Interesting Article on Hermit Crabs

Kharasmatic · Post by **Kharasmatic** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 7:10 am

Hey everybody, I found this article while searching on Google, and I though you might like to read it. I thought it was pretty interesting, and I agree with it!! Leave the shells on the beaches for the crabs to live in.. they're not decorations!http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... sa%3DNEver hear a hermit crab being called a soldier crab?? That was a new one on me.

Ren1216 · Post by **Ren1216** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 8:05 am

I've seen a few of these types of articles on another forum here... there is a guy in the Florida Keys (I think it was) who takes shell doantions and then dumps them on the beaches for the hermies who are really struggling to find adequate shell-homes due to the hurricanes. Some of the board members here have donated shells from their own collections. I think I read that he had dumped hundreds at one time, and they were all gone by the next day. Many must have been naked crabbies, but he found film canisters, presciption bottles and all kinds of things left behind.It certainly is sad, makes me feel guilty even when I buy shells... although I know those shells have already been removed from the beaches and the wild hermies wont get to use them anyways.

Nicole · Post by **Nicole** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 8:29 am

"Save your back and your dollars and don’t rake! The crabs will thank you, and you will learn to love the beautiful golden brown hues of the Sea Grape leaves as they carpet the ground."Boy I wish we had crabs in the backyard like that! Thanks for sharing the article. I've seen a few stories like that and it's pretty sad. I sent two boxes down to Florida but it's nowhere near enough for them, especially in light of all the hurricanes. It's a shame that an animal has to be so dependent on nature's bounty in order to survive.

KittyCaller · Post by **KittyCaller** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 8:56 am

I'm glad that the shells are a renewable resource, but it seems that humans take them quicker than the snails can produce them. As for hermies being called soldier crabs, I'd heard of that when I first began researching them.

Willow · Post by **Willow** » Thu Jan 05, 2006 10:09 am

I've seen a couple posts that mention someone throwing away their crab's old shells....don't do it!!!. Even if it's painted, the wild hermies should be able to get some use out of it, and the paint will wear off pretty quickly in the elements. Only throw a shell away if it's completely useless (shattered, or a lot of holes/cracks). Even the shells that are "broken inside" are still good--the hermies chip out the inside to modify the shell to their liking. I have a box of shells I've been meaning to send to that guy, but I still haven't gotten around to it .