Did you know that I used to have crabs? Yup! Land Hermit Crabs! It all started in 1995 when I rented an apartment in Primbee, Wollongong, New South Wales Australia. I could only have a small pet and decided to visit the pet store to see what my options were. I saw a tank of hermit Crabs and fell in love instantly.
I had wanted to keep them when I was a child but my mum said that you’re being difficult to keep them alive and to leave them be. Looking back, that was a very wise decision. Especially since the pet store hermit Crabs manuals were woefully wrong and my first hermit Crabs died.
It wasn’t until I researched them whilst studying for a Bachelor of Education at the University Wollongong library and talk to experts in hermit Crabs research that I realise there were tropical animals in need to be kept in high humidity and stable tropical temperatures.
That year I was creating my first website and decided to choose hermit crabs as the subject. It only started as a one-page website with care sheet information. I received a lot of emails as it was one of 10 websites on land hermit crabs at the time! I would reply to the emails and copy and paste the question answers in the website. As soon balloons out and I decided that I needed to create an online community-based publication, the Crabs Street Journal magazine.
It’s the anniversary of the registration of the website for CSJ on my birthday on the 17th of October 2000. It was a very special day. Who knew, 22 years later it would still be going strong due to the amazing Stacy Griffith and the many admins, editors, contributors and fans of the Land Hermit Crabs Owners Society (LHCOS) worldwide.
There was a printed version of the magazine published and featured in the movie Girl Most Likely featuring Kristin Wiig, Matt Dillon and Annette Benning.
https://crabstreetjournal.org/blog/2014/03/16/the-crabstreet-journal-was-featured-in-a-movie/
I have a personal page called ‘Vanessa’s Crabitat’ with some of my caresheets and recommended books.
https://www.vanessascrabitat.com.au/
If you know anyone who owns land hermit crabs as pets please share this post. It could save the lives of their hermit crabs and they could learn from the many people who have successfully bred land hermit crabs in captivity. In the USA you can adopt captive bread LHCs.
There is also the Land Hermit Crab Owners Society adoptions which is international. If you or someone has land hermit crabs and needs to find them a home, or someone is interested in adopting some, visit
https://lhcos.org/adoption-program-beta/
I’m always a little crabby before my morning coffee!!!