My three larger (medium and large) PPs are very calm with being handled, don't seem to mind it in the least. They're at least curious when they are handled and try to explore their new surroundings. The little PPs and my little Es all freak out when handled. They don't care about exploration, they care about escape. I'm being patient with them as they are all growing rather quickly, but that's my experience. I do hope that the little ones will calm down eventually.

[jeskalyn]

Thanks guys...you've made me feel a lot better! I hope they do get more used to their surroundings and their new home. One more question... I have a 20-gallon tank with 8 crabs in it and it's a little full as it is... 3 large crabs, 1 medium, and 4 small ones (one possibly "micro"?). I'm a bit nervous to add the E's in there. 10 sounds like it's more than the max capacity. How many crabs per tank do you usually recommend? I am thinking of getting a bigger tank...so much expense for such small creatures. Haha.

[CrabbyJo]

You're not kidding about the expense, and we end up doing it more than willingly, almost with a fever about it! lol.

It does sound a little crowded in your tank, and I am sure your crabs would love a bigger playground.

It's hard to resist, I am dreaming of a 75 gallon someday (I have a 55 gallon) but I realize I'd also have to deep clean that sucker too. lol. I'm up for it! hah!

[emmac350]

If the Es are pretty small and you get yourself a lot of upper levels to use the top portions of the tank (otherwise, they're just wasted "gallons" that provide nothing for your crabs) you could probably get away with the 10 crabs for at least a few months. That being said, you might want to set up an exerciser in a large Rubbermaid container or a baby pool to get them out and stretch their legs regularly. Also, in conditions that are bordering on overcrowded, make sure to feed plenty of food, and especially extra meat and calcium to try to weed out aggression between the crabs.

[llmercll]

Hello!

My 10 gallon has 2 pp's and one E. They're all doing well and there no fighting/bullying, the E seems to get along with the PP's well. So far, they seem identical asides from different exo colors.

The one thing I noticed, is that while my PP's tend to stay above, in plain sight during the day, my E is ONLY seen at night. I have no idea where he is during the day, and am assuming he buries.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has noticed this and if there are any other "traits" that are unique to the E.

thanks!

[ladybug15057]

E's here scoot about at all times. In another thread (Sept. 6) you mentioned they finally surfaced after being burrowed a few weeks? Sounds like he/she is still recovering from a recent molt.