shell hopping hermit's baggage?

[random]

This is my first experience with sw (good thing I'm only riding shotgun)
It seems that we have a "special" hermit:
Couldn't catch any of them swapping shells till we put in more extras and one of the blue legs went from 1 to another, back to the 1st, then back AGAIN to the 2nd, all in the space of ... 1/2 an hour? (okay, maybe longer, and maybe I'm going crazy waiting for the 1st fish but I'm trying to get the hang of all this wait/be patient stuff) :P

Checked today and it had switched 2 more times.

But actually i was going to ask if anyone knew about the light brown fuzzy looking cloud of ? around its back end...
Not what I was expecting to see, and not what the jade hermit looked like when it switched.

any idea(s)? hallucinations from staring too long?

[Gabriel]

i couldn't tell you why it is switching shells so much. but that brown looking "cloud" is a sack it uses it to go in and out of its shell.

[Hop]

That is just what hermits do. They are always looking for a better home. The stuff fin their back end is just tissue and organs and there are a few little legs back there to hold onto the shell.

[random]

Thanks for clearing that up!
wasn't able to find anything specific before.

The jade hermit must have switched too fast for me to tell, cause i really thought he had a more plain, lobster/shrimp-style, shell covered tail; the blue leg's cloud was very very big, compared to its size.

[Hop]

Here is a pic of one I had that was about the size of a golf ball. It was unable to deflate his bladder and ultimately was eaten a few moments after this picture. Don't be too alarmed, it was about 6 years old which should be a pretty ripe age for a hermit I think

[reefn4fun]

[quote=Hop;1580624]Here is a pic of one I had that was about the size of a golf ball. It was unable to deflate his bladder and ultimately was eaten a few moments after this picture. Don't be too alarmed, it was about 6 years old which should be a pretty ripe age for a hermit I think


What ate it?

[Hop]

a 16" brittle star...

[random]

whooa...
awesome pics, btw! thanks for the info on your site, too. (recently discovered vermetid hhs)

[Loverotties]

Originally Posted by Hop

That is just what hermits do. They are always looking for a better home. The stuff fin their back end is just tissue and organs and there are a few little legs back there to hold onto the shell.

Ditto!

[random]

Feels like we've had them forever - 3 cycle-weeks, which is at least 9 regular-people weeks, right?

Just surprised that the 1st time I saw one switch was also the 2nd, 3rd & 4th times.

They can be pretty entertaining, sometimes.

I've only ever seen (land) hermits on the beach, so this is like having a little piece of National Geo... well, Ranger Rick maybe, in my living room.

[Hop]

I know your feeling. When I first set up my 450 years ago I put a lone hermit in it for about 10 days. He was the only thing to see in the tank, but we would sit and watch him run laps for hours on end...

[Phishnoob]

I keep probably 20 extra snail shells in our little 28g just for this reason. Folks that don't like empty shells in their tank are better off snail only.

[random]

Originally Posted by Hop

When I first set up my 450 years ago I put a lone hermit in it for about 10 days. He was the only thing to see in the tank, but we would sit and watch him run laps for hours on end...

reassuring to know I'm not alone. Before we got the live rock, it was some sand and a few hermits and it was like, "29 gal for this seems a bit excessive". so: HUGE kudos on surviving! gives me hope

Originally Posted by Phishnoob

I keep probably 20 extra snail shells in our little 28g just for this reason. Folks that don't like empty shells in their tank are better off snail only.

Definitely!
we have plenty of little snails that'll have no prob keeping their shells.
But it was almost impossible to find larger empty shells around here, for some reason; looked & asked everywhere, nothing to trade or buy & finally ordered some off the net.
So of course they're too small, or too big, or too shiny etc for these guys. It's like goldilocks over here

[Dragonist]

In regards to we are on hermit crabs...some can be cool and some can be down right violent. I have left hand hermits w/ 1 gulf of mexico hermit. My left hands box all day and long banging each other w/ thier claws. My biggest 1 killed my first hermit...aka bully took off all his leggs just to take his shell...he just watched him die as he tried to move!

[random]

ew! The dark side of nature. Not pretty.

There's one in our tank, too. He's started hanging onto the other hermits' shells and harassing them for hours. One of the other blue legs went missing a few days ago, and we suspect that the bully dispatched him.

Speaking of behavior, one hermit we were told is a jade(?) regularly climbs up the corner of the tank (and/or the cord to the pump) and hangs out an inch or less from the surface of the water.

Any one else have 'high-flying hermits'?
and re. bullies, should we intervene, or let nature take its course? The biggest blue leg is almost twice the size of the others; they don't stand a chance. All six were introduced together, but he's grown the most.
plus we want to add to our clean up crew, but I don't them to become an expensive snack for their tankmate.