i want to know

Question
I just got my hermit crab about four days ago and its been acting fine but i just want to know if there is a way to tell the difference between a boy or a girl by the color of there skin please help oh and do i need to get another hermit crab in the same cage because i don't want it to get lonely and depressed so what should i do because i have a very small cage???? I NEED HELP!!!!!!

Answer
Dear Peyton,
thank you for your question.
The colour of the exoskeleton is influenced by what the crab eats and to some extent by the species and has nothing to do with the crab being male or female.
To sex your crab, hold it by the shell at some distance over a table to that the crab has to stretch to reach the ground. Take a look at the pair of legs closest to the shell: if you see a tiny hole on the last segment of each leg, you have a female crab. This website has good pictures:
http://www.thecrabbagepatch.com/crabanatomy.html

Hrmit crabs are very social and need company. Groups of four or more crabs work well because even if one crab is molting, there are still enough crabs that no-one is lonely (although they may start to molt all at once after some time).
You can find very good information on crab care on these websites:
www.thecrabbagepatch.com
www.hermitcrabassociation.com
www.landhermitcrabs.com
www.epicurean-hermit.com
www.hermit-crabs.com
http://www.crabbytalk.com/

I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer