Our Credentials, So To Speak
Nov 17, 2012 23:39:52 GMT -5
Ookami-Meggle, ifluctuate, and 9 more like this
Post by Sach-Crabministrator on Nov 17, 2012 23:39:52 GMT -5
Hello everyone! Questions are always coming up as to why our information is the best and most current you can find. Many of the newcomers may not know that we are a full-disclosure site or take the time to review our Facebook page that details things a little more. I'm going to address some of the most common questions here
Someone says, "Well they have been living this way already for X years/months, etc so I'm sure they are fine."
This is something I see all over the internet & frankly it bugs me as well as makes me sad. Some species like PPs can be very hardy and survive where they don't thrive.
A person can live in a urine-soaked cardboard box in an alley for years & years, eating dumpster food & braving the elements but that does not mean they are healthy, happy, or comfortable or that these are "proper conditions".
Hermit crabs can have a lifespan equal to ours, so why would they be any different in this regard?
Someone says, "Can you prove that other substrates are bad?"
Absolutely. I have talked with several crabbers who have found melted molters when using too much EE as well as being able to attribute at least one of my crab deaths in the beginning to a mix of calci-sand & EE.
The Hermit Crab Patch (formerly known as The Crabbage Patch), a well-respected resource in the crabbing community not only recommends the 5:1,
"Using moistened coconut fiber by itself in your crabitat is also poor choice as it provides molting crabs with very little protection increasing the chance of cannibalism. Using a mixture that is primarily sand (5 parts sand to 1 part coconut fiber) is much more protective."
but also endorses us as an additional resource.
That's a pretty good endorsement for both us and the 5:1 ratio, in my opinion.
I'd like to also add that Tammy & Kirk at HCP have not only been crabbing for more than 15 years, but are now successfully breeding hermit crabs in captivity; something only they and the person who taught them how (Bob, of ELHC) have been able to do well enough that they actually have years-old babies. Bob was my first teacher when it came to HC. He is the only American granted permission to export c.variabilis (Aussie crabs) out of Australia by their government, is a co-discoverer of new species & sub-species, like the sunset violas & brevimanus roseus, as well as discovering & identifying cross-breeds like the beautiful "brunberries" (bruneus/purpureus cross) and the violent & aggressive "Indocokes" (coconut crab/Indo cross).
I have also been educated by and am in current contact with Felix J. Wang. He is not only a resource for places like Tony Coenobita, but the other co-discoverer of the sunset violas, pink Indos & pseudorugosus. He is also the reason why coenobita purpureus are called "blueberries"! This is someone I talk to and learn from ALL THE TIME.
The information on this site is also endorsed by the first successful captive breeder of Australian hermit crabs; Natalie Van Amstel.
I'd like to add that it is kind of "no-brainer" that crabs who live on or near the beach would have a substrate in the wild that is MOSTLY sand with a small bit of organic matter mixed in.
Someone says, "Where is the research on this stuff? Where is the proof?"
GOOGLE: I already did the work
McLaughlin, 1983
Jones, S and Morgan, GJ 1994
("field guide to crustaceans of Australian waters") Reed Books, 1994
Burggren, WW and McMahon (1988)
"Biology of the land crabs" from Cambridge University, Reed Books 1988
De Wilde 1973
Oestrling, M 2003
Study on substrate found among the most common & prolific species of hermit crabs.
gridnairobi.unep.org/chm/eafdocuments/Tanzania/Ecology_of_muddy_shores_in_Tanzania.pdf
As well as Tony Coenobita & Felix J. Wang of Happie Crabbie Indonesia
Someone says, "Well they have been living this way already for X years/months, etc so I'm sure they are fine."
This is something I see all over the internet & frankly it bugs me as well as makes me sad. Some species like PPs can be very hardy and survive where they don't thrive.
A person can live in a urine-soaked cardboard box in an alley for years & years, eating dumpster food & braving the elements but that does not mean they are healthy, happy, or comfortable or that these are "proper conditions".
Hermit crabs can have a lifespan equal to ours, so why would they be any different in this regard?
Someone says, "Can you prove that other substrates are bad?"
Absolutely. I have talked with several crabbers who have found melted molters when using too much EE as well as being able to attribute at least one of my crab deaths in the beginning to a mix of calci-sand & EE.
The Hermit Crab Patch (formerly known as The Crabbage Patch), a well-respected resource in the crabbing community not only recommends the 5:1,
"Using moistened coconut fiber by itself in your crabitat is also poor choice as it provides molting crabs with very little protection increasing the chance of cannibalism. Using a mixture that is primarily sand (5 parts sand to 1 part coconut fiber) is much more protective."
but also endorses us as an additional resource.
That's a pretty good endorsement for both us and the 5:1 ratio, in my opinion.
I'd like to also add that Tammy & Kirk at HCP have not only been crabbing for more than 15 years, but are now successfully breeding hermit crabs in captivity; something only they and the person who taught them how (Bob, of ELHC) have been able to do well enough that they actually have years-old babies. Bob was my first teacher when it came to HC. He is the only American granted permission to export c.variabilis (Aussie crabs) out of Australia by their government, is a co-discoverer of new species & sub-species, like the sunset violas & brevimanus roseus, as well as discovering & identifying cross-breeds like the beautiful "brunberries" (bruneus/purpureus cross) and the violent & aggressive "Indocokes" (coconut crab/Indo cross).
I have also been educated by and am in current contact with Felix J. Wang. He is not only a resource for places like Tony Coenobita, but the other co-discoverer of the sunset violas, pink Indos & pseudorugosus. He is also the reason why coenobita purpureus are called "blueberries"! This is someone I talk to and learn from ALL THE TIME.
The information on this site is also endorsed by the first successful captive breeder of Australian hermit crabs; Natalie Van Amstel.
I'd like to add that it is kind of "no-brainer" that crabs who live on or near the beach would have a substrate in the wild that is MOSTLY sand with a small bit of organic matter mixed in.
Someone says, "Where is the research on this stuff? Where is the proof?"
GOOGLE: I already did the work
McLaughlin, 1983
Jones, S and Morgan, GJ 1994
("field guide to crustaceans of Australian waters") Reed Books, 1994
Burggren, WW and McMahon (1988)
"Biology of the land crabs" from Cambridge University, Reed Books 1988
De Wilde 1973
Oestrling, M 2003
Study on substrate found among the most common & prolific species of hermit crabs.
gridnairobi.unep.org/chm/eafdocuments/Tanzania/Ecology_of_muddy_shores_in_Tanzania.pdf
As well as Tony Coenobita & Felix J. Wang of Happie Crabbie Indonesia