Growing up, I livedwith two adopted cats who were considered members of the family.So when I started my first year of college, I felt lonelyin the university dorms without an animal companion. Ata mall one weekend, I came upon a store that was selling hermit crabs and decidedthat oneof these little creatures would be the perfect companion for my dorm room! The rest is history. I took my crab home, named him Herman, and vowed to give him a great life. I followed the store’s “care instructions” and got a plastic tank for Herman, along with some gravel and some branches for him to climb on. I fed Herman every day and took him out of his tank to explore. I also bought a brightly colored spare shell in case he grew largerand needed to switch shells. But Hermannever grew. In fact, he lived for only a few months.
Ithought I was giving Hermana happy life,but in reality, I was only supporting a cruel industry that hadtorn him away from his home in the wild and shipped him off to a mall to be sold for profit. Here are seven reasons why you should never buy a hermit crab:
1.Just about every land hermit crab sold in a souvenir shop or mall has been captured from his or her home in the wild, as hermit crabs rarely breed in captivity.
2. Hermit crabs need lots of friends! Theythrive in large colonies, where they often sleep piled up together. They enjoy climbing, foraging, and exploring, and theyeven collaborate in teams to find food.
3. Hermit crabs can live for more than30 years in their natural habitats ontropical seashores, butafter being purchased, most do not live for more than a few months to a year.
4. To their caretakers, captive hermies might seem to be acting normally, but over time, many crabs actually die slowly from suffocation because their modified gills require high humidity in order to breathe.
5. Hermit crabs also are often slowly poisoned by tap water and/or the toxic paint adorning their shells. Crabs don’t care if they are orange or purple, but they pay with their lives because humans do!
6. Crabs need space in which to molt (or shed their skin) and grow. A crab’s skin doesn’t stretch and grow like ours does, so they need very deep, damp sand to burrow under in order to molt. Without proper space in which to molt, a crab’s body will stop the molting process until his or her death.
7.The hermit crab trade hurts wild crabs, too. Workers collectthousands of shells from the ocean every year in order to paint them and sell them with “pet” crabs, which deprives wild hermit crabs of homes that are in short supply and contributes to what has been called the “hermit crab housing crisis.” At any given time, 30 percent of wild crabs are inhabiting shells that are too small for them, and after their growth phase in the spring, this figure can jump to nearly 60 percent.
Howcan you help hermit crabs?
Never, ever buy a hermit crab. They are not “starter pets” or trinkets. Crabs are complex, sensitive animals whowant to live in the wild, not in a cage.Even the most well-meaning person who purchases crabs will never be able to give them the life that they deserve.
If you or someone you know already has a hermit crab, check out thishermit crab care guidefor helpful tipson keeping crabs happy.Hermit crabs need companionship, plenty of climbing room, substrate to bury themselves in for molting, humidity, warm temperatures, extra shells, fresh and salt water (dechlorinated aquarium salt only), and much, much more! Never release a captive crab back into the wild.
To their caretakers, captive hermies might seem to be acting normally, but over time, many crabs actually die slowly from suffocation because their modified gills require high humidity in order to breathe. 5. Hermit crabs
Hermit crabs
Hermit crabs are anomuran decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons.
Since hermit crabs don't breed in captivity, every crab in the pet trade has been taken from the wild. They are then packaged and transported potentially thousands of miles away for resale to live, often quite briefly, behind the plastic walls of an aquarium tank.
Consistent low temperatures can kill a hermit crab. Don't allow them to bake in a window, either. If they get too hot they will die, overheating causes irreversible damage and a slow, painful death.
As far as pets go, hermit crabs can be interesting yet low-maintenance little critters, and they're easy to get. Some of the big concerns we have with other species, like bites and scratches, don't really apply. You can get nipped, but it would rarely break the skin or cause any other problem.
Hermit crabs may seem like “low-maintenance pets,” but they're incredibly complex animals who are abused in the wild pet trade. Whether sold at pet stores or won at carnivals, many people who get hermit crabs lack the knowledge, resources, or desire to meet the specialized needs of these sentient beings.
It is perfectly fine for you to hold your hermit crabs. However you have to respect the crabs' ability to pinch. They are in fact CRABS and most people associate crabs with claws. The key thing to remember when you are holding your hermit crabs is to not take your eyes off of them.
Low heat and humidity, incorrect and shallow substrate, no deep pools etc. puts great stress on your crab and can cause them to pass away. These are very easy fixes, so having your crab pass away due to tank conditions is something that is completely preventable.
Both the saltwater and freshwater need to be treated with water-conditioning fluid to neutralize any chlorine in the water — city water contains chlorine, which is toxic to hermit crabs. You may also choose to use bottled spring water instead of water from your tap to avoid chlorine exposure.
The hermit crab has evolved to be able to live on land with the use of empty shells as a home and protection. With the right care, your hermit crab can live up to approximately 15 years. Hermit crabs love company, so have multiple crabs living together. They'll become more active with the company.
Some think hermit crabs are cheap pets, but they are more than just a novelty. These fascinating creatures are capable of forming bonds with their owners and can show affection in unique ways.
When allowing a crab to roam around outside of its cage, be sure that the crab is not in any danger. Hermit crabs can't see down like we can, so you want to make sure that they are not in danger of falling. They may not always sense the edge of a table with a single swipe of their antennae.
Hermit crabs do not transmit any known diseases to humans. They are hypo-allergenic which makes them great pet for people with allergies. Hermit crabs are not aggressive and can be easily handled. Hold your hand out flat and let them walk across, but avoid squeezing as they may become frightened and pinch.
The hermit crab trade also makes life harder for crabs who live in nature. Workers collect thousands of shells from the ocean every year in order to paint and sell them. Meanwhile, wild hermit crabs are left to navigate a housing crisis—30% of them are left with shells that are too small for them.
Hermit crabs are also high on the list of desired foods for many predators. Fish such as pricklebacks, gunnels, clingfish and snailfish prey on hermit crabs, as do sea stars, larger crabs, gulls and crows.
Hermit crabs are social creatures that like to live in large groups. Because of this, they can get lonely if left alone for too long. One option to prevent loneliness is to get multiple crabs. If you do add one or more hermit crabs to an existing tank, keep an eye out for fighting.
Hermit Crabs are wonderful pets that are easy to look after. The hermit crab has evolved to be able to live on land with the use of empty shells as a home and protection. With the right care, your hermit crab can live up to approximately 15 years. Hermit crabs love company, so have multiple crabs living together.
All hermits are wild. Captive breeding has yet to be successful. As long as you have the right set up, it's not as cruel as you may think. You can have them for years and they are pretty cool.
They will truly learn to trust you, eventually even losing the reflex to duck at every shadow once they realize they are in a safe place. You can train your hermit crab to get used to you by feeding it treats in your hand--that way, it learns to associate your hand with something good!
Thus decapods show features that are consistent with the idea of pain. Preliminary tests have shown that electric shock delivered to the abdomen within the shell causes hermit crabs to evacuate their shells when sufficiently severe.
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