If you've ever gone on vacation in a beach town, chances are you have seen hermit crabs for sale. Those eye catching, colorful decapod crustaceans, sitting pretty in their painted shells and neon colored plastic containers; it's the perfect concoction to snag any child's attention.
"Can I have one Mom?"
Sure, you think to yourself. They seem pretty easy to maintain, they look beautiful, and it's a great first step in teaching my child responsibility. So you buy one, maybe two.
But did you know that buying a hermit crab from a pet store, boardwalk shop, or even bringing one home after a day at the beach is the worst thing you can do? While you think it's just a harmless pet, in reality you are perpetuating a business that makes a huge profit off of the mistreatment of the species.
Here are 7 reasons from PETA on why you should never buy a hermit crab:
#1: Most Hermit Crabs Sold In Stores Have Been Captured From The Wild.
According to PETA, it is unusual for hermit crabs to breed when they are in captivity, which means that all these hermit crabs you see for sale are taken from their natural habitat, forced into captivity, and sold for profit.
#2: Hermit Crabs Are Social Beings And Thrive In Groups.
When most hermit crabs are sold, families generally opt to purchase one or two crabs without realizing they are social beings. In fact, hermit crabs thrive on large colonies and often times in the wild sleep on top of each other. They even work in teams to forage and explore. Bottom line: they need friends!
#3: Hermit Crabs Lives Are Cut Drastically Short Once In Captivity.
On average, hermit crabs in the wild can live for more than 30 years but once you take them away from the tropical seashores and place them into a plastic container, most live for about a year.
#4: Hermit Crab's Gills Were Not Meant For Captivity.
The slow activity level from the hermit crab you just purchased at the pet store might seem normal to you, however many crabs actually die a slow death in captivity because their gills require high humidity in order to breath. Unbeknownst to the owners, most hermit crabs die from slow suffocation.
#5: It's Common For Hermit Crabs To Be Poisoned By Toxic Paints.
Hermit crabs don't care if the shell they call home is blue, pink, sparkly, or bedazzled. All they care about is that they have a home that fits them. In fact, it's better to leave all those paints out of the equation since hermit crabs are often slowly poisoned by the toxic paint used to decorate their shells.
#6: Hermit Crabs Need Ample Space To Molt, Something They Do Not Get In Captivity.
The homes that hermit crabs are used to is an endless paradise landscape. The vast natural habit gives them the space they desperately need in order to molt. Unlike what is generally offered in captivity, crabs actually seek out deep, damp sand to burrow under in order to shed their skin. Without that space, the crab will stop molting and die.
#7: The Hermit Crab Business Affects The Wild Hermit Crab Too.
As those working in the hermit crab business scour the ocean every year for shells to paint for "pet" hermit crabs, it is actually taking away future homes for wild hermit crabs creating what many are calling a hermit crab housing crisis. According to PETA, 30% of wild crabs are inhabiting shells right now are doing so in space that are too small for them. That number can actually jump to 60% after the spring growth phase.
