Hermit crabs are pretty much a staple item in every tourist shop on every beach. When you walk into a store on the boardwalk, you're almost guaranteed to find yourself face to face with a large cage housing hermit crabs. I'm sure that a lot of people stop to look at the hermit crabs while walking past, but I believe that passersby should stop to think about adopting one (or five) of these magnificent creatures for a multitude of reasons.
1. Their cages are terrible.
The spaces provided for the hermit crabs to live in at these shops are cramped, dirty and not suitable for their needs. While hermit crabs are used to living in large groups while in the wild, the cages they are expected to stay in while in the shops are far too small to comfortably support the number of crabs crammed into them. Hermit crabs need room to roam around, and the cages they are expected to live in have a limited amount of space due to the overflow of crabs. Hermit crabs also need to be provided with a substrate, such as sand or coconut fiber, in order to molt, but none of the shops put substrate in the cages for them. A lot of the cages don't even have bottoms that will accommodate a substrate, which means that the hermit crabs won't molt because they won't do so above ground. If a crab cannot molt, they will be unable to grow, and they won't switch shells so they will remain in shells that are too small to sustain them.
2. Their environment is unhealthy.
Like all living creatures, hermit crabs require water for survival. However, the water provided for them is nothing more than a petri dish due to the sponges that are placed in the water dish. These sponges that are sold and used in all of the stores that sell hermit crabs are actually bad for them because they get dirty and harbor bacteria that is unhealthy for the crabs and can cause them to get sick and die. Due to the overcrowding of the cages, the hermit crabs will oftentimes fight, which is natural, but the crabs may lose body parts during these fights which are just left in the cages by the staff. These body parts are completely unhealthy, not to mention disgusting, to leave in the cages, but they are left anyway. Recently, I was unfortunate enough to witness a dead hermit crab in one of these cages that had been left there right next to the food the other crabs were expected to eat. Obviously, this is extremely unhealthy for the other crabs due to the bacteria that comes from a carcass.
3. Stores do not take care of them properly.
Hermit crabs do not require as much special care as other animals, but they still have certain needs that must be fulfilled that the stores are either unaware of or just don't care about. The stores also do not provide those who purchase them with proper care instructions because they don't care for them properly themselves. There are lots of things that hermit crabs need in order to live a happy and healthy life. For example, hermit crabs require fresh water and salt water, which the stores do not give them or inform buyers of. With that being said, stores are practically abusing these animals because they are not receiving everything they need.
4. They're fascinating and just want love.
Hermit crabs make excellent pets because they don't require a lot at all, but they're still a shell of a good time to have. They are interesting animals with unique personalities. Hermit crabs make great pets and they also provide owners with a learning experience because there's a lot to learn about these little crabs. There's more than shells and claws to them and that's why they make such great pets. Take it from me, once you adopt these little babies, you'll fall in love with them.
Next time you take a trip to the beach and you spot a hermit crab, consider rescuing a couple of them!
