A lot of people are a little leary of adding a Jumbo Hermit Crab to their tank. For some, it's just because their current crabitat is too small, for others, it's the fear of those great big pinchers. Truly a jumbo hermit crab has the capability of doing some serious damage, however, in the time I've spent crabbing I've never met a jumbo hermit crab that was aggressive to either other crabs or people.

There are somethings you should keep in mind before getting a jumbo though. As with any pet, different sizes of animal have different requirements.

For a jumbo hermit crab the first thing is size of environment. A jumbo should really have around 20 gallons all to themselves. They really need to have space to move around, climb, and tunnel. Hermit crabs are built to travel across beaches and therefore, exercise becomes very important.

Hiding areas. The majority of commmercial hiding items are not large enough to house a jumbo crabs. It is your responsibility to find something that the crab will feel comfortable in. This means either buying something larger or making it. a custom built cocohut is a great place to start.

But probably the most expensive need with Jumbos is shells. For a crab that is going to need turbos with a 1 1/2 to 2 inch opening, shells can quickly become a major investment. They also take up a lot of room in your tank. Though jumbos change shells and molt less often, it is still important to have a good variety of jumbo shells.

All of this being said, Jumbo Hermit Crabs are really very special and a personal favorite of mine. They are rarely shy and often seem interested in what you are doing, especially if it involves the food dish. If you choose to get a jumbo take the time to make sure you've got everything ready to add this new big guy to your tank.

One of my former students, Joe, was recently on vacation in hermit crab central and he was kind enough to bring back some photos of purple pinchers that were roaming around outside! Enjoy!

I had acquired somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-12 hermit crabs when I learned, for the first time, that hermit crabs are harvested directly from the wild. I stood gazing into the tank. Every one of these crabs had been roaming a beach somewhere, probably in another country. The largest of my clan, a very big robust fellow was probably in his 20s or 30s. It was a horrifying moment. As a long time pet lover and pet owner, wild harvested animals were on a very specific and firm list of animals I would never own. It was precisely this reason that I never looked into getting a salt water tank. Too many tropical fish are wild harvested.

Now, this is only my opinion. We all make our own philosophies for ourselves. However the fact remains, that each hermit crab owner must make the decision of whether or not to buy crabs from a commercial pet store. The journey a crab takes from beach to petstore is not a pleasant one. They are collected in burlap sack where they may sit for days, even weeks as the harvesters work to meet their minimum load. Then it's time spent crated, shipped, delivered and unpacked. To add to the difficulty, most pet store setups don't meet basic humidity, temp, or water requirements and the crabs are additionally stressed because of this.

Armed with this knowledge, a hermit crab owner should never find themselves in front of the crab tank at the local petstore. Yet, there we stand, chatting with the petsmart worker who knows us by sight as the "crab lady". (Not that this has ever happened to me . . . um ever. Yeah, right.) And as we dig through each of the crabs in the tank, we find that one. You guys all know the one. He's feisty. He's usually missing a few limbs. He's social. He's usually got some hideous shell strapped to his back that you just know could be replaced with a turbo you have at home that is *just* the right size.

Then the cold pangs of guilt hit you. You take Snappy home (no, I don't know when he got a name) and you are supporting an industry you swore you would never contribute money to. You leave him here, it is practically a death sentence. If you are like me, sometimes you walk away, sometimes you bring him home, and sometimes you bring him and 4 of his friends.

Look, there is no right answer on this one. Your head tells you that buying them isn't right. You can sign up as an adoptor but they just don't turn up very often. Your heart tells you that this little feisty guy needs a chance and you've got a wonderful setup that could make his crappy day into something not so bad. Both are right. You're not a horrible person for buying that crab. You're not the perfect crab mama for walking away. Each day is a struggle, take it day by day, and case by case. You have to pick your battles. And today, I decided that this battle was better fought *for* Snappy, rather than for all of hermit crab kind. Who knows? Maybe next time will be different, or maybe next time I'll get Snappy a friend named Pinchy. (Note: I had to hold his shell to make him stand still, he's feisty I tell ya!)

Fancy took on this whole pecan! Also a nice shot of the plants sprouting in my crabitat.

One of the most underutilized crabitat items today is natural moss. Often a pet store employee will send a new crab owner home with a water dish and a sponge and never once mention the possibility of using moss, even though they could milk that person for another eight dollars for the Fluker's terrarium moss!

Moss is one of the cheapest and most versatile item you could get for your crabitat. On top of that, it's easy to find and can be stored almost indefinitely.

Here's a list of just some of the things that you can use moss for. If you have new ideas I haven't thought of, please post them in the comments and I'll add them to this post.

• Use moss instead of a sponge to keep the humidity stable, remist when dry, no need for daily sterilization.
• Use moss to place your shells on to keep the substrate from filling up your shells
• Mix moss into your substrate to create a diverse ground cover that helps retain moisture and adds structural integrity to tunnel digging
• Create a "moss pit" on a hammock or in a container, it will be a favorite hang out for your crabs.
• Drape moss over driftwood, and around the bases of artificial plants to create an authentic look
• As it decays, crabbies will use it for a snack, they love digging in it

There are several places that you can get your moss. Pet stores almost always carry moss. The most common kind of moss that you can find there is Fluker's Terrarium Moss. However, you aren't limited to pet centered products. You can find moss at your local hobby store or the hobby section of your local Wal-mart. You can collect it from the wild, you can even purchase live moss for them to enjoy.

However, as you get ready to purchase moss there are some things you need to keep in mind. Avoid dyed moss. Dyed moss is easy to detect because it is an unnatural green color. It often smells a bit like paint (when in doubt I often make a small hole in the bag at the store and take a sniff, although this WILL get you strange looks). It may also have a warning on the bag that the moss is not for human or animal consumption.

The variety of moss is also important. I have had good luck with terrarium moss, hiawatha moss and sheet moss. I've never found reindeer moss that was not dyed and spanish moss is treated with harmful pesticides.

I've purchased live moss off of the internet and it is great as a special treat but can be costly and hard to find. It does not live more than a few weeks although the crabs will eat it alive and after it dies.

If you are interested in collecting your own moss you must be very careful where it comes from. Parks and recreation areas routinely spray fertilizers and pesticides. Collect from your own yard or someone else's property with permission. Then prepare as instructed below.
PREPARATION
 Grab a quart size or larger glass bowl. Place a large handful of moss into the bowl and then fill halfway with prepared salt water. (The kind you give your hermit crabs to drink.) Push down top moss until it's all wet. Microwave for one minute. This will kill any seeds or bugs or eggs that have been hitchhiking on your moss. Take the moss out of the microwave and let cool. Gently squeeze off the excess water and place in your crabitat wherever you want it! Once it turns from green to brown, remove (check for hiding crabs) and then replace.

In your natural crabitat moss can be a powerful and versatile (and inexpensive) element in creating a healthy and diverse environment for your crabs to explore. Do you have other ways to use moss? Let me know! I'm always looking for new ways to improve MY setup as well.