I have 4 extra shells for my Halloween hermit, all various sizes larger than the one its in now, and it tends to move from shell to shell almost daily. Is this because it doesn't like any of them? I'm running out of places to put more shells for it to choose from.
Mine always did that when I first brought them into my care, but settled down after a week or so. If I ever added a new shell, it would start the process all over again, each one trying on all the others they've tried/rejected before.
I'm kind of concerned because its gone back to the shell it came with since I got it in June (I think), and I read that they change shells every month or so. It just shed its exoskeleton yesterday (I thought it was its dead body) so maybe it will go to a bigger shell now.
Do you know if they ever stop growing? It was a lot bigger than the blue legs when I got it. Here's a couple of photos:
They can get up to 3"(Halloween). If you add more be sure to add some empty shells that are bigger. The Halloween hermit and other hermits sometimes kill others for their shell. The molting do look gruesome!!
I used to mess with mine, and take out an empty shell they had all rejected. A few hours later, it was a 'new' shell to everyone when I put it back! Was that bad? (footnote: I was only 7 or 8 yrs old)
I do that LOL, I gather the empty ones up and put them all in a corner sometimes when I have my hand in there while I reset frag plugs that the turbo knocks over.