Hermit crabs are weird little critters with soft lower bodies that use the discarded shells of other animals for protection. They have co-evolved with other marine invertebrates for centuries so that the discarded shells of other animals perfectly fit their own hermit crab bodies. If you ask me, they are miracles of evolution (but not “miracles” in the Juggalo sense). But some hermit crabs have found unconventional and neat homes, and I thought I’d share are few I found with you here:
This is a hermit crab in a glass shell, while it’s probably not his permanent home, it should explain some things about how hermit crabs work. (via floraflora)
Here’s another angle of another crab in a transparent shell. Notice how their long curved tails curl up inside the shell? Weird! (via odt.co.nz)
This guy’s wearing a twist-off cap of some kind, but I’m not exactly sure what kind of cap it is. Can anyone tell? Definitely not a soda bottle cap. Gas cap, maybe? (via other95)
This little hermit crab is sporting a cool soccer ball-like custom shell. (via hashemian)
This guy is a coconut crab, the largest species of crab on the earth. As babies, they’re small enough to fit inside coconut husks. But when they get bigger they have a hard time finding a shell that will fit. (via MoarRawr)
This little guy is rocking a colorful miniature tea-pot as a house. So cute! (via shaynalyn)
I’m not sure what kind of shell this guy is sporting either–it looks kind of like the plastic covering that goes over a sports bottle or dish soap cap. (via antiguamuseums)
Aw, THIS guy is adorable, sporting a broken beer bottle as a house. This almost makes me want to pollute MORE just to see more hermit crabs in cute little getups like this. (via mcmilladonks)
This teeny tiny hermit crab has is using a giant awkwardly shaped seashell as his home. I wonder if he can even carry that thing! (via sleepychinchilla)
These domestic hermit crabs all get fancy custom-painted shells. It’s apparently quit common for people to keep hermit crabs as pets and paint their shells with non-toxic paints as a hobby. This looks really fun! (via pef)
[...] Hermit crabs are weird little critters with soft lower bodies that use the discarded shells of other animals for protection. They have co-evolved with other marine invertebrates for centuries so that the discarded shells of other animals perfectly fit their own hermit crab bodies. Read ahead [...]
[...] Diez casas curiosas para cangrejos hermitaños snuzzy.com/10-neat-hermit-houses/ por cyrano2875 hace 2 segundos [...]
That yellow cap looks like it is from a plastic motor oil bottle.
They make their home out of funniest things.
They are very interesting too. I remember, few years ago when I was in Goa, India, we found quite a lot of them. Mostly they lived in the shells of course.
The heading says 10 houses, but I only see 5 pics and no link for more. ???
While the painted shells are cute, one would be hard-pressed to find an experienced hermit crab owner who would allow one in their tank. The paint is non-toxic to us, but hermit crabs can be very sensitive to chemicals so the paint can still be harmful to them. It’s not unheard of for a hermit crab to stay in a too-small (or even damaged) natural shell when its only other options are painted shells. There are even reports of people purchasing or adopting crabs in painted shells who discover that the hermit crab is “glued” into the shell with paint that had dripped onto their exoskeletons during the process. It’s important to remember that in many cases, the suppliers and pet stores swear it’s safe, but their motivation is to make money, not promote the welfare of the animals.
Mariana…You are totally right on! I once had a 60-gal. crabitat and would occasionally rescue crabs from gift shops in malls. The “husbandry” of the crabs was usually bad to horrendous. My experience, with the ones in painted shells or plastic football helmets, etc., was that almost immediately after having access to natural shells, they would exchange them and none ever moved into a discarded painted one.
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All hermit crabs are wild caught. And because they prefer natural shells to the ridiculous painted ones (remember, shells in the wild they choose shells based on how well they will camouflage them) the process of removing the crab from their natural shell and stuffing them into the painted ones is neither gentle nor humane. They often die, and as the previous poster mentioned, get stuck to the paint and are unable to change shells. While it may look “cute” or “neat”, it’s unnatural and cruel.
I agree with the comments regarding the painted shells. They aren’t safe for the hermit crabs, they’re toxic. I, for one, would really appreciate it if you would remove or edit your post stating that the painted shells are safe. You’re doing those lovely little creatures harm by saying those toxic shells are safe. Please, if you really do admire and care about hermit crabs, please edit or remove that comment. Thank you! :)
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