1. Plastic tanks are okay, as long as they're big enough for your crabs - how are you going to heat plastic tanks?
2. 10 gallon tank is about as big as you'll need - um...no. Not if you get more than a small handful of small crabs.
3. Home improvement sand works great for crabs and washing/baking is optional - yeah. Enough said.
4. Calcium based sands "are nice and come in a wide array of colors" - no mention of the fact that they can easily KILL your crab due to hardening after getting wet, or the smell they can give off.
5. Crushed coral is nice as a substrate (provide forest bedding or sand because your crabs MAY prefer them for molting) - all I'm going to say is would you like to walk barefoot over crushed coral? Me either.
6. Only a passing mention of dechlorination in the humidity/water section - I certainly wouldn't want to use this article as my source for hermit crab information based off of this one thing alone.
7. The three necessities of a tank are "stuff to climb on, A water bowl, and food dish" - the emphasis on "a" is mine. Later, in the food and water section, it mentions needing two water dishes, but still.
Then I looked at the FMR site (for those who don't know, Florida Marine Research is a group that does research on hermit crabs). It was atrocious. All pictures of crabs had them in painted shells (some with plastic sunglasses glued to the shells too) for one thing, and I don't know what they've been doing lately because nothing has changed on there in forever (we know more than they do about stuff!). I'll split up the things I have a problem with by which page they're on. I'm paraphrasing things too. Comments in parentheses are mine.
In the FAQ section...
1. If your crab is streaking, you should boil the old shell he was in, rinse in cool water, then dump the crab into lukewarm water, then stick his backside into the shell, tapping on his head and claw until he goes in out of fear of you. (Because your crab shouldn't be allowed to choose a shell on his own.)
2. If your crab is inactive, you should spray it until it's active. (Sounds like your crab will love it when you take him out of the cage now!)
3. Hermit crabs molt once a year, usually between May and September. It can take two weeks or more. Isolate the non-molting crabs so they don't disturb your molter in the tank, or stick a divider in the sand so they can't get to him. Crabs bury themselves to molt because they need moisture, so while they're down there, you should sprinkle water on the sand to make sure he gets enough moisture. (I thought that too much moisture was bad for a hardening crab, or maybe I'm wrong? Also, crabs molt more often when little and more often than big.)
4. Crabs are most active from 70-75 F. (Mine are most active from 75-80, and I even have PPs like they do!)
5. Too large of shells for your crabs make your crabs lethargic. (Not true; crabs determine shell size themselves and most of mine are in "too big" shells without being lethargic.)
6. Two crabs per one gallon of tank size is a good ratio. (No wonder people think critter keepers are okay for crabs! Geesh! I've got 6 in a 30 gallon and I have 3 upper levels and I still wonder if I should get a bigger one! Crabs will travel miles in a night! 20 crabs in a 10 gallon tank is just ridiculous...even if they are only micros!)
7. Getting rid of parasites only involves changing the substrate once and washing the crabs in lukewarm water several times a day. (Not salt water; only mentions one substrate change for getting rid of mites, doesn't mention the possibility of the mites you can buy to eat the bad mites.)
8. Shy crabs have been trained to be more social with humans with misting. (There's a reason that misting is used as a punishment for cats - it's unpleasant. I doubt this is true.)
9. Hermit crabs drop their legs because it's too dry in their environment. You can avoid this by putting more sponges in their water bowls, misting the crabs themselves, or giving them twice-weekly baths. (Granted, it mentions toxic fumes and fighting as two other reasons, but seriously? What about PPS? What about bad food? And twice-weekly baths and misting the crabs WON'T stress them out? Their shell water isn't important to them at all, I guess. *grumble*)
In the "Care Sheet" section...
1. Use FMR for all your shell needs! (Not to mention that, oh yeah, they're painted. And you can buy more shells for less money on ebay.)
2. You don't know anything about picking out shells for crabs, so you should let a knowledgeable hermit crab shell distributor do all your thinking for you. (You can do research on this. Also, since they only deal with PPs, I doubt they'd have any clue about what Es like best, or any other type of crab for that matter.)
3. Bathe crabs twice a week even if their bowls are deep enough to allow them to do it themselves. (See above.)
4. Crabs thrive on pre-mixed hermit crab food and treats, along with a variety of fruits and vegetables. (I didn't even paraphrase that one. We all know that crabs won't eat the same thing two days in a row, but they obviously haven't figured it out. Is FMR the brand that uses pheromones to attract crabs to their food? I don't remember which brands did that. Additionally, fresh fruits and veggies are important to crabs (vitamins/minerals and coloring compounds like carotene and zeaxanthin/astaxanthin) but what about real meat? My crabs have been going crazy over shrimp the last few times I've offered - they don't even mention the love of shrimp. It makes me sad how many people out there are giving their crabs the equivalent to a diet of white bread only.)
The "Crab Biology" section...
1. "The direct route [of evolution from ocean to land] taken by Coenobita presents many adaptive problems, especially in the hot and dry climates that seem to be favored by the terrestrial hermit crabs." (Wait...crabs prefer hot and dry climates? True, they like warmth, but they definitely don't like dry. This sentence just stymied me.)
2. "Coenobita Clypeatus...occurs naturally from Bermuda, where it is now rare, and southern Florida to Venezuela and perhaps Brazil. It seems to prefer dry, hard soil at some distance from the sea and it is known to live at altitudes of at least 2,300 feet (887 meters.) Although high humidity is desirable, Coenobita seems to avoid areas of dense vegetation or permanently humid habitats, such as marshlands and the muddy banks of brackish or freshwater pools. Hermit crabs can survive in coastal areas but they encounter stiff competition for food there from quicker and more active semi terrestrial grapsoid crabs. The hermit crab populations in these regions are consequently made up of small individuals and a few larger ones that usually carry inadequate snail shells and appear the worse for wear in comparison with those living in inland situations, where there are freshwater drinking places, shade trees, and a better 'food supply'"
(Okay, maybe I've missed something here, but at least from what I've found through my own research, this is totally wrong. When I offered my crabs a dry substrate, they subsequently dampened it until, five months later, it was the same as if I'd given it to them damp. Also, as soon as any sand is disturbed, they dig in it - so why would they like hard soil? Mine at least prefer stuff they can dig in easily. Also, if they're avoiding dense vegetation, why do they like it in their tanks so much? It would bake sense that they would like the vegetation as a place to hide, and since this site calls them "tree crabs." Additionally, why would they avoid humid habitats? Granted, the places they list as humid (muddy banks of brackish or freshwater pools) don't sound appealing to me either and I wouldn't want to live there, but without a source of saltwater at a freshwater pool, it makes perfect sense to me that they'd want to live elsewhere. I'd assume that the crabs can survive in coastal areas as they need salt water for breeding (tossing the eggs into the water so they hatch) and the salinity level of their shell water. I don't live within the natural habitat of the crabs, but I'd love to visit so I could disprove the whole 'ones living near the shore are more worse for the wear' thing...doesn't make sense to me. And yes, crabs need freshwater, but they need saltwater too, so their lives shouldn't be spent in places with no saltwater present. Ugg.)
3. "Experiments have shown that animals in well-fitting shells can subsist without food and water six times as long as those removed from their shells." (I'm appalled that they did an experiment like this...figuring out how long they could live without food and water or without food and water and a shell. That's just wrong, in my opinion. It is kind of cool to know, but cruel.)
4. "Coenobita has a highly developed sensory perception for water; it prefers water of low salinity and it is able to discriminate well between different salinities. The animals seem to remain in best condition when a small amount of salt is present in the drinking water. Full-strength sea water can be used for drinking, but not for shell water-, the latter must be constantly diluted with nearly fresh water to prevent adverse concentration of the body fluids."
(What do they mean, you can't use sea water for shell water? I thought crabs mix it themselves with fresh and salt until it's where they want it. And then the sentence about having a "small amount of salt" present in the drinking water...my crabs like their fresh water completely fresh and their salt water mixed to full strength. They go in both, and they've completely submerged in both. It is necessary to have both, not just a weak salt water!)
5. "De Wilde tells of a dead donkey on Curacao that kept a group of hermit crabs busy for several weeks. Even when nothing remained of the carcass but the empty dried hide, the crustaceans continued to rattle loudly around inside of what served as a very effective sounding box." (I doubt if this is a true story. Crabs won't eat the same thing two days in a row, even if that same thing is their favorite food (non-treat food). I've given a shrimp one day and had it ripped to shreds (as much as 6 micro and small-sized hermit crabs can rip a decently-sized shrimp to shreds), but given it even two or three days later and had it completely ignored. While there probably WERE crabs in the donkey the whole time, I doubt that they were the same ones. I also doubt that De Wilde ever thought to check whether they were the same ones. Also, the crabs were probably still in the carcass BECAUSE of the bones - they're an excellent source of calcium, so they were probably taking advantage of that, not just enjoying making noise.)
6. " In captivity, cannibalism may result from inadequate care but, if sufficient food and water are supplied, mortality is very low, even when several hundred medium-sized animals are crowded together. The crabs were maintained in excellent condition in captivity on Curacao on a diet of cooked rice, bread and fruit- and sometimes fish or other protein-rich food." (They're telling people it's okay to keep several hundred medium-sized crabs crowded together? How can this place know anything about crabs? Also, cooked rice, bread, fruit, and occasional fish is not a balanced crab diet long-term. Yeah, the crabs may have seemed okay at first, but given a few years, would probably not be doing so good.)
7. "In captivity, hermit crabs often burrow into soil when ready to molt and remain out of sight for a month or more, during which time they consume the cast integument, presumably for its calcium content." (I doubt that hermit crab molting behavior changes that radically during molting. They make no mention of whether that's a normal thing out in the wild, but just make it seem like it only happens in captivity. Additionally, they don't give general time guidelines for how long molts take - they give the minimum but no idea even of the maximum. They fail to mention that some crabs can take almost a year before they return to the surface. Also, they consume the exo PRESUMABLY for its calcium content? Why else would they do it, except for the calcium and chitin? It's not rocket science here, people! They have a massive need for calcium and chitin after they molt for hardening and growing. You can't grow bigger without the nutritional building blocks to grow bigger.)
8. "The sex of hermit crabs usually cannot be determined without removing the animals from the shell." (If that's the case, how do we all know the sex of our crabs? I know that Toodles and Nibs are both girls and Slightly and Benny are both boys for sure. But I sure didn't remove them from the shell...)
9. "Individuals of the species are known to live in captivity for at least 11 years." (Maybe they should talk to Carol of Crabworks. Jon and Kate are 32, last I heard...so maybe they're 33 now? Regardless, much older than 11. Marie, you have had crabs for 11+ years, haven't you? However, most of the crabs sold by the FMR based off what I've seen on this site would never last that long...painted/glued shells, crowded conditions, little to no fresh food offered outside some occasional fruit...)
The "Crabs" page...
I haven't seen a single active crab in any of these pictures yet. They're all slammed shut. These are the types of crabs they have listed along with their description:
Small & Medium Exotic Crabs - This group of crabs in natural shells shows well with a wide variety of sizes and approximately 20 different kinds of shells.
Large Exotic Crabs - Great hermit crab for the older kids with approximately 15 different varieties of shells.
Jumbo Show Crabs - These are the big boys ranging in size from just under baseball size to softball plus size in very nice natural exotic shells.
Crabs in Designer Mix - This group is an assortment of our painted shells.
Crabs in Jungle Print Shells - This group has different animal prints.
Crabs in Jewel Shells - These shells are decorated with sparkles and glitter in different designs to entice any child that likes something a little different.
Crabs in Rainbow Shells - These crabs are painted in bright colors to resemble all the colors of the rainbow. See if you can find the pot of gold at the end. (Note: these shells are all chancellarias - some of the prettiest natural shells out there.
)Crabs in Lifesaver Shells - This group looks like a roll of lifesavers.
Crabs in Tye Dyed Shells - This group reminds you of the tye dyed shirts we all used to wear.
Crabs in Mother of Pearl Shells - These shells that have been painted in very bright colors and is a favorite among hermit crabs.
Crabs in Tri Colored Shells - This is a pretty shell that has soft pastel colors blended through it.
Crabs in Zebra Shells - A very pretty shell with black stripes through it to resemble a zebra stripe.
Crabs in Neon Hand Painted Shells - These are beautifully painted scenic shells.
Crabs in Spiderman Shells - These are cool shells for all Spiderman enthusiasts.
Crabs in Ocean Life Shells - These are awesome shells with a variety of colorful painted pictures of fish.
Crabs In Nemo Shells - These shells reflect a variety of characters from Nemo.
Crabs in Superman Shells - These shells are for all the Superman fans.
Crabs in Dinosaur Shells - This is a very cute group for the Dinosaur collector.
Crabs in Butterfly Shells - This group of beautiful butterfly shells.
Crabs in Ladybug Shells - This group is a colored variety of the beloved Ladybug
Crabs in Patriotic Shells - Show your American pride.
Crabs in Cartoon Character Shells - Included in this variety are all your cartoon favorites.
Crabs in Hawaiian Flowers Shells - A very pretty flower for your special someone. Several different designs and colors.
Crabs in Sports Ball Shells - Shells for the sports enthusiast. Pick your favorite sport(s).
Crabs in SpongeBob Shells - Cute SpongeBob shells for all ages.
Crabs in Mirrored Shells - These are really cute with little mirrors on them.
Crabs in Batman Shells - Another super shell for the secret hero in all of us.
Crabs In Snoopy & Woodstock Shells - A shell to show you are "cool".
Crabs in Scooby Shells - A great shell for all Scooby Doo lovers.
Crabs in Shrek Shells - This group sports all your favorite Shrek characters.
Crabs in Rug Rat Shells - This group is for the kids.
Crabs in Fireball Shells - This group is for the hot kids.
Crabs in Helmet Shells - Crabs in the helmet of your favorite sport and team. (Please confirm availability.) Baseball, College Football, NFL Football, Ice Hockey, Nascrab (I assume this is meant to be Nascar?)
Crabs in Sylvester & Tweety Shells - This group is for the kids.
Crabs in Hello Kitty Shells - This group is for the kids.
Crabs in Pokemon Shells - This group is for the kids.
Crabs in Carebear Shells - This group is for the kids.
I thought these were the people who were supposed to be experts on hermit crab care...and they put crabs in shells with helmets glued on them?
The "Accessories" page...
Mister Trainers Using this mister will provide necessary moisture. Misting a crab will help wake him up making him more active. Misting is also an excellent way to involve children in hermit crab care.
Packaged Sparkles 3 oz - An attractive decoration to add sparkle in the substrate of the habitat.
Hermit Crab Calci Sand - An attractive aquarium calci sand in 6 neon colors (Orange, Pink, Green, Blue, Purple, Yellow.) Packaged in 1 Lb. bags, each lot contains an assortment of colors.
The "Wire Cages" page...
The fact that they offer wire cages shows that they can't know anything about crabs. The cages are tiny, and atrocious in every way.
Sorry, I didn't realize how long this post was, but this really bugged me today. So there you go. I feel somewhat better now.
