Tag: pps | The Crab Street Journal

An Argument for Isolating Hermit Crabs

Tagged: bacteria, black, coenobita, contagious, disease, hermit crab, illness, infection, isolation, mites, pps, rot, shell, spot

When adding newly purchased or acquired crabs to an existing colony, for the long-term health of all, we at CSJ recommend the use of an isolation tank. Placing newly purchased or adopted hermit crabs into an existing healthy colony without a quarantine period risks the unnecessary exposure of your healthy hermits to shell disease or parasites. If you are just starting out with hermit crabs and do not have an existing colony or crabitat in place, use of the PPS Reduction Method will allow you to monitor your new crabs for 30 days and bring them slowly up to ideal environmental conditions. The PPS ReductionRead More →

PPS (Post Purchase Stress) Minimizing the Impact

In: Biology, Caresheets, General

Tagged: death, hermit crab, hermit crab care, impact, minimizing, new, pps, sue latell

written by Sue Latell March 8, 2006 I have belonged to the on-line crabbing community for a little over 3 years now. From day one there was discussion about the number of deaths immediately occurring after purchase. It evolved into a named syndrome: PPS. Many “unexplainable” deaths that occurred in the time-frame from newly acquired to first post molt death were labeled PPS. Time lines wavered (anywhere from one week-up to one year), and alarmingly glossed over (in my opinion) too many other potential causes. The interesting aspect about this subject is that for all the debate that occurred, and the viable, if not absoluteRead More →

The Post Purchase Stress death cycle created by Mary Milhorn

Technique for Adjusting PPS Crabs – Method

In: Biology

Tagged: death, hermit crab, hermit crab care, method, new, post, pps, purchased, stress, sue latell

This is a (hopefully) more simplified revision of the original. I have also created a printable calendar for tracking. Introduction: The objective of this method is to reduce the impact of physical stress by keeping the hermit crab above ground eating well and exposed to light. Both are vital to the hermit crab’s ability to recover. This is a thirty day method. While this can be accomplished in three weeks, there is no reason to rush. If you are adding new hermit crabs to your existing colony it is important that you do not introduce sick or contagious animals to your healthy colony. Thirty daysRead More →

Comparative Example for PPS Practices

In: Biology, Caresheets, General

Tagged: example, hermit crab, hermit crab care, method, pps, practice, preventing, sue latell

written by Sue Latel March 8, 2006 Little Billy has had 3 hermit crabs since his 12 birthday. He has a 20 gallon tank housing his 3 small PP crabs. One day when he is at the store picking up some ocean salt water for his crabs, he spots a tank containing 2 poor little Ruggies that have no water except for a damp sponge, huge pellets of food that he doubts they have even attempted to eat, and no ground cover to protect them from the 100 watt heat lamp that is shining directly on them from an open tank top. Billy has been aRead More →

Preventing death in new hermit crabs

In: Biology, Caresheets, General

Tagged: death, died, hermit crab, new, post, pps, preventing, purchase, stress, sue latell

One of the biggest concerns when buying hermit crabs is early death due to PPS or Post Purchase Stress. The term PPS has been used commonly for many, many years in the hermit crab community. PPS is blamed for unexplained deaths of new crabs. The physical stress occurs mostly PRIOR to your purchase and how many of your new crabs die unexpectedly relies on how much stress was inflicted prior to purchase. The act of harvesting and shipping hermit crabs is very stressful as the crabs are denied humidity, food, water and warmth for long periods prior to shipping and during shipping. They mostly arriveRead More →