Who has a hermit crab for a pet?

[disneyatl]

My daughter's friend recently got a hermit crab while on vacation in Florida and now my daughter is desparately wanting a hermit crab. I don't know anything about owning a hermit crab.

Another problem. We aren't close to the beach. I took my daughter to Petsmart the other day and the hermit crabs they had there were about the size of a lima bean!!! Her friends is probably the size of a half dollar.

Am I going to need to purchase one at the beach in order to get a decent sized crab?

Please tell me everything you know about having these creatures as a pet!

 

[DrCavin]

We have a hermit crab, had 2 but one went on to better things

Here is a good site for all your hermit questions:

http://www.hermit-crabs.com/

 

[Rippington'sFan]

Originally posted by disneyatl
My daughter's friend recently got a hermit crab while on vacation in Florida and now my daughter is desparately wanting a hermit crab. I don't know anything about owning a hermit crab.

Another problem. We aren't close to the beach. I took my daughter to Petsmart the other day and the hermit crabs they had there were about the size of a lima bean!!! Her friends is probably the size of a half dollar.

Am I going to need to purchase one at the beach in order to get a decent sized crab?

Please tell me everything you know about having these creatures as a pet!

Be Careful !!! Those Hermit crabs can be vicious. Make sure you take it to a Hermit Crab trainer right away. LMAO
(just kidding...sorry I couldn't help myself)

 

[pkasbohm]

my kids have 3 hermit crabs. They got them from a store that was in our mall. They came in 4 different sizes--small, medium, large and x-large. They told us that you can't put a small with the rest medium and larges because they will gang up on each other. Don't forget to buy a bigger shell for it because it will molt--been through that--not a good experience

My kids love them!! My ds did get pinched by one in the mall and wouldn't let go--i think it was dropped before though or that is what the employees claim anyway! The crabs we have has yet to pinch anyone yet--not even my 2yr dd who is pretty rough with them!!

 

[buzzz1]

Well we live at Panama City Beach, and we got our first Hermit crabs on a whim about 2 yr. ago. (Word of warning, they live a long time, I thought for sure they would be gone by now. Sorry if this offends anyone )

We have 2 really neat ones with very colorful shells. The guy that sold them to us made us buy extra shells ..... but even after 2 years they have yet to leave their originals.

They are EASY pets to have.... my bottle of food has lasted an entire year. My boys get frustrated though...... the HC are nocturnal and so they only move about at night. To be honest I think we are all a bit tired of them.....

Where do you live.... you can HAVE ours !!!

 

[newholiday]

DS started collecting hermit crabs when we went to the beach last July. One almost lasted a yr; others have come and gone to be replaced.
We just came home from our summer beach vaca w/SIX new hermit crabs that joined the 3 we have at home.

 

[Patty3]

Gee, I must be doing something wrong or bought unhealthy ones. Years ago, my sons had one and it died within a week. I did not know that they leave so long.

 

[pandamom]

We have 3 and they are great pets. Most of our malls have kiosks that sell them. They have several different sizes and most of the crabs have paintd shells (ladybugs, rainbows, soccer balls, basketballs, eyes, lots of race car themes, zebra stripes, giraffe spots, etc.). We have two medium ones and one large one (size of an adult fist). They don't carry any diseases and are very easy to care for. My daughters (4 and 6) love 'em. We have a large cage and several extra shells. All of the crabs have changed shells at least once (one went to a smaller one though?) and they have never pinched any of us. (To be honest though the big one still makes me nervous sometimes.) We did have one escape last fall -- dd6 took a medium one out and got distracted while it made its break for freedom. They found it again 2 weeks later -- just showed up in the dining room one afternoon. I have no idea what it lived on for those 2 weeks but it survived somehow.

Good luck!

ps -- ours like to eat popcorn (This was one of the foods listed on the sheet they sent home with the crabs. We give 'em a couple of pieces every few weeks along their regular food.)

 

[disneyatl]

originally posted by Rippington'sFan
Be Careful !!! Those Hermit crabs can be vicious. Make sure you take it to a Hermit Crab trainer right away. LMAO

OK, that cracked me up!!!

DrCavin Thanks for the great website. Looks like loads of information.

buzzz1 Too bad I don't live closer to Panama City (I live outside of Atlanta).....we might have taken you up on that offer! Guess you can't ship a hermit crab..HA, HA!!

 

[krissy3483]

One suggestion: if you ever go to the beach, hermit crabs seem to love living in sand, especially compared to the gravel many come with. They dig in it and have a great old time. My parents bought me a hermit crab when I was 10, and it lived until I was 16. I had another one that lived for 3 or 4 years as well.

 

[Disney845]

Currently have 3 HCs. Two fairly large, one smaller to medium size. Bought them at Petsmart (cheaper, cleaner, and better policies than other stores in our area). The HC website previously posted is GREAT!! One that we had bought must have suffered from the stress described ailment on that site because it didn't do well at all, a leg fell off, and in 5 days he was dead, never really even came out of his shell, didn't eat or drink. Petsmart takes back/exchanges within 14 days with the receipt and the deceased pet. Our current crabs have never "chirped" but make a heck of a lot of noise clanking their shells into the glass and other things in the tank. Our biggest one seems to have an identity crisis because in the first week of having him at home he changed into 4 different shells, at one time going back to his original, until another of our crabs changed into his original shell. Within a week of owning these guys all had changed shells at least once, definitely make sure you have a few different shells for them to try out.

They are lots of fun to watch. Our cat is great with them, she just stares at them and if they walk too close to her (while out on the floor) she just backs up and gives them the evil eye! Try thinking up interesting names for them. One that SO had years ago (that he had picked up in the Keys, not store bought) near X-mas time, he named Sandy Claws (Santa Clause). The biggest one we have now we call Goofy (after the Dis character because he changes shells constantly) and another we call Mr. Crabby Pants (little bit of a joke because SO playfully calls me Miss Crabby Pants when I am in a bad mood ).