HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Has anybody heard of this? I found it randomly and thought it was pretty cool. I want to see if my hermies can "volunteer" to try the shells!http://inhabitat.com/makerbots...ironmental-shortage/

Sounds cool!

Let us know what happens

I've been trying to figure out how to volunteer for this so if you find a way, please let us know!

I think you can do it by going to the Google Group:http://www.makerbot.com/blog/2...in-pro ... llter/Also, can someone (on LHC's behalf) post our interest in trying on the shells? I would, but I don't want to share my email or name. Maybe an admin could do it?

I love this idea! Would be very interested in "volunteering". I think it's a fabulous idea for the administrators of this website to contact the company and let them know about us they'd have more crabaholics contacting them than they'd know what to do with!Haha!

That's awesome. Loving those 3D printer things!

I've seen a few of the prototypes used in this program and they aren't actually designed to accomidate a hermitcrabs physiology unfortunately though there are one or two designs that look promising.The big challange with these printed shells is that they are made without the whirl or supporting structure that occurs in natural shells that hermitcrabs need to help them stay anchored into the shell and without this intrical part the crab can't get a good grasp with it's hind most legs and tail and is then subject to slipping out.Right now the designs are focusing more on the externals of the shells rather that the internals which makes the shells look pretty pleasing from the outside but not so functional from the inside.I believe the tests have gone into an open Beta of sorts where the group has been calling for 3D Printer owners, designers and hermitcrab owners to actively participate which means some progress has been made in the closed testing phase or Alpha phase of the project.Due to our policies here at LHC I'm unsure as to whether or not anyone on our staff actually happens to be permited to contact the group on behalf of the site unfortunately.

I've tried contacting them multiple places and have heard nothing. I would totally put em in with my crabs to try. I think it would be nice to not have to "steal" shells from the wild crabs. If they don't try them out on the crabbies, they won't know how to make them so the crabs like them! Seems like pet herms would be the best, too, because they don't have to worry about predators if they try one of the shells on and then want to change back. Also less chance of losing the shell to another crab in the meantime. If anybody can get a hold of them and they need to try them out on some crabs, let me know.

@finalfantasyxii, they might have stopped taking volunteers at this point as the program is over a year old.I believe they started this project in 2011 because I remember reading something about it here two summers ago.

Oh, probably! I just wonder what they are doing now. Are they making the shells and distributing them to homeless crabs around the world? Have they perfected the man-made shell? Where can I buy some to give my crabs? None of their sites have much info and I have sent messages and heard nothing...It would be sad if they did all that and then the project just pooped out...

I took another look at the Google Group, and that blog post was two years old! I'm pretty sure they're not taking volunteers anymore.Ah, well! Back to 2D printing!