The Crab Street Journal

It's here! It's here!

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:00:50 +0000

300) this.width=300" />The 2012 CSJ Calendar is finally ready for purchase! Congrats once again to all of our winners and thanks for continuing to keep this CSJ tradition going. I look forward to all the great crabby photos in the coming year!

5th Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest Winner

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 23:20:00 +0000

Very well done!
The winning entry by MissCranky1 (Click to see full size)

Moon Glo

Day Glo

The winner receives a $20 gift card and 500 CSJ dollars to spend.

5th Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:32:07 +0000

300) this.width=300" />

Another painted shell gone wrong story

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:49:42 +0000

Its been nearly 2 months since I brought home 8 E's from Petco. Thankfully four of them shed their painted shells before being moved to the main tank.

The sole reason shells are painted is to entice your children into begging you for a hermit crab. In most instances the child doesn't necessarily want the crab but the brightly colored shells. This has been a losing battle for us for many years and I still have no ideas how to convince Petco and others to stop buying from suppliers who push painted shells.

The Caribbean Terrestrial Hermit Crab Coenobita Clypeatus (Herbst, 1791)

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 02:40:00 +0000

Exact text of the original paper by Herbst:

The name Coenobita Clypeatus (usually pronounced seen-oh-bit-a cly-pe-ait-us) may be translated as "shield-bearing monk or cloister brother," which conjures up a truer image of this often gregarious and variously cloistered resident of tropical East American shores than does "hermit crab." But, like most common names, "hermit crab" or "soldier crab" in native parlance, will certainly endure. The animal so called belongs to a small family of terrestrial decapod crustaceans quite distinct from the marine hermit crabs. The family Coenobitidas is composed of two genera: Birgus and Coenobita. Birgus is represented by a single species, Birgus latro (Linnaeus, 1767), the Robber Crab or Coconut Crab of Indo-Pacific islands. Birgus has discarded the protection of an appropriated shelter except for a brief juvenile period. Coenobita contains seven species that inhabit tropical regions throughout the world and that live in discarded snail shells for their entire adult lives, changing to larger shells as they grow.

DIY Mangrove Tree

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:10:00 +0000

Ever wanted to get one of those neat looking tree decors for your hermit crabs, but didn't want to shell out tons of cash? Well, here's a much more affordable way to make your own decor and still make it look really nice (not to mention, realistic!) I wanted something to look like it came from a brackish marsh, rather than something that looks like a forest, and I'm happy to say, that it turned out pretty well! This was the look I was trying to go for:

Photo courtesy of D.D.Reptiles.net.

Coenobita Species becomes a Sister Site

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:20:00 +0000

The Sister Sites of The Crab Street Journal welcome Coenobita Species.com as the newest member.

Comparitive Example For PPS Practices

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:20:00 +0000

Little Billy has had 3 hermit crabs since his 12 birthday. He has a 20 gallon tank housing his 3 small PP crabs. One day when he is at the store picking up some ocean salt water for his crabs, he spots a tank containing 2 poor little Ruggies that have no water except for a damp sponge, huge pellets of food that he doubts they have even attempted to eat, and no ground cover to protect them from the 100 watt heat lamp that is shining directly on them from an open tank top. Billy has been a very conscientious crab owner. He explored on-line information on how to care for hermit crabs and has all the bells and whistles to keep his crab people happy. He has proudly seen his crabs molt, grow and prosper for the past year. Billy knows that the little Ruggies will not last long in the current conditions they are in. He consults a clerk, advises her of the poor crabitat conditions, and notes that there will likely be no changes made based on his advice. Billy's mom is a sweetheart and lets Billy rescue these poor crabs from their sorry condition. Billy finds out from the cashier that those are the last ones from their shipment last month, and now they can order more. (God forbid). Billy provides his new crabs with a dip into his tanks water dish, and then they scurry to hide in the handy cave he has for his crabs. Well, a week later, and Billy has still not seen his new crabs. He doesn't think they have even been to the food dish. He isn't too concerned since they are likely de-stressing in the wonderful conditions in his tank. Well a couple of more weeks pass. Billy thinks he seen one of his new guys in the water dish, now there is signs of digging, this crab must be molting. Well another couple of weeks lapse, and it is now high time to do a deep clean. Billy carefully digs around to see if he can locate where his crabs may be down molting so he proceeds cautiously. Billy takes out some of his plants and shells for rinsing, he has found the top of one of his new crab's shells, he checks to see how the little guy is faring and discovers that it has died. Billy is heart broken. Finally the entire tank is unearthed and Billy discovers that neither one of his new little ruggies made it!! That darn PPS, it is just not fair!

Technique for Adjusting PPS Crabs - Method

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 02:19:55 +0000

Definition:

PPS is Death as a result of a crab being deprived of the resources he needs to adapt metabolically to conditional changes in his environment (humidity/temperature). The inability to adapt is influenced by the duration of depravation, on what elements were withheld that the crabs need to adjust to their environment (Mainly proper food, water, and light), and on the environmental conditions themselves. Death of a crab should not be classified as PPS outside of the initial established time frame of adjustment (30 days).

CSJ welcomes its newest Sister Site member- Hermit Crab Paradise

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:43:16 +0000

Hermit Crab Paradise has joined the esteemed ranks of The Crab Street Journal's Sister Sites to become the 9th (active) member of the Crustacean Care Coalition. Hermit Crab Paradiseis committed to providing current, accurate care information and abiding by the Code of Ethics of the program.