Tag: good | The Crab Street Journal

Land Hermit Crab Shell Guide

In: FAQ

Tagged: bad, fit, good, hermit crab, measure, sea shell, shells, size, type, what to buy, where to order

A hermit crab’s shell is his home and his protection from predators and desiccation. Hermit crabs take up residence in discarded shells and can not make their own shell. When kept as pets it is important that you choose suitable shells for your hermit crab. Provide 3-5 suitable shells per hermit crab. Shells can be placed directly on the substrate or in a designated bin that we call a Shell Shop. This helps keep the shells clean and reduces the chances of them being buried. In semi-terrestrial hermit crabs a well-fitting shell is essential for maintaining low evaporation rates and carrying ample water. An appropriatelyRead More →

Pet Store Letter Writing Campaign

In: General

Tagged: advocacy, bad, campaign, good, hermit crab, letter, outreach, pet, store, writing

Our pet store letter writing campaign is a simple way you can advocate for the proper care of land hermit crabs in pet stores. Pet Store Appeal Packet In our Pet Store Appeal packet we have a pre written letter that anyone is free to use. It is a form letter that allows you to add your name, signature and contact info to make it more personalized. This is perfect for anyone who wants to work one on one with their local store to make improvements but needs some help opening the door. This letter comes with a special two sided caresheet that can beRead More →

Say NO to Painted Shells

In: Painted Shells

Tagged: bad, good, hermit crab care, natural, painted, shells

Painted shells are toxic, unnecessary, and destroy a much needed natural resource. Please speak out about this to your local pet shops who continue to order hermit crabs in painted shells just so they can charge more for them. Hermit crabs are forced out of their natural shell. One method can be seen in the video below, the crabs are placed in a vice and their natural shell is destroyed. Other methods include heating the shell so the crab abandons it, drilling a hole and poking the crab with a wire until it abandons the shell. Hermit crabs are often forced into the shells whileRead More →

Suitable shells for hermit crabs

In: General

Tagged: good, hermit crab, hermit crab care, kind, pictures, right, shells, suitable, type

It is known that the growth and egg production of marine and especially land hermit crab are affected by the weight of the shell occupied. (Bertness 1981b, Osorno et all. 1998) Experiments have shown that hermit crabs in well-fitting shells can survive without food or water six times as long as those removed from their shells. A new video on shells! We talk about good versus bad, measuring and where to buy! This is in two parts and viewable on the web. It was originally filmed via Periscope: Part One: https://www.katch.me/Crabstreet/v/f06c4638-ca60-32a0-98f2-e361c6fd302e Part Two: https://www.katch.me/Crabstreet/v/fb870949-0286-323b-b961-893a8fb2e5b5 Older video: Our video on choosing the right shellsRead More →

Mites: Friend or Foe? The Happy Tale of the Hypoaspis Mites

In: Crabitat, General

Tagged: beneficial, friend, good, helpful, hermit crab, hypoaspis, mites, predatory

written by Kerie Campbell 2005 Two months ago, during deep clean, I took my largest compressus,Houdini, out of the tank, turned him over to have a look, and a red…thing fell out of his shell. I couldn’t believe it! Mites!Huge, red mites. Houdini had a few, Fifi had some, and poor Ghidra,a pre-molt rugosus, was covered with them. I was appalled. I inspect new crabs when I get them for mites, and have never seen any. The only explanation I have is that these mites, being a bright red color, must have snuck in on some of the perlatus – they are the same colorRead More →

FAQ What foods are good and bad for hermit crabs?

In: FAQ, Food and Nutrition

Tagged: benefits, diet, feeding, food, good, healthy, hermit crab, nutrition, safe, unsafe, where to buy

Hermit Crabs are beach scavengers and they can and will eat a wide range of things. General rules: Avoid chemicals, pesticides, table salt, moldy foods, plants that are toxic to animals. For hermit crab nutritional needs and the foods that provide them, download the nutritional food chart as a PDF by clicking in the gray box below. Written by Kerie Campbell Fruits – Fresh or Wrinkly? I’ve read a lot about fresh fruits being in their diets, which I use a lot of BTW. But I’ve read a lot about people putting in fruits that are old and wrinkling up. Is one better than theRead More →

FAQ How do I choose suitable shells for my hermit crab?

In: Archives

Tagged: choosing, good, hermit crab, measure, proper, right, selecting, shells, suitable

***Note: There is a newer version of this article: Land Hermit Crab Shell Guide A hermit crab’s shell is his home and his protection from predators and dessication. Hermit crabs take up residence in discarded shells and can not make their own shell. When kept as pets it is important that you choose suitable shells for your hermit crab. In semi-terrestrial hermit crabs a well-fitting shell is essential for maintaining low evaporation rates and carrying ample water. An appropriately sized shell in good condition allows invasion of inland environments offering more shade, food and fresh water for C. clypeatus studied on Curacao. Hermit crabsRead More →