Image source

Hermit crabs of pet stores and ocean floors are not related to ‘true crabs.’ Living in the intertidal zone and tide pools in the beaches, these creatures have developed an adaptation of carrying as their home, a salvaged shell. As the hermit crab grows in size, it must seek another, larger shell and thus, abandon the one it currently resides in. This is how they earned this name as being a ‘hermit.’

Frequently adopted shells are those of sea snails, mollusks, -whatever they can find that suits them.

What You Lookin’ At?

Image source

There are over 500 species of hermit crabs know in the world, most of them are fully aquatic species that live under water. In the tropics however, several species of hermit crabs are terrestrial. These are the ones I am most interested in.

Hermit crabs (the terrestrial variety) in the wild prefer to exist in large groups. They do not seem to thrive well in colonies numbering les than one hundred individuals.

Ready, Set, Go!

Image source

Of the roughly 15 terrestrial types of hermit crabs in the world, just a small number of types are commonly found in the pet trade. These include the Caribbean Hermit Crab, the Ecuadorian Hermit Crab, “Coenobita clypeatus” being the most common, and several other species, which can be found and are gaining in popularity.

In Jamaica and Florida it is becoming common to see “Hermit Crab races” held as a sporting event. Crabs are placed in a center ring and whichever crab crosses the outer edge of the circle, is the winner. –Sounds pretty exciting to me, -something to do while watching the grass grow, maybe…

Hermit Crabs are not Goldfish – They Are Not Flushable

Not that I would ever consider flushing my child’s dead goldfish down the commode, but hermit crabs too were formerly thought of as the ‘throwaway pet’ because they only seemed to live for a few months in the home. But it has been shown that with proper care which includes emulating the natural environment from which the came, hermit crabs can live for many years. Some can thrive for 20 years or more and there are cases of some hermit crabs that have lived longer than 32 years!

Aww! It’s a Baby Hermit Crab!

Oh C’mon! Isn’t This Just So Cute! He’s so tiny!

Image Source

Most hermit crabs sold in pet stores are between the size of a large grape and a golf ball maybe. The golf ball-sized hermit crab is considered to be younger than ten years old so this is a general litmus test for determining age, when no other data is available.

The largest hermit crab that I ever saw was at a Trade Show in Niagara Falls, NY and that specimen was about the size of a cantaloupe melon! Very placid, this crab would come out the shell and ‘probe’ your hand, fingers, not the least bit afraid of revealing himself to the world. That venerable old crab was a spokesperson for Hermit Crabs everywhere and I have to admit, this was the very moment I decided that I liked hermit crabs.

The proprietor had several hundred hermit crabs for sale at this Trade Show, -all segregated by their different sizes. This particularly large one he claimed to have had as a pet for over twenty years! I didn’t ask, -but how could anyone sell a pet that they have had for twenty years? That would be like selling your college-age child! I could not imagine parting with a pet that I have cared for, for 20 years, and I sort of drifted away from his shop and his wares, feeling a bit embarrassed to even be considering buying this aged relic of a crab.

–How many times this crab has traded-up on a shell I could not even guess. I didn’t buy a Hermit Crab that particular weekend as I was not headed for home but away for a long weekend, but when I returned, I would consider then, whether or not to get a Hermit Crab for a pet. I think I bought a Ficus Bonsai Tree instead. They live a long time and are much less demanding than yet another pet.