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What is it that you’re wanting to know about painted shells? I’ve read you should try to avoid them considering they have a tendency to chip, and occasionally leach out into the water dish and make their selves and their cage mates sick 🙁 They look cool but so do a lot of natural shells out there. I’d say if you’d like to keep your crabbies healthy and beautiful keep them in natural shells.
There has been discussion here in the past about painted shells. Either the shell is painted with the crab in it or the crab is forced to leave the shell it is in in favor of the decorated one. IMO this would be traumatic to the crab in either case.
I try to create a naturalistic environment in my crabitats. Unpainted shells add to the beauty.
Hi I just purchased my first hermies today (3 of them) approximaltely golf ball sized – all they had was the painted shell hermies – will they be ok in them until they moult next?? I have plain shells in their for them to go into when they are ready – however I do have to get more sand and I think i’ll get a bigger tank next month – the tank they are in now is only 30x30x30 – hopefully they can wait to move until next month…
Hi, I am a new crab owner myself and purchased my first Hermie in a painted shell. As I was setting up the crabitat I purchased a variety of natural shells, one painted shell, and 3 additional unpainted hermies. Interestingly, when Jessica (my original Hermie) changed her shell, she chose the painted one over the other natural ones of similar size. I have since read the various opinions on the dangers of paint and am carefully watching for chips and wear.
Painted shells are just bad news. There is nothing you can or should do to force a crab from a painted shell. Offer natural shells and as soon as a painted one is vacated, remove it from the tank and toss it.
Here is one of our articles on painted shells:
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