Liz Margerum/Liz Margerum
CAN WE KEEP HIM, MOM?: Preston,4, and McKenna Hoff,
5, look at hermit crabs Friday at Paradise Crab at Meadowood
Mall. Hermit crab hints Provide new shells for crabs
to grow into. Hermit crabs love to switch shells and
need larger ones as they grow to maintain adequate body
moisture.
Not all shells are equal. Shells should be cleaned,
processed and picked by a knowledgeable hermit crab
distributor.
Clean the crab. Crabs will clean themselves if you provide
them with fresh water in their bowls. Baths are recommended,
too. Submerge the crab in lukewarm water for 1 to 2
minutes and then allow it to dry.
Crabs love: Company, balanced diets, climbing and lots
of play.
Details Paradise Crab Meadowood Mall, 826-9888; www.hermitcrab
association.com
Coenobita Clypeatus may be the
object of McKenna Hoff?s affection, but to her 4-year-old
brother, Preston, it means only one thing: ?Yuck!?
?I don?t like hermit crabs,? said
Preston, standing with his arms crossed and his brow furrowed.
?I probably won?t like them even when I?m older, like 5.?
To his 5-year-old sister, hermit
crabs are the coolest and most coveted creature around town.
The Sparks girl is hoping to get one for her birthday July
9. She?ll wait until then because, ?I love them. I love
them. I love them.?
She?s not alone in her crustacean
obsession. Hermit crabs are so hot PetCo stores in Northern
Nevada can?t keep the critters in stock.
?Our phones constantly ring with
the ?Do you have the crabs in stock today?? calls,? said
Linda Gross, assistant manager at PetCo at Northtowne Mall.
One major Florida distributor said
he?s been in the hermit crab business for 20 years and business
never looked so profitable as in the last two years. Miami
entrepreneur Giovanna Russell set up a hermit crab kiosk
in Meadowood Mall earlier this year. She calls her business
Paradise Crab. She?s set to open another Paradise Crab in
San Francisco.
?Hermit crabs are great,? said
Kathie Barksdale, a Paradise manager and veteran hermit
crab owner. ?They?re very smart, clean, quiet and cute.?
The hype started less than two
years ago and boomed in Northern Nevada a few months before
the 2003 holiday season.
?Our sales have just exploded,?
said Paul Manger, a manager with Florida Marine Research
in Florida. His company ships hermit crabs to businesses
and pet stores, which sell the crabs from $2.99 to $15.99.
?It seems that every year business gets better and the propensity
to sell is great.?
Hermit crabs have always been around.
Beach vendors and seaside stalls have showcased the domesticated
crustaceans for decades. The only difference today is that
they?ve crawled inland. They?re in malls, pet stores, even
on TV.
Their shells come in many sizes,
shapes and colors. Neon, Nemo, SpongeBob down to the glitter
and gloss, the shells are revamped and ready to go home.
?Hermit crabs don?t carry any type
of disease, they are quiet, they are hypoallergenic and
they are definitely on the upside of this pet trend,? Manger
said.
Crabs can be cheap, too.
PetCo?s Gross said her crabs cost
$2.99 to $4.99. Paradise sells crabs for $10.99. Their food
supply lasts for months and they require a sandy beach in
which to roam, a few empty shells ? hermit crabs like to
try out hard exteriors now and then ? and a place to bathe.
But watch your fingers.
?Yes, hermit crabs do pinch. They
are crabs after all,? Barksdale said. ?So you don?t want
to poke your finger in its shell. It will defend itself,
but it will not attack.?
Local hermit crabs are shipped
from Florida Marine Research, which is not to be confused
with Florida Marine Research Institute. Florida Marine Research
buys its hermit crabs from Floridian fisheries and ships
them to businesses. Florida Marine Research Institute in
St. Petersburg is a conservation commission committed to
saving marine life in Florida.
?We?re easily confused,? said Alison
McDonald, an institute spokeswoman. ?We do not sell hermit
crabs, we study them. But I loved mine when I was young.
They were all over pet stores in North Carolina. My hermit
crab was the greatest pet.?
