In: Advocacy, Conservation, Painted Shells

Painted shells are inhumane and unnecessary and destroy a much-needed natural resource. Please speak out about this to your local pet shops that 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 →

In: Biology

Are hermit crabs looking for light and large shells?: evidence from natural and field induced shell exchanges Shell shopping Photo credit Andrea Skinner Jose- Luis Osorno, LourdesFernandez- Casillas, CristinaRodriguez- JuarezaDepartment of Zoology, University of Florida, 223 Bartram Hall, Fainesville , Fl32611, USADepartamento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico , Mexico D. F., C. P. 04510, MexicoDepartamento de Ecologia Evolutiva , Instituto de Ecologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico A. P.70 275, Mexico D. F., C. P. 04510, MexicoReceived 15 October 1996; received in revised form 9 May 1997; accepted 3 June 1997 Abstract: Terrestrial hermit crabs(Coenobita compressus( H. Milne Edwards)) onRead More →

In: General, Painted Shells

Our treatment of animals will someday be considered barbarous. There cannot be perfect civilization until man realizes that the right of every living creature are as sacred as his own – Dr. David Starr Jordan and now, on with the show… Crab in a cup anyone? First a bit o’ the story. I went to the pet store, the one that I LIKE, and they always have good patties, in natural shells, none of the painted. So I wander to the hermit crab tank and in the aquarium is about 16 crabs in cups, stacked on top of each other. all in red or pinkRead More →

In: FAQ

CrabbyMum asked: Get the odor out of shells? I know to boil newly purchased shells, but I want to reuse some of the shells that are smelly from a crab dying in it. So far, we’ve lost one of the Littles (PP = Faith) and I think another is not going to make it. I have her in iso and will wait til we are sure before dealing with it’s shell tho. But I tried soaking the ones that Violet and Faith were in because the odor was so strong in them yet and then boiled them. I remember reading how Vinegar can damage themRead More →

In: FAQ

Buffing seashells comes with potential dangers. Here’s what to watch out for: 1. Dust and Particulates 2. Sharp Edges 3. Heat Generation 4. Structural Fragility 5. Tool-Related Injuries 6. Biological Contaminants 7. Environmental Considerations By taking these precautions, you can enjoy buffing seashells safely and responsibly. A conversation from our original Yahoo group regarding buffing shells. Rachelrmf asked: I have alot of natural shells that i just love, but have recently (i know i am a bit of a blonde;;lol) relized that my shells are the same as all of the pretty ones i like they just are’nt buffed out. does anyone know of aRead More →

In: FAQ

Ken Lipe (CrabCon shell vendor!! On Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/theshellstore On Ebay: https://www.ebay.com/usr/mirrormaker   Sea Shell City:http://www.seashellcity.com/hermitcrabs.html Naples:http://www.naplesseashellcompany.com/hermit_crab_shells.html Wonders of the Sea:http://www.sealifegifts.net/shells_small.html The Hermit Crab Patch:http://www.hermitcrabpatch.com Sea Shell Worldhttp://www.seashellworld.com/hermit-crab-shells.html Shell Horizonshttp://www.shellhorizons.com/products.asp?category=74 Sea Shell Shophttp://www.seashellshop.com/Replacement-Shells/ Richard’s Sea Shells (Formerly Deltona Shells)http://www.richardsseashells.com Looking to buy a large quantity? Try Atlantic Coral Enterprise – minimum $100 order https://www.atlanticcoralenterprise.com/ProductCart/pc/home.asp Searching on Etsy or Ebay will also yield a lot of results for shells. You can also find hermit crab shells on amazon. If you know of another quality web site, please feel free to e-mail us the link so we may add it to our list.Read More →