Hermit crabs in glass shells

[kgbenson]

There is a big shell shortage in the wild. And I would never buy a glass shell myself because 1 - there are cheaper alternatives and 2 - my guys bang on the glass all night long and I'd be worried it might chip off.

I suspect that these shells, from what I have seen, have better chip resistance than a regular shell, and I would be surprised if a crab could do that sort of damage bumping the thing. Falling from a high perch onto a rock, sure, but bumping the glass? Nah. I have some pretty strong crabs who make some fairly loud noises on occasion when they hit the glass in their tank. They have not chipped their regular shells I would be surprised, very surprised if they could break one of these. Blown glass has considerable strength depending on the glass used.

Speaking of which - what kind of glass is this?

And I don't want to see my crabs ugly butts. Extra censorship near the bottom of the shell, please.

LOL - might be interesting for a while though - I think there are a lot of assumptions made about how crabs interact with their shells and these could be a great learning tool.

But I think these are better than that plastic shell idea.

Certainly far more attractive and durable. The inside should be smooth - just like the MOP lining most crabs go for. And most importantly - I think we can assume that no one is busting them out of one shell to go into the glass one's.

What do you think of using your profits to make shells for crabs in the wild?

Better suggestion: What can be done to reduce the shell collecting worldwide that disrupts the hermit crabs life cycle and affects myriad other organisms as well. There are some papers out there that suggest that old shells may be a significant source of rainwater collection an the only source of fresh water on some islands.

Life - it is a complicated business.

Keith

[crabcrew]

I gave this some thought, and I think that the shells are beautiful and artistic. Yes, hermit crabs in the wild normally live in shells, but lets remember that they aren't 'born' with them, they are 'opportunistic' homes. I have even seen photos of wild hermit crabs living in things like old shotgun shells! I have one really weird little crab who sometimes runs around naked, just because he likes to. He isn't sick or injured, and he always goes back into his shell. I see nothing wrong with adding a few glass shells into the tank with regular shells as an option. My tank IS an expression of art which is pleasing to myself and others. I love the 'natural' art of the crabs themselves, the shells, sand, and eco earth, but I don't feel badly about my crabs climbing around in fake bonsai trees and eating and drinking out of faux stone bowls. They are paying homage to a little resin Buddha in my tat, not the real Siddhartha. If they CHOSE a glass shell to live in, COOL! If not, then that's okay, too. I would have another pretty piece of handmade art work in my tank to enjoy.

[Spiral]

Why not? If your hermit chooses it by it's own will then it's fine. Plus unlike painted shells, the colours are inside and the crabs would have to break the glass to get to them. And glass is way harder than shells.
I wonder if crabs prefer shells with of without spirals...

[Julia Coenobita]

Woah! Those are cool, I want one!
You are providing your hermit crabs with natural shells too, right?

[CrabbyKev]

This shells are quite interesting and I would love to see their weird fleshy abdomens.

But like I said, it's kind of on the pricey side. But really the price doesn't matter, it's the value that counts.


I might be saving up and see if I can get one of those coolio shells

[Crab Addict]

I'm always up for learning something new, I would gladly offer those to my guys, they have a HUGE selection of shells and they could choose a glass or natural one. It would be very interesting indeed to see the abdomen in the shell.

[Guest]

ok. if the crab was walking around and banging his shell around, what if it broke??? I mean, don't they want privacy... im not against them in any but i just dont like them as much at the natural shells. yours are pretty

[Guest]

And I don't want to see my crabs ugly butts. Extra censorship near the bottom of the shell, please.

Maybe they should be dyed but with non toxic dye

[limeslide]

Maybe they should be dyed but with non toxic dye

Pretty sure he can melt on the dyes.

If the crabs wore them they would always be covered with sand!

What do you mean by that?

[suebee]

well did anyone get any? wonder how its going?

[Guest]

The shells are very good looking and all, but I don't think they'd be very good for crabs -- like what if one broke and sliced the herms abdomen open, or what if the herm gets stressed from the clear shell.

[Guest]

good point, however I don't think a hermit crab would willingly use a glass shell over a natural one.

[Guest]

I had read before about plastic shells being made for crabs in the wild, but they left a lot to be desired in my opinion. They seemed to be designed only to keep the crabs alive until a better shell could be found.

Looking into these glass shells, I cannot help but to be impressed. The pricing is not outrageous (with the exception of the gold inlaid shells, but you are paying for gold here!), considering I have spent $12 on large pearlescent turbos in the past, a little more for clear, and a bit more than than that for colored glass shells is fair considering the craftsmanship, and the ability for it to have whatever opening size is needed.

The only con I see is the shell shattering from a fall, but this probably depends on the kind of glass used as to how big of a threat this would be over natural shells. Besides that, if the crab likes it, then that's great! If it means that one less shell from the wild would be used for captive crabs, then that's also great! Glass is non-toxic as well.

Even more awesome would be shells for every kind of crab. Experiment with shells aside from the classic circle openings. Adding Oval/Ellipse, and "D"-shaped openings to the repertoire would satisfy every kind of crab there is.

I will be keeping an eye on this.

[kgbenson]

ok. if the crab was walking around and banging his shell around, what if it broke??? I mean, don't they want privacy... im not against them in any but i just dont like them as much at the natural shells. yours are pretty

I think it was mentioned that this is pretty strong glass. And what if a regular shell broke?

Keith

[kgbenson]

good point, however I don't think a hermit crab would willingly use a glass shell over a natural one.

Sooner or later I am going to get some. Would anyone like to place bets that some crabs will not move in, even if provided with natural shell alternatives of equal size?

Keith