Land Hermit Crabs E-Book

Philippe de Vosjoli

• Herausgeber: CompanionHouse Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 64

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2005

Beschreibung

Crabbers should grab Philippe de Vosjoli manual on land hermit crabs for expert advice on keeping this popular and colorful invertebrate thriving in its vivarium! The popularity of hermit crabs is undeniable, as the author states in his introduction, "Their droll appearances and interesting behaviors have made them appealing to both children and adults looking for an affordable, low maintenance, and undemanding pet." Land Hermit Crabs seeks to inform dedicated hobbyists and casual crabbers alike about the requirements—minimal though specific—of land hermit crabs to keep their pets alive and healthy. Due to the low cost of hermit crabs, too many keepers carelessly allow their pets to die unnecessarily. The author says that the "high mortality of captive hermit crabs is [due to] the failure [of keepers] to provide a proper environment." This Advanced Vivarium Systems title provides detailed information on the selection of a health crab, housing, water and feeding requirements, molting, breeding, behavior, and health and other husbandry-related problems. Crab enthusiasts will also be interested to read about other crabs for freshwater aquaria in the final chapter, with photos of and information about fiddler crabs, red-clawed freshwater crabs, coconut crabs, and land crabs. Resources and index included.

Leseprobe

Karla Austin, Business Operations Manager

Nick Clemente, Special Consultant

Jarelle S. Stein, Editor

Jill Dupont, Production

Kendra Strey, Assistant Editor

Cover and layout design by Michael Capozzi

Indexed by Rachael Rice

Cover photo by Andrew Lewis, courtesy of www.ihavecrabs.com.

The additional photographs in this book are by Andrew Lewis, courtesy of www.ihavecrabs.com., pp. 4, 6, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17,18, 19, 21, 23, 28, 31, 32, 36, 39, 41, 43, 46; Maleta and Jerry Walls, pp. 7–9, 26, 44, 51; Aaron Norman, pp. 48, 49, 52.

Copyright © 1999, 2005 by Advanced Vivarium Systems, Inc.TM

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopy, recording or any information and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

LCCN: 96-183295

ISBN: 1-882770-82-X

eISBN: 978-1-62008-023-8

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1: General Information

2: Selection

3: Housing

4: Water

5: Feeding

6: Molting

7: Breeding and Other Behaviors

8: Diseases and Problems

9: Other Crabs for Freshwater Aquaria

Resources

About the Author

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book would not have been possible without access to the scientific literature on land hermit crabs, especially Biology of the Land Crabs edited by Warren W. Burggren and Brian R. McMahon (Cambridge University Press, 1988), which proved to be an invaluable resource. The reader interested in knowing more about the biology of land hermit crabs should consult this important reference. I am also indebted to the various “crabbers” who have provided a wealth of information on hermit crab husbandry gathered from personal experience on their various Internet sites and forums. Any errors in the use or interpretation of scientific material are solely my own.

Hermit crabs’ size and interesting behaviors makes them fun, appealing pets for both children and adults. Unfortunately, many beginning “crabbers” are unaware of the specific housing and care requirements these animals need to thrive.

INTRODUCTION

Land hermit crabs are one of the most widely kept of the land invertebrates. Their droll appearances and interesting behaviors have made them appealing to both children and adults looking for an affordable, low maintenance, and undemanding pet. Unfortunately, because hermit crabs are also considered cheap and disposable living toys, thousands die every year from neglect. At the root of the high mortality of captive hermit crabs is the failure to provide a proper environment. As with the keeping of tropical fish, the initial cost of a setup will be many times greater than the price of a hermit crab. Another reason for the high death rate of captive hermit crabs is simply a lack of knowledge about their requirements. Being arthropods, their way of life makes their care requirements significantly different from most popular pets such as hamsters, parakeets, or dogs and cats. For starters, land hermit crabs are tropical ectothermic (cold-blooded) creatures that depend on external heat to maintain a body temperature that allows them to be active. Because hermit crabs are arthropods, they don’t have an internal skeleton but a hard exoskeleton that must be molted and replaced as they grow. Their growth occurs not continuously but in discrete stages associated with a molt cycle. Another unique feature of hermit crabs is their use of discarded snail shells. Although land hermit crabs have evolved to live away from seawater, they need to store water in the gastropod (snail) shell they carry. Providing the conditions to meet the requirements associated with these features is the key to successfully keeping land hermit crabs alive. The purpose of this book is to provide the essential information required for long-term maintenance of land hermit crabs as well as some useful information on their biology.

CHAPTER 1

GENERAL INFORMATION

Land hermit crabs are relatives of the often brightly colored marine hermits displayed in marine aquaria, but they spend most of their adult lives on the shore, venturing into shallow waters only to wet their gills and to breed. Like other hermit crabs, they are structurally somewhat between shrimp and true crabs, with the back legs reduced and the abdomen generally asymmetrical.

This typical hermit crab (Coenobita clypeatus) is also known as a Caribbean crab or purple pincher.

Taxonomy

Land hermit crabs are crustaceans in the family Coenobitidae, which includes all the land hermit crabs. The family consists of two genera, Coenobita with eleven species including the common land hermit crab of the pet trade, and the monotypic robber or coconut crab, Birgus latro, the largest land-dwelling crab. The land hermit crab commonly sold in the pet trade is the West Atlantic land hermit crab (Coenobita clypeatus). Besides land hermit crabs, there are species of intertidal hermit crabs in the family Diogenidae and several families of sea-dwelling hermit crabs.

Distribution

The West Atlantic land hermit crab that is commonly sold in the pet trade has a wide range in nature, from southern Florida and the Bahamas through the West Indies to Venezuela.

Size

West Atlantic hermit crabs grow to about 4 ounces (113 grams) body weight. Very old large specimens can weigh more than 7 ounces (200 g) and measure more than 6 inches (15 centimeters) long.

Note: From this point on West Atlantic land hermit crabs, which are the primary topic of this book, will be referred to as simply land hermit crabs or hermit crabs.

Anatomy

Crustaceans have a very different anatomy than mammalian vertebrates, and a special terminology is used to describe their anatomical parts. Hermit crabs have two main body segments: the cephalothorax, which is a fusion of the head and thorax (midsection); and the soft abdomen. In the land hermit crab, the soft abdomen twists to the right side to allow it to lodge itself within the empty shell of a gastropod (sea snail).

In the very front of the crab’s body, you will notice two eyes connected to the body by eye stalks. Just below the eyes are two pairs of antennae—a pair of regular antennae and a pair of antennules with bent tips. Beneath the two pairs of antennae are the mouthparts. Noteworthy are the elongated leg-like mouthparts called the third maxillipeds, used during eating and grooming of antennae.

The fourth and fifth legs of a hermit crab are small and curved to help it hold on to the inside of its shell.

The telson, or tail fan, of most crabs and shrimps is symmetrical; however, in land crabs as shown here, it is small and asymmetrical—another way of helping the crab stay in its shell.

A hermit crab has five pairs of legs, including a pair of large claws (which technically are called chelipeds or chelae) and four pairs of walking legs. The left claw is larger than the right claw and is used for defense and during locomotion. The smaller right claw is used during eating and drinking to transfer material to the mouth. The front two pairs of walking legs are kept outside the shell and used for walking. The back two pairs of walking legs are kept in the shell and used to anchor the crab inside its shell, perform grooming activities, and function in the course of reproduction.

The strip of thin, nearly transparent tissue down the belly of a hermit crab helps it take in air from the water.

Longevity