An aquarium has had to shell out for new designer homes to re-house its stock of fussy hermit crabs.

The cranky crustaceans refused to move into the drab crab dwellings provided in their tanks.

So bosses had to import some brand new sophisticated shells and now the hermits are right at home.

Staff at the Blue Reef Aqaurium in North Shields were stumped when their 10 hermit crabs refused to ditch their self-contained apartments for new beach-front properties hand-picked on the coast at Tynemouth. Each time they would view the property they would quickly scurry back to their own.

Matt Owen from Blue Reef said: "Hermit crabs are always on the look out for newer and better shells. They also need bigger shells to house them when they grow.

"We tried several from the beach at Tynemouth - but they were all unsuitable.

"The crabs would try them out for size but would quickly ditch them and move back to their own.

"The Hermits need protection. Their own exo-skeleton is soft compared to other crustaceans and when they grow they need bigger shells. Without shells they can quickly die."

Worried staff began to comb housing markets elsewhere. After much searching they found a set of designer homes across the Atlantic in New York.

The Aquarium forked out for 10 new shells each with their unique design and within days of putting them into the tanks the crabs were settling right in.

Matt said: "We didn't really know what our next move should be. But one of the staff had been to New York on a recent holiday and remembered spotting a shop specialising in hermit crabs.

"We got in contact with them and ordered 10 new shells. Each one had its own design, some paisly, glow in the dark, tie-dye - all sorts of colours.

"They air-mailed them to us and we put them straight in the tanks. Within days the crabs were right at home. It was amazing."