Species differences

[emmac350]

Hey guys...I just found some Es at a local pet store (will be buying after New Years, most likely) and I had some questions about the differences between PPs (which I have) and Es.

My PPs have been with me since the end of September. A week or two into October, they dug down and one has molted (checked from the bottom of the 'tat) and has been moving around much more often, and the other one has come up, eaten, drank, explored, and hasn't been up since. I realize I've only had them two months and 6 days, but this seems a little ridiculous. If I get Es, will they be more active than this even within the "destressing" period? Is their destressing period shorter? Longer?

I guess what I'm asking is, how do Es compare with PPs from the moment you buy them and onward?

[lolagranola]

Honestly I haven't found much difference. I have social PPs and social E's it just depends on the crab. You will see the crabs will come up and be more active. Do you have a good source of "sunlight"? sometimes sunglo bulbs will draw out the hiders.

[emmac350]

For now I just use my desklamp as I'm not using it. It keeps the temp stable around 75-77 degrees while it's being run, but I only use that when I'm having problems with temperature. One of the three Es at the store that I saw was actually active during the afternoon! It was such a shock to me as all the PPs I've seen (at the Petsmart and in my 'tat) have always just been hiders...I even put a whole shrimp sauteed in olive oil with lime juice and little pieces of lime in there...and no one came up last night. I saw the one two nights ago, but not since. I've owned them for two months now...are they still getting used to me and destressing?

[erikleeson]

There are many pros and few cons about introducing E's to the tank.

Yes, E's are very active in comparison to Purple Pincers. They also rarely change shells but require a wider shell opening likd a D or 0 shaped opening. They do not like shells with a O shape opening such as a turbo shell. E's are also one of the smallest species of hermit crabs, if not the smallest. Some of them or simply teeny! They have brilliant coloring ranging from a solid tan, to a mottled blue, orange, brown. I have noticed that they really like high climbing areas, especially when accompanied by fake or live plants. So a second level is a huge plus. E's can run sideways, backward and forward. All of them being pretty fast. The only things about them that you should keep in mind is that they for one thing are a little more delicate than PP's, which are the hardiest to care for. The Ecuadorians should have a more stable temperature of no less than 23^o C. And try to keep the temperature at one range, only changing as much as 3 degrees or so throughout the day. So wide temperature fluctuations are not really good for them. They also need a deeper substrate to molt in. These crabs do dig alot as well. As far as diet goes, it doesn't really matter. All of my E's love shrimp tails though, especially Gilbert. Only one of my PP's seemed to like the shrimp tails so thats something I would recommend trying.

Now that that is out of the way, here are some things that I have noticed only with my crabs, I'm not sure that all E's are like this but mine certainly are.

They are easier to handle, They never seem to pinch and they come out fast.
They get scared easily, so when you walk by they will withdraw quickly.
They like to "hang out" like hanging partially out of their shell and sit in one spot for up to 5 minutes

Although I may have sounded like they are very difficult to care for, they are actually not. My PP's didn't like the idea of the new species entering but they settled down quick. The results of keeping E's are very rewarding!

Good luck!