Tattooed Fish

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Originally Posted by Nicole N

Actually, no animal should be customized. Painting a hermit crabs shell is no different than rubbing paint on your snake. It's harmful to the animal and cruel.

The process used to put them in those shells isn't natural either. They usually put them in a cold storage room so that they are almost hypothermic and lifeless. This means the crab releases its grip on its current shell and they take it away and leave it naked. They then only offer the crab those 'fancy' painted shells.

The shell dye is harmful, in the 70-80% humidity that is maintained, the dye/paint becomes tacky, and can then glue the crab into the shell. It then tears itself apart when trying to remove it.

I really hate that dying/tattooing fish hasn't been made illegal yet since the mortality rate is so outrageous :( I believe there were pet stores selling tattooed cichlids for 50 dollars a fish during Valentine's day because they had corny messages like I <3 you

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I disagree with dying fish but the painting of the shells doesn't bother me. Now with the cold storage rooms and such I dont agree. But I have a friend who provides many shells and when his crabs pick one, he paints the outside with a non-toxic humidity resistant paint, only on the outside. It doesn't harm the crab in the least!

That's the only way to safely do it since otherwise the humidity makes the paint become tacky and even other crabs will stick to the outside of the shell. Mine like to form crab piles in the 'cooler' parts of the tank.