HCA: Hermit Crab Association

So I took my son to Florida last week and one day we went to the beach, we were at St. John's pass and we walked through tons of shops. I ended up finding this awesome little shop, didn't catch its name but I couldn't help myself. I found cheap seashells of all kinds, from tulips and fusi to tapestry turbos and murex shells. All sizes and beautiful quality. I would have spent 3 times as much shopping online so I plunged into shell shopping for more larger crab shells. I have plenty if not to many small and med shells. I was so happy when I finally got home and cleaned them, my crabs went shell shopping as soon as I put them in the shell shacks. Three upgraded that day and another two by the next morning. I found large tapestry shells with the palms , dolphins and flowers carved into them for only $2. I got plain tapestry shells for a $1. ( really big ones, for $1.50). Getting to hand pick them was exciting. There were really nice jade shells just the right size for my large and jumbo crabs. I grabbed a couple fusi, fox, and tulips for my mediums, they will be able to move into them in the future. I have two crabs I got along time ago and they will only wear the fox and fusi shells. The size of these shells delighted me and the beautiful condition they are in is amazing. In Ohio we don't have awesome shell shops so this was great. I want to post pictures but I don't know how to do it from my iPad. I don't like to support taking shells from the wild but since most people would just use them as decorations I decided I could buy these for my babies, and at least they would get some use. Anyways sorry for rambling just excited about my great find. After several years of crabbing it's crazy I still get so amped when I find great shells.

I was the same way when I went to SC this summer. Rows and rows of shells to look at. That's what I was most looking forward to during the whole trip, like you said there's no stores like that here!

I would be totally excited too. The cost of the shells can be ridiculous. 20$ for a large crab shell??? I just can't justify it, even though they are gorgeous shells. I would settle for the 7-10Z$ shells (your conches, snail shells and murexes) and that still seems expensive to me.

hermitcrabdc wrote:I was the same way when I went to SC this summer. Rows and rows of shells to look at. That's what I was most looking forward to during the whole trip, like you said there's no stores like that here!

Haha we went to Disney, sea world , and Lego land but that's really what I was looking forward to was the shell shops I might find. It was great and the prices were great! landlubber. I know finding shells for extra large and jumbo crabs is expensive online but shoreline shell shops are great. I stocked up, probably won't go to Florida or any other beach state for another two years.

I have been going on vacation to Daytona Beach Fl for years and I have two shops I like to buy my shells from, Big Shark Gift Shop which always has a great selection to choose from at really cheap prices and Souvenir City which has a pretty decent selection and still really cheap prices.

I love going on vacation to the beach but not for the beach so much as for the shell shopping because that one time a year is the only time I get a chance to buy new shells for my group.

Next year I plan on trying to take a three day weekend to Savannah because I love it down there and they have a really great shell shop there as well and the prices are pretty decent, thats the shop that I got most of my aquarium corals from and my larger pieces were bought at Big Shark Gift Shop back in 2009.

I was able to source some turbo's from Big Shark last year that have a shell opening of two to two and half inches they are jade and African all polished and they cost me five dollars per shell but that to me was well worth it.

Rainbow crab did you get a reciept for the shells?Maybe it has the name of the shop on it,could help those that are looking for shells and traveling there.I go to Tom's in St. Augustine Fla. every year for my jumbo jades $8.00.

IBlab crab wrote:Rainbow crab did you get a reciept for the shells?Maybe it has the name of the shop on it,could help those that are looking for shells and traveling there.I go to Tom's in St. Augustine Fla. every year for my jumbo jades $8.00.

The receipt just has the price and the totals, the little old lady had to type in each she'll, she had a pricing chart behind the register on the wall. I already checked that when we went to dinner that night.