Help me out

[Emma Jean]

Ok, remember how I have "someone on the inside" at a pet store, which for now will remain nameless because I want this to happen? After I found out about how they get the hermies into the painted shells I told my sis, who intern told her fellow employes and boss, who happens to be the person who orders the crabs for the store and who is also a member of PETA. Needless to say she is outraged since she was naive like me and thought they just put the shells in the tanks and when they crawled in they'd take the other shells out. Well heres the thing, she wants videos and any other proof that this is actually what happens to the. I am going to put together everything I can find and make a presentation type of thing to show them and give them proof to take to their headquarters and have the entire chain stop selling the crabs in painted shells. I need any video, written info, and any other facts you can find about his ASAP so I can put this together and have it ready for when I go home on Tuesday November 20th. ANYTHING you find please post on here or sent through a P.M. or email. This could be a big win. I will also be taking it to every other pet store in the area, I'm mapping out where I am planning on going now and am going to call to set up appointments with the managers to show how horrid this is. Again, ANYTHING at all that you find will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance to who ever helps.

[vckums]

Go onto CSJ, LHC and HCA.com and google painted shells. I know the videos and threads are on atleast 1 of those sites.

Keep us posted!

[alli'smommy]

WOOHOO!! You go Emma!!! Gosh we need more folks like you in the crab's corner!! You are one awesome girl!!! Definately keep us posted on your progress!!!!! I feel like doin' a war dance!!!! LOL

[Emma Jean]

Thanks for the three places to look for this info and I am looking into them right now but since I have very little time before I go home and between classes and all it will be easier for me if everyone would post direct links to the info. I also want to put everyone's name on the final product that helps me find info so if you put a link on here for me, also send a PM with your real name so I'm not saying I did all this alone.

[Emma Jean]

This is what I have so far but some of it is not very solid evidence.

lead in painted shells:
YouTube - Hermit crab shells and children

Painted shell prison
The Crab Street Journal: Land Hermit Crab Owners Society

Forum about painted shells:
snopes.com: Forcing Hermit Crabs to Wear Painted Shells

I'm also going to make a packet about proper care in general and also focus on each type. I found a good link on here for a good site but anything else you find or use yourself would be great, the more info I have to go through the better. Right now I have these two saved:

Straw care:
Strawberry Hermit Crab Care

crab info
Animal Care/Land hermit crab - Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks
Have to go through this one a bit more thoroughly but I'll also be looking around here (of course) and the the one I started using for info when I first started which was HERMIT-CRABS.COM. Your hermit crab care headquarters!

[alli'smommy]

Do you need addresses or just full names??

[Emma Jean]

Well do you think it would be better to put screen names and the site or real names? Whatever we do I just want to keep it uniform.

[DaisyCrab]

....Ok, I probably don't really want to know, but how DO they get the crabs into painted shells?
I have 3 that are in painted shells, thats how I bought them, and I'm currently trying to coax them into natural shells here. They have about 4 each to choose from so I'm hoping they go for it.
And great idea by the way. It's awful to think that these pretty shells harm them. I didn't know when I bought them a while back that they were dangerous.

[Emma Jean]

There are many different ideas of how they do this which I am trying to find but the links above are what can happen and there is a video showing how they put them into the shell but I haven't found one yet the shows how they get them out. Some say they freeze them, gas them, break the shell and poke at them or run hot water into it to make them jump out. Anyway you look at it its a bad thing and it needs to stop. Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

[DaisyCrab]

Wow. It really upsets me to think that any of my crabs went through anything like that. Maybe thats an explaination to why my Casper is utterly petrified of anyone that goes near the tank, including me.
Also I will try to find some vidoes or anything I can for your cause.