Sad And outraged!

[Foxydiva3]

I have been going to Sea Shell city to get shells for my hermits for a while now. They always have a good selection and they always have the super extra large shells that I Need for my straws. They do have a hermit crab cove with three sizes of crabs and generally are very nice and try to keep informed. I have been going there for quite a while. So today I Go in To get some shells and there Were Thousands of Painted crabs in all sorts of colors styles they had beads , neclaces and glass and hats ect glued to them. There were 5 large crabs with their Shells glued inside Football helmets. I Have heard of this but never seen it first hand, Appaling. None of them were moving. There was one stuck to a Dry sponge so I thought At least he is trying to survive so I Said im going to take him. I siad to the lady that they really should have stuck to the crabs in natural shells like they used to if they were going to sell crabs. I Said. Do you realize what they do to get them in here? She said Oh no these guys came from a show and that the lady put them all in a room with a box of painted shells and that each crab chose these shells. A bunch of bull if I have ever heard!!!!!!!!!! These poor guys. Well I Saved one. I Took the face guard off so he could get around and put him Isolation with ten other shells to choose from, Hopefully he will be rid of that shell. Im going to call him helmet.

[meluchja]

Oh my that does sound terrible.

When I first started looking at buying Hermit Crabs, I thought how cute all the painted ones were. I bought 4 of them, but soon read how devistating the paint could be to them, so thankfully they have changed their shells now.

But when I went back into the same store, and asked if they realised what the painted sheels could do to the crabs, the girl, just shrugged her shoulders and said they are just crabs..... I felt so terrible for the poor little buggers.

[krabby_katie]

That's awful. How could you do that to a poor little hermit crab? That's just feeding the people that think they're toys. Glad you saved one, and I hope he does well.

[crabcrazygal]

that is absolutly horrible.
at least one was aved

[Foxydiva3]

Helmet is doing great! He changed out of his shell five minutes after he got home, Now he's happy and thriving! I usually throw painted shells in my garden But I threw that helmet out right away!
C