The horror behind painted shells

[Wai]

Watch the video and you'll be shocked...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_ny6kipmsg

Seriously, this is happening all the time while mindless little toddlers are giving these business people their pocket money!

[erikleeson]

Thats scary. Especially the first one. I feel so bad for all those crabs. i wish there was one big website where you can only get hermit crabs from there and its one big hermit crab rescue with thousands of hermit crabs.

A custom made 10000 Gallon tank in Florida called the Hermit Crab Paradise! Wai would be the owner

Oh wait...

[ladybug15057]

This is a very serious problem in the world of hermies. The first You tube video is from the Crab Street Journal, and it is considered "Indonesian art". There is another link on the CSJ site iteself with a thread I started under "Crabby Affair". One does not need to be a member to view the site, but does need to be a member to post:

CrabbyAffair

And some are even painted while in the shells, or the paint isn't dry when they are forced into the shells: (with pictures)

Story

And other ways hermies are gotten into painted shells:
1. Put the hermie into a freezer, wait until they are just about frozen and take them out. They easily slide out of their shells then, and slide their bottoms into a painted shell. When thawed they usually will pull within the shell.

2. Place heat, (usually a butane burner of some sort) on the end of their shell until it gets so warm/hot that the hermie automatically leaves their shell.

3. Drill a small hole into the end of the shell and probe the hermie through the hole until they leave the shell.

Just a few ways we know how it is done... and some wonder why hermies are so stressed, and why it is so important when they are new just to leave them the heck alone to destress!!
Then.. to be placed into who knows what to be shipped, to improper tank conditions at pet stores!
If you have not done so already, please do sign the petition against painted shells, but if you leave a comment... keep it clean please.

http://www.petitiononline.com/pshells/petition.html

[emmac350]

Another sad thing about this is...I was looking at the shape of the shells that were being painted...and I recognize some of them. Those shells naturally are gorgeous! The one kind...not sure what they're called, but they look like the spots on and color of a giraffe...or you could even say they're like a light leopard-print without any stretch of the imagination. Those shells are awesome, and why would you want some cheap, crappily painted shell? I mean...is it so necessary that instead of a natural leopard-type print, you have a thickly painted, badly painted tie-dye shell? Wake up, people! Crabs are not accessories! They're animals with needs, just like those ridiculous "purse dogs" that celebrities tote around like another new hair accessory.

Sorry for ranting.

[erikleeson]

Lol I laughed at that!

But this is no laughing matter. I hate painted shells.

[krabby_katie]

That's just awful. I commented on the first one.

[Alysse]

Are all painted shells bad? I bought one amongst many others so my crabs have variety. Admittedly I thought it was cute, however I never intended my crabs to have no choice in the matter, I don't care which shells they prefer as long as they are happy. Is that ok if the crab wants the shell, or are all painted shells bad?

I find it really distressing that crabs are subjected to such cruelty. They're seen as disposable and don't really matter. I never realised what they go through until I got my crabs a week ago and researched them.

[Wai]

Even if the hermit crab doesn't wear the painted shell, they may be tempted to try tasting the paint. All you have to do is remove the layer of paint and the shell will be safe to use.

[emmac350]

If you don't want the shell to go to waste, but you want to keep looking at the design on the shell, several crabbers will put the painted shells on display outside of their tank. That way, they can enjoy the design that they liked and for which they bought the shell without exposing their crabs to harmful chemicals.

[anniehorsekrab]

The first one just SCARED me. Who could do such things? >[