Please read I have possibly ordered C.Rubescens

[123AE]

So I was scrolling through the bug page on a Uk animal site and a mysterious hermit crab is listed all it says is Nigerian sp 2 hermit crabs so I ordered them. My question is what species could it possibly be?



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[soilentgringa]

So I was scrolling through the bug page on a Uk animal site and a mysterious hermit crab is listed all it says is Nigerian sp 2 hermit crabs so I ordered them. My question is what species could it possibly be?


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It's a marine crab...lives in mangrove swamps.

:-|


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[soilentgringa]

This is not a land hermit crab.



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[soilentgringa]

I'm really really not trying to be rude but why would you purchase an animal if the vendor cannot even identify the species properly?

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[aussieJJDude]

Well most likely if the vendor is correct and they are actual land hermit crabs, c. cavipes. Ive never really seen c. rubescens for sale or heard of anyone keepkng them, and theres dispute of them actually being a species in their own right.

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[Big Birgus]

Please keep us updated!

[soilentgringa]

Well most likely if the vendor is correct and they are actual land hermit crabs, c. cavipes. Ive never really seen c. rubescens for sale or heard of anyone keepkng them, and theres dispute of them actually being a species in their own right.

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They don't even have images up of the crabs...I would be very wary of purchasing anything sight unseen and honestly, I hate hate hate online animal vendors.

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[aussieJJDude]

They don't even have images up of the crabs...I would be very wary of purchasing anything sight unseen and honestly, I hate hate hate online animal vendors.

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Thats honestly the worse part, it doesnt take much effort to picture the animal in question, gives buyers an idea on what the actual product is and IMO says a lot about the sellers professionalism.

[wodesorel]

Sellers like that are getting new contacts in new areas and may not even be 100% sure what they are receiving until it is in their hands, or even then may not be able to concretely ID it because there is no ID system in place. It happens a lot in the reptile and insect world. Keepers will spend big bucks for something new, so taking the chance on importing something rare or unseen in the hobby is a big win.

(I have mixed feelings about this practice. In the hands of the right people and if captive breeding is possible, then this is how you find awesome new species that can do well as pets even if they can no longer be imported. On the other hand it's also how you end up with things like the hermit crab trade, cheap to import and easy to sell so they start bringing in tons.)