Best place to but hermit crabs?

[hermitcrab24]

Hello,

I have had three Ecuadorians, and so far have had bad luck. When my last Ecuadorian comes out from under the sand, I will be in the market for PP's. Petsmart is the only place I know of that has them. Does anyone know of any other good places to get PP's?

Thanks,
Bonnie

[megmaholm]

I'm a big fan of adopting versus buying, but I know that's not always an option. Most pet stores carry hermit crabs, but I would avoid stores that keep them in crummy conditions. At my local Petsmart they keep their conditions fairly good, they're not in painted shells, etc. I don't feel AS guilty buying crabs from them. However, even with a chain store like that, every location is different so it's difficult to recommend a place.

Have you checked your local Craigslist? Sometimes people try to rehome crabs on their. You can also post your info in the adoption section of the forums under whatever thread your state is in.

[hermitcrab24]

I didn't know you could adopt hermit crabs. I'm not really sure how that works, could you explain it to me?

Thanks,
Bonnie

[megmaholm]

You could post a "want" ad on Craigslist, looking to take in hermit crabs that people no longer can care for or want. Or search on Craigslist in case someone has posted an ad and contact them.

Or, you can go here: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... m.php?f=13 Find whichever topic has your state/location in it, and post info on your location, contact info, your tank setup, how far you can travel, etc. Quite a few people come here looking to re-home their crabs, and that can give them a starting point on finding someone to take them.

If you have Facebook, you can 'like' the HCA on there. Fairly often they post crabs that need new homes, in a variety of locations, and you might get lucky that way.

Some people looking to re-home their crabs charge an adoption fee, some don't. It can take some time and patience, but it's worth it! Crabs at pet stores are all wild caught and usually very stressed, and the less we support that practice the better for the crabbies.

[hermitcrab24]

Okay, so I found some on craigslist, they were from the mall kiosk because they shut it down and gave all 70 crabs to her. She said something about no contacting her with unsolicited services or offers. I don't know what that means, it looks like they have painted shells, should I skip this one and keep looking?

[Ryry]

I would see what kind of conditions she has them in. If she is close by many go check it out. That's a lot of crabs in need of home. You should just make sure they aren't in terrible conditions so they are super stressed or have mites or something.

[hermitcrab24]

I might check, if not I will post on the forum.

[Ellysara]

Personally, I think that would be a great person to adopt from. She must have a big heart to take in all those crabs. It would be hard to keep them in ideal conditions, especially if the adoption was sprung on her. Personally, when adopting from individuals (rather than buying from petstores) I do not care what conditions they are coming from. This is because with a petstore, the crab will just be replaced in order to make more money, while a person is not adopting the crabs out for profit, therefore it would stand to reason that they will not be replaced.

The little blurb about soliciting just means she does not want to be contacted by people wanting to sell things to her. This is common practice with almost all ads on Craigslist.

[YYWW]

I agree with Ellysara. Having taken in 70 crabs must mean she is in need of help. There will also be a large number to choose from. Even if her conditions aren't as good, there will be a good chance there will be crabs that can be saved by you.


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[hermitcrab24]

Thank you. No one has said anything about the painted shells. Is that not really a big deal?

[CallaLily]

In this case, since you're adopting crabs, I wouldn't be overly concerned if they're in painted shells. Of course, offer natural ones to change into.

Buying hermit crabs in painted shells should be avoided (imo, buying hermit crabs should be avoided all together). Many times they're forced into these shells in a cruel way and it'll just support the trade. It also supports the whole idea of them being children's toys, imo.

[Ryry]

A lot of places like pet stores and what have crabs in painted shells. It's not a good thing but it shouldn't stop you from getting them. Just offer them natural shells that have been boiled so you know they are clean, and they will switch soon enough. Just snatch out the old painted shells when they switch. There is a section in here that talks about painted shells.
All of my crabs had painted shells when I got them and recently two of my crabs switched to natural shells. Hopefully the rest will make the change soon!

[CallaLily]

Wolfnipplechips said it well in this article of hers about why not to purchase crabs in painted shells, if anyone's interested.

http://godzillahermitcrab.deviantart.co ... -323545876

[Ryry]

Really? Snap I'll check it out.

[Ryry]

I completely disagree. Wolfnipplechips said it well in this article of hers: http://godzillahermitcrab.deviantart.co ... -323545876

Please do not purchase hermit crabs in painted shells.

Callalilly, are you saying that she shouldn't adopt the crabs from the kiosk lady? I don't agree with supporting painted shells, but if she is adopting crabs that have painted shells then no money is going to the stores. Just thinking that this is different then buying from a store.