CARE & HUSBANDRY INFORMATION*:
At this time, I am not recommending the sourcing of care & husbandry information from any social media groups or any outlets other than those mentioned below.
Here’s why (based on my long-term observations, hence formulating my opinion as outlined below):
Many groups have become overrun with common voices parroting whatever has been repeated most often versus what may actually be factual or applicable to an individual’s situation. A lot of information being repeated has been misinterpreted (“how they read it”) with the original context and references rarely provided. Commenters may or may not have actual experience with the topic itself and just type for the sake of typing. In some cases, more emphasis has been applied to the perceived tone of the delivery versus the accuracy [or inaccuracy] of words being typed out. While I agree that, in general, one may “attract more bees with honey”, there appears to be an overwhelming willingness to overlook unreferenced/opinions stated as fact/misinformed/misinterpreted/over-the-top fear mongering language as long as it is said sweetly. Conversely, the harshest of speakers tend to sour the experience for anyone who could actually use a little [accurate] advice given in a matter-of-fact or kind manner.
That being said, if you cannot find the information you are seeking from the non-group resources provided below, I do recommend using the Search feature in the Groups as these organizations have been in existence for several years (with equally long-time, experienced administrators) and each Group has well over a decade of conversations spanning most (if not all) topics. If you still cannot find the information you seek, ask for Admin assistance in your post… and don’t be afraid to ask “why?” when presented with “yes” or “no” or for more information when simple answers are given to complex questions. I implore you to seek out original information when possible, read the information yourself (discerning between referenced material and story-telling or opinion), and then make your own decisions regarding your land hermit crabs… and use other social media outlets to simply be social.
Should any new entities pop up that present new information not already available or copied from the following, I will update this section accordingly.
Land Hermit Crab Owners Society (LHCOS)
Care Links with the most common topics – https://linktr.ee/landhermitcrabownerssociety
Online Information & Care Sheets – crabstreetjournal.org
Videos – Crab Central Station
Reference Book, “The Complete Guide to Land Hermit Crabs and Their Care: Changing the Mindset of Hermit Crab Keeping”
https://amzn.to/3SZKvu2 (* affiliate link benefiting LHCOS/Crab Street Journal)
Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/landhermitcrabowners
Hermit Crab Association
Online Forum with tons of searchable topics pre-dating the Facebook Group – https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com
Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/HermitCrabAssociation
H.C.A.R.E – Hermit Crab Advocacy, Resources, and Education (formerly H.C.O., Hermit Crab Owners)
It appears as though their website is no longer, but the majority of the information still exists within the Group under “Guides”.
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/itsacrabthing
Facebook Group guides – https://www.facebook.com/groups/itsacrabthing/learning_content
* There are some differences in opinion/practice between these groups, but these three groups have a long history and Admins with extensive experience regarding the Coenobita species. Off the top of my head, the main differences regard what the substrate content should be, the introduction process of newly acquired hermit crabs, and the approach to “how many hermit crabs can I keep in what size minimum enclosure?” I personally do not believe there is only one way of successfully maintaining a thriving colony of hermit crabs, that any of the groups is necessarily “wrong” versus another, and I find the differences worthy of consideration. I use practices derived from all three groups in determining what works best for me and my colony.
You are ultimately responsible for your critters’ care.
MY CONTRIBUTING EDITORS & THEIR WORK
Stacy Griffith, Land Hermit Crab Owners Society / The Crab Street Journal
Complete hermit crab care guides, hermit crab food, supplements, & supplies.
lhcos.org
crabstreetjournal.org
Land Hermit Crab Owners Society (LHCOS) Group –
facebook.com/groups/landhermitcrabowners
Author of “The Complete Guide to Land Hermit Crabs and Their Care: Changing the Mindset of Hermit Crab Keeping”
https://amzn.to/3SZKvu2 (* affiliate link benefiting LHCOS/Crab Street Journal)
Mary Akers, Hermit House Hermit Crab Captive Breeding Program / Earth Water Fire Studio
Hermit crab food, supplements, & supplies.
Hermit crab related art, pottery, & feeding dishes.
maryakers.com/inthecrabitat
EarthWaterFireStudio.etsy.com
Hermit House Hermit Crab Captive Breeding Program, a 501c3 organization –
https://linktr.ee/hermithouse
Monetary donations: https://donate.stripe.com/28odSgaO36XTaXKdQR
Courtney Iris Karr, BioactiveFX / Cholla Queen
Hermit crab food, supplements, & supplies.
Cholla wood, natural habitat decor, & bioactive supplies.
bioactivefx.com
BioactiveFX1.etsy.com
TheChollaShoppe.etsy.com
Amazon – Cholla Queen / BioactiveFX
BioactiveFX’s Seven Days of Buffets meal rotation systems are an excellent introductory feeding plan, taking the guesswork out of meal times and answering the questions – “am I providing enough variety?” and “am I offering enough protein?”. All of the Seven Days of Buffets meals are independently lab tested – analyzed like they do for AAFCO approved dog and cat diets – and guaranteed to have the 50% proportion of elemental protein as recommended for hermit crabs.
Jeanne Singhass, Because of Crabs (Moss & Such)
Hermit crab food, moss, lichen, bark, wood, & other foraged items.
BecauseofCrabs.etsy.com
Foraging Group – facebook.com/groups/742973182745815
ADOPT – Don’t Shop!
Land Hermit Crab Owners Society (LHCOS) Land Hermit Crab Adoption Center
Responsible rehoming & adoption program for land hermit crabs, including Hermit House captive bred hermit crabs. Applications accepted online.
Hermits in need of homes, fosters, or transport assistance: https://lhcos.org/adoption/
Hermit House Captive Breeding Information: https://linktr.ee/hermithouse
Captive Bred application: http://bit.ly/CaptiveBredHCs
Facebook: facebook.com/HermitCrabAdoptions
SHELL DONATIONS
If you’d like to donate shells (hermit crab homes) you’ve either purchased that you no longer need or collected in the past, you can send them to any of these folks trying to help out the indigenous species:
Crustacean Plantation (in the Florida Keys, USA)
200 Canal Street
Tavernier, FL 33070
To donate to this 501c3 organization: https://www.crustaceanplantation.org/donation
Shawn Miller (in Okinawa, Japan)
PSC 567
BOX 6636
FPO AP 96384 USA
You can also join https://www.patreon.com/MakeTheSwitch4Nature to support the mission or make a monetary donation by clicking the “Donate” link at the bottom of this page – https://okinawanaturephotography.com/mts4n-391-trading-plastic-4-shells-by-shawn-miller/