Perlatus.... why not?

mrbonzai211

Arachnobaron
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It's disturbing that there are so few people here who show any interest in raising colonies of hermit crabs. I love my T's and all my other pets but my hermies come first. Why? Unlike most invertebrates, hermit crabs truly have personalities .... they recognize the owners if they're handled enough, they crave new foods and start rejecting any food that is offered for more then a week or two, and most species (such as the Strawberry hermit crab, or a Ruggie). I want more people to discover the beauty of hermit crabs because they are incredible pets that don't sit around a tank like a "pet rock." However, these are by no means easy pets. A healthy crab can live up to 70 years (rarely) but usually live between 20 and 30 years. They need a steady 78-80 degree temp and a 75-80% constant humidity. Also, fresh water and salt water bowls are a must and if you own a Strawberry (Perlatus) then they need a salt water bowl large enough to submerge themselves in during their pre-molt routine. Again, i love them and i want all of you too, but they are DIFFICULT pets! I promise you, you will never be more stressed out then during your crabs first molt. I have been lucky with this because i have had 3 hermies molt within their first 2 months and 2 out of 3 lived through it--- hermit crabs are extremely susceptable to PPS (post purchase stress) and if they molt within the 1st two months they have only an 80% chance of survival which is why i recomend larger specimens over the small.... its less of a gamble.
 
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beetleman

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:clap: very nice! i think hermit crabs are awesome,ive got plenty of the saltwater ssp. in my salt tanks,very colorful, and yeah they do have personalities:D
 

P.jasonius

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I've always wanted a hermit crab, but was discouraged/ intimidated by stories that they just didn't live very long. Apparently this isn't true. Aquatic arthropods are very interesting.
 

Kevin_Davies

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I'd love to keep Coenobita perlatus, unfortunatly theyre not yet available in Europe, I do keep Coenobita cypeatus and compressus though, and I agree theyre great to keep.

P.jasonius, Land Hermit Crabs do need a shallow bowl of both salt, and fresh water, but I wouldnt call them aquatic? theyre larval stage is though.
 

mrbonzai211

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Semi-aquatic, maybe?
Perlatus (Strawberry Hermit Crab) is a purely terrestrial species. They live in Australia where they are protected as endangered species and other parts in south asia. They live on the beach and drink fresh water but they go dip themselves in the sea to get the neccesary salt from the water that they need to begin their molting process.
 

Kevin_Davies

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Semi-aquatic, maybe?
The adults live most of theyre lives on land, they still depend on water though, so they keep water inside theyre shells. I wouldnt know whether to call them semi aquatic or not? they can even drown in anything but shallow water.
 

Kevin_Davies

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They live in Australia where they are protected as endangered species and other parts in south asia.
how are perlatus in the pet-trade then? or are they collected from areas where they arent endangered, as every crab would be wild caught wouldnt it?
 

mrbonzai211

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I've always wanted a hermit crab, but was discouraged/ intimidated by stories that they just didn't live very long. Apparently this isn't true. Aquatic arthropods are very interesting.
Hermit crabs are only short lived if they are not cared for.... That means no plastic terrariums.... only use glass aquariums with glass hoods because if they dont have their humidity at a high level then they slowly suffocate as their book lungs dry out and low heat only spells a slow painful death for a crab. If you are considering one as a pet, i suggest checking out http://www.crabstreetjournal.com/
 

P.jasonius

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Do they secrete thier own shells?
[edit] I would guess not. I saw a video of an aquatic species (maybe not a hermit crab, but sure looked like one) clipping off the barnacles from an old shell and transferring them to a new one. Anyone seen this? What purpose does this behavior serve?
[edit] ok, wait. I know I've seen hermit crabs, or things that look very similar to them. If those aren't hermit crabs, what are they? Which are the ones that are uniquely terrestrial?
[edit]ok one more question and I'll leave you alone: How big do they get (terrestrial spp)
 
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starmaiden

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Hi mrbonzai211! I currently have a colony of 48 hermit crabs of 4 different species (C. clypeatus, C. Perlatus, C. compressus, C. rugosus) The only species available in the U.S. that I don't currently have is C. violascens, C. cavipes, and C. brevimanus. Soon C. purpureus and C. variabilis will be available also.

I disagree with you about inverts being 'pet rocks'. The same could be said of hermit crabs too, or any nonfurry entity. My Ts definately show personality and respond to me.

I think the reason why more people don't keep LHCs as pets is because they're marketed towards children, at least in this country anyway, and most people haven't a clue how to properly care for them, so they end up dying rather quickly. :(
 

starmaiden

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how are perlatus in the pet-trade then? or are they collected from areas where they arent endangered, as every crab would be wild caught wouldnt it?
Yes. Unfortunately every hermit crab you see is wild caught bc they can't be bred in captivity. C. perlatus are protected in Australia, but are collected for the pet trade from elsewhere.

Do they secrete thier own shells?
No. They live in the shells from dead sea and land snails.
 

cacoseraph

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i was saddened to find that all crabs are wild caught after i investigated futher than the petstore pamphelet thing i got with my crab. i enjoy trying to breed things too much to have pets like that.
 

starmaiden

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i was saddened to find that all crabs are wild caught after i investigated futher than the petstore pamphelet thing i got with my crab. i enjoy trying to breed things too much to have pets like that.
Yeah, it's a bummer and I suspect even if they were able to eventually breed them in captivity the cost would be too prohibitive for it to be done commercially when there are so many crabs on the beaches just for the taking. But there are enthusiasts out there who are getting very close to successfully breeding them in captivity. There is even one fella in Australia who claims to have been successful:
Keeping and Breeding Land Hermit Crabs
 

mrbonzai211

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Yeah, it's a bummer and I suspect even if they were able to eventually breed them in captivity the cost would be too prohibitive for it to be done commercially when there are so many crabs on the beaches just for the taking. But there are enthusiasts out there who are getting very close to successfully breeding them in captivity. There is even one fella in Australia who claims to have been successful:
Keeping and Breeding Land Hermit Crabs
It is literally impossible to breed hermit crabs in captivity because:
a.) they release their eggs into the ocean where the young grow and develop and then return to dry land
b.) their mating rituals are triggered by ocean and seasonal conditions and it's even conjectured that the size and phase of the moon plays a roll.

However..... it is not unknown for hermit crabs to attempt to mate in captivity but the end result has ALWAYS been a failure. If you do the research on their biology you'll find that not only do we not know enough about how they reproduce but even if we did know it all it would most likely be impossible to reproduce in captivity.
 

starmaiden

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Why can't the larva be raised in a sea water setup?
So far, they always die, even in a cycled reef aquarium. Last year, a marine biology student in California had a C. rugosus lay eggs in her tank. She was able to transfer the eggs to a waiting marine saltwater tank. They only lasted for 12 days.

There's a supplier in Florida who has managed to reach the 30 day mark with her attempts at captive raising of the zoea. She needs to get them to about the 70 to 90 day mark before they come to land. This info on her web site is old, it doesn't have her most recent attempts:
http://www.thecrabbagepatch.com/lifecycle.html

It is literally impossible to breed hermit crabs in captivity because:
a.) they release their eggs into the ocean where the young grow and develop and then return to dry land
b.) their mating rituals are triggered by ocean and seasonal conditions and it's even conjectured that the size and phase of the moon plays a roll.

However..... it is not unknown for hermit crabs to attempt to mate in captivity but the end result has ALWAYS been a failure. If you do the research on their biology you'll find that not only do we not know enough about how they reproduce but even if we did know it all it would most likely be impossible to reproduce in captivity.
I wouldn't say it's impossible and it will never happen. They can breed marine hermit crabs in captivity just fine, but they just haven't worked out the kinks with the land hermit crabs yet.
 

iucandi

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MrBonzai, do you think this is accurate?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"My Hermit Crabs

I have nine hermit crabs. Each one has his or her own individual personality. Some of them are very out going while others are very shy. They’re like people.

Assateague has lived with me the longest (7 years). She is VERY outgoing. She likes to sit on my pen while I write. She also likes to crawl up and down my arms. (She is named after the Assateague National Seashore in Eastern Seashore Virginia, USA.)

Tiger loves to watch TV. He is particularly fond of cartoons, any cartoons. I have had him almost as long as Assateague."

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I found it at this site: http://hometown.aol.com/jill307/ The site is called the hermit crab doctor.

I personally find it hard to believe that hermit crabs watch TV.

But you seem to be really well informed on the subject, let me know!!!
 

mrbonzai211

Arachnobaron
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While it is a cute idea that they can watch tv, it isn't really much more then that.... cute. Hermit crabs eyes are not well developed and can hardly see at all. However, their sense of smell is extremely sensitive. This is, i believe, how a hermit crab can tell you from another person because in their eyes humans probably all look the same. I've heard of several people all claim that their crabs watch tv, it isnt really the tv they are watchin but its the bright flashing lights that probably have them mesmerized. Their true sense of sight is similar to Tarantulas which means light is all about they can really see because they lack focusing lenses like we do.



MrBonzai, do you think this is accurate?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"My Hermit Crabs

I have nine hermit crabs. Each one has his or her own individual personality. Some of them are very out going while others are very shy. They’re like people.

Assateague has lived with me the longest (7 years). She is VERY outgoing. She likes to sit on my pen while I write. She also likes to crawl up and down my arms. (She is named after the Assateague National Seashore in Eastern Seashore Virginia, USA.)

Tiger loves to watch TV. He is particularly fond of cartoons, any cartoons. I have had him almost as long as Assateague."

----------------------------------------------------------------------
I found it at this site: http://hometown.aol.com/jill307/ The site is called the hermit crab doctor.

I personally find it hard to believe that hermit crabs watch TV.

But you seem to be really well informed on the subject, let me know!!!
 

iucandi

Arachnopeon
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Feb 5, 2007
Messages
46
hermit crab

Do you know how many different types of hermit crabs there are? I am only familiar with 3- the Caribbean, the Ruggy, and the Strawberry.... what others are there?
 
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