Care-A-Lot Pet Supply has long been a favorite destination for animal lovers like me around Hampton Roads to find supplies for their companions. That’s why I was disappointed to hear that they are selling hermit crabs—complex animals who can live for up to 30 years in their natural habitat, but are ripped from the wild and often doomed to a dismal few months of life. And I was even more disappointed that after contacting the company urging it to cease crab sales, I received no reply from the owner. Hermit crabs thrive in colonies, where they often sleep piled up together. They enjoy climbing, foraging, and exploring and have even…

This article, featuring an interview with Laura Cascada, founder of Plight of the Hermies, originally appeared in the Courier-Post.    Hermit crabs need more than food and water http://www.app.com/story/news/local/new-jersey/2014/08/14/hermit-crabs-need-food-water/14040969/    Carly Q. Romalino, @CarlyQRomalino8:39 a.m. EDT August 14, 2014 Even with a slightly askew SpongeBob SquarePants on its shell, a hermit crab climbing the wire cage in front of a T-shirt shop is symbolic of the Jersey Shore. Despite a track record as short-lived summer pets, hermit crabs are kid magnets. At less than $10, it’s hard to say no. Boardwalk vendors pitch the crustaceans as perfect starter pets for youngsters. They’re easy to transport, won’t leave fur on the couch…

Summer is upon us, and several volunteers (and many funders!) have helped us put together a table here in Virginia Beach to speak up for the hermies at the Old Beach Green Market. We’ve already spent two Saturdays out at the festival, giving away hundreds of leaflets, teaching kids about hermit crabs with awesome games, and shedding light on why buying a hermit crab is harmful to these ocean critters. Check out some of the pictures below! We’ve also just launched our brand new care sheet, with tons of tips on how to help your hermie live for up to 30 years! Check it out below, and visit our Get…

The below piece was written by me for One Green Planet, where it originally appeared. Every year around this time, shops lining the beach city boardwalks fill their familiar wire cages with curious critters. Tourist children ogle as golf-ball sized crustaceans cling to the wires, and to one another, with hairy purplish legs and almost menacing, if not so comically small, claws. The shells sheathing their squishy abdomens feature images of Spongebob Squarepants and the New York Giants’ logo, and that’s it; the kids are hooked. After parents cave in to those wonder-filled eyes, the youngsters dance off, swinging a cage no bigger than a designer handbag to and fro into the…