C. perlatus info**species

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 4:54 pm

Hello,

I have been accepted to do a PhD in aquaculture on the conservation and ecophysiology of C. perlatus in Australia. My project involves finding a way to breed and raise these crabs in captivity for use in studies and with the possibility of eventually releasing them back into the wild as I understand they are endangered in some areas.
As I am living in the UK at the moment I dont have very much experiance with C. perlatus and was wondering if you could enlighten me a bit and share any tips that will help me keep them happy and healthy. Ive had some experiance keeping and handling another Coenobita species (C. brevimanus I think) and wonder if how they differ with respect to their housing requirments.

Also, how much do C. perlatus cost to buy and which companys are the best suppliers? I hope to get in touch to ask about sponsorship possibilitys.

Any information will be greatfully recieved.
Thanks

David Reynolds

Edit title topic only-CM

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 6:03 pm

I don't know who the suppliers are - but you could check with Petco (thats who i believe about 90% of us in the US get out perlatus from) and see who their supplier is. In a comparison to the brevimanus that i have there are definately some behavioral differences that i do notice. my perlatus are much more communial than any other species of crab i have. currently the 4 perlatus i have spend the majority of their time together, much more in a band than my other crabs and they seem to prefer their own species moreso than other crabs. in addition to this, they also seem to be more terrestrial than the others, typically remaining above ground unless molting whereas my other species dig or submerge in the substrate for seemingly no purpose other than to dig as a recreational thing. the perlatus don't seem to do this. typically also, it's believed that they require a higher temperature and rh range than others, although i house my 5 species of hermit crabs together in one habitat but provide a range of temp/humidity rather than one set of conditions throughout the habitat.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 2:52 am

Gday CrabDave

C. Perlatus are only available in some states in aus (Vic, Nsw and Qld) As far as I know, Expect to pay a lot for each crab ($30-$60).

If you find a supplier would you please PM or email me with their details

I would love to get a few but they're not available in SA, And it's extremly hard to tell a petshop that you want "Coenobita Perlatus"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 5:27 am

I have three perlatus (aka strawberry) in my colony of 30 hermit crabs. I did get them at Petco in Tennessee. They did received another but it was DOA unfortunately. None since these have arrived at that shop. I have read they are hard to come by. I have caught Petco attempting to sell other species as strawberries. They charge $10.98 USD for them at Petco. The common ones go for $5.98 for large, $498 for medium and $2.99 usd for small to compair.

At first I was very concerned with keeping them but they do quite well. I have read and heard here at HCA that they need more room than the common species, need greater heat and have to submerge in salt water. Apon providing them a deep pool they have proved to me they do not like to submerg. They hold onto the side and dip down. The seem to prefer a pool they can sit in without submerging. They do not need more room than the common species from my experience. They do seem to prefer a warmer habitat. I keep the surface level at 79 F or 80 F and the others seem to be more happy with that temperature also. They all get along swimmingly.

One of them is about the size of a silver dollar and is quite a climber. He is my favorite. He is quite comical in his actions. He likes to sit on the highest perch he can find. Sometimes he hangs upside down for hours.

Another larger one loves to dig a lot. I call him 'digger'. He like to sit in a salt water pool the most. Then he digs everything up like crazy for a while. Just roots around. Then he finds a spot at ground level off by himself to sleep. He isn't anti-social but seems to be a loner.

The third is the same size as the second and is a much lighter red. Very bright to an almost flaming orange. He buries himself completely during the day and then comes out to eat and drink. He looks around. Says hello to the others and then back down. He digs down in the same spot every time. It is over the UTH (under tank heater) on the 'hot zone' in the tank. I was concerned he would become too hot or dry out from the heat there but he likes it. Who am I to argue with him?

I have had all three about five months now. The smaller comical one changed shells once. The others seem quite happy with the ones they came in. Green turbo shells which are indigenous to the phillipines. All my hermits prefer turbo shells. I have piles of them to choose from as well as many other types. They try others but end up happy in the turbos.

These came from indonesia as I have gathered. They are not allowed to be collected in Austrailia I have read because of over collecting. I hope to find more some day and maybe set up their own habitat.

I have discussed with a friend to populate a game reserve island in Florida to help protect that species. Itis protected by the US government and accessable only by boat. It is a well kept secret from tourists. Maybe we will ask the proper authorities about it.

They seem to prefer silica based sand. They seem quite content and are friendly to me.

You are so very fortunate to be working on them in a scientific arena. Please keep us posted here of your progress.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 8:04 am

What a wonderful topic to do your PhD on...good luck! A lot of what we know in regards to the perlatus has been "learn as we go" since they have not been widely available in the US for that long (probably a little over a year or so). There has been LOTS of discussions regarding theories on thier care here on the boards..as well as discussions regarding attempts at captive breeding of hermit crabs.

I would suggest doing a search on the old posts...check out the scientific name, Strawberry (that's what most refer to them as) as well as captive breeding. Some of the old posts have links to the few scientific studies that have been done (I know there was one specifically regarding the higher salinity levels for them).

If you haven't already, you should also check out landhermitcrabs.com and crabstreetjournal.com...do searches on these sites also...There's lots of good discussions and background info available.

Again, good luck..and keep us posted on any good findings you come across!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 8:56 am

I can't remember the name of the paper, but I think it was Thacker that did one on breeding c. compressus in the lab. I think you'll find it very helpful. I'll look on my other computer and see if I can locate the name and publishing info on it.

Christa · Post by **Christa** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 9:14 am

Greetings CrabDave and welcome to the HCA!

From what I understand, a company called U.S. Shell was one of the first companies to import C. perlatus. I heard from unofficial sources that U.S. Shell imported thousands of crabs in early 2003 -- species that were not normally imported to the U.S. before then. Because U.S. Shell did not know how to deal with these 'new' species, most of them died. The others were shipped out to suppliers in scattered areas of the country.

I'm not sure if U.S. Shell is the company that is supplying Petco, but it is very likely.

Another wholesaler, Florida Marine Research, briefly imported exotic species but stopped after they could not keep them alive long enough to make a profit.

I've tried in the past to raise HCA members' awareness of the practices of U.S. Shell but they must have overlooked my messages, which is easy to do in a group of this size. Hopefully this email will give them a little poke in the rear and get them moving.

Renae Brodie did a study on breeding C. compressus in a lab. She caught a bunch of gravid females in Costa Rica and went on from there. I am not sure if she raised the crabs to adulthood or not. I think maybe two of them made it to the final molt into adult form but then they died. It has been a while since I read the study. I believe you can find it online. I will look it up and let you know what I find.

Also, I am a member of a LISTSERV of Crustacean scientists. Please send me a Private Message if you are interested in joining the list and I'll forward you some info.

happy crabbing!
Christa Wilkin
HCA President

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 10:19 am

Definitely a fun topic for a PhD! *green with envy*

I dont know if you have cruised over to the caresheets we have put together (in the column over to the left). There is a basic C. perlatus caresheet that is a compilation of what we do for our straws that has been successful in their care, as of last Januaryish

Im sure you already know the basics about them, since its going to be your PhD topic, but a basic caresheet is available if you want to check it out!

Youll have to keep us updated on how its all going!! Good luck and have fun!!

I have gotten most of my straws at PetCo for around $12 (well most for $5 b/c the employee didnt know they were straws). I also got some at Reptile City in FL

I have to disagree with about them not liking to submerge in water. (but it could just be my crabs..they all have quite different personalities). The one straw that I have had for almost a year LOVES to submerge in the salt water pond. I have many pictures of him, as well as my cavipes under water "soaking" in their 1/2 gallon pond. Some days heck spend 5 minutes under water..other days hes been known to spend 30-45 minutes underwater, just sitting there staring off into space as he cleans his shell and bathes.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:21 pm

Hi,
Thanks for your response! its been really usefull. I have no experiance with Strawberrys and there seems to be very little that is easy to find on the internet anywhere (cept here!). As far as i know (im not at university anymore so i dont have their libery facilitys to check fully) next to no scientific work has been done on them, nobody even knows what their juveniles look like. Ive read a few research papers on their growth and settlement in the lab but they normally refer to the more 'standard' hermits like brevimanus and compressus. I think i also used your caresheets for my last project (thanks guys!). As i did my project in Indonesia i didnt have to worry about maintaining there environment much, the major problem was keeping them from escaping or eating my stuff!

$30-$60

Yikes! thats a lot! Especially as theyre native in Aus

If you find a supplier would you please PM or email me with their details

Will do

They charge $10.98 USD for them at Petco

I think they are cheaper in the US as they are imported from Indonesia, I think some populations there are becoming a bit threatened there as well, unfortunatly.

All my hermits prefer turbo shells

The crabs i worked on prefered Nerita shells but there were very few Turbos around.

Please keep us posted here of your progress.

Definatly

CrabbySpach - thanks for the heads up, ill search for them next

but I think it was Thacker that did one on breeding c. compressus in the lab

I think i have that paper, if not ill search for it, thanks muchly

I'm not sure if U.S. Shell is the company that is supplying Petco, but it is very likely.

I'll look into that.

I've tried in the past to raise HCA members' awareness of the practices of U.S. Shell

Ill look into that as well

Definitely a fun topic for a PhD!

Definatly, just need to get funding sorted.... *fingers crossed*

Right, im off to look round your site and through your archives, thanks again for all your help, it is much appreciated.

Dave

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:39 pm

About juvenile perlatus -- they were mistakenly called c. carnescens for a while. They are white when young, and then tend to get red stripes until they're completely red.

http://decapoda.free.fr/fiche.php?sp=183

http://decapoda.free.fr/illustration.php?n=3&sp=186 (photos)

Hope this helps.