HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hello all, new crabber here getting ready to go crab shopping. I'm off to petco tomorrow to look at crabs and I really need advice on how to pick the healthiest crabs possible. Also, what is the best way to transport them on a 30 mile trip home? I was thinking about a KK filled with damp moss so they can hide.
almost forgot, anything special I should do once they get home? A salt water bath maybe? Its been a number of years since I've kept crabs and I've forgotten the basics.

It is pretty much impossible to pick. I've brought home lethargic crabs that turned out healthy, even playful. Others have brought home scrambly runners that slowed down amd died. As a principle look for crabs that curl up nice and tight, whose big pinchers are ready to pinch, and respond when you tickle a bit (try not to get pinched). A crab that can hide and protect themselves should be good enough.
Make sure you keep the live animal form. If it dies within a short time Petco will replace or refund.
A kk filled with damp moss would be great! The more snuggly the better!
A bath is great if you have crabs at home, but since you've been on hiatus, that won't be needed. Just plop em in. You could check for mites if needed, but i noticed petshop crabs hardly ever, if at all, come home with mites.


Crabbers unite!!!

I usually go for the crab(s) thats the most active and seem rather responsive to me - eg, will come out of the shell and say hello and be curious in their environment. Another thing I tend to do is look for a crab thats has all it legs/claws/eyes with it, true they can regain them in the next moult but prefer to start out with the whole crab not one who's been stressed out.

Basically, just go for the ones you like the best. IMO, there is no really right or wrong way.
However, I will mention it's better to adopt rather than shop. Often when you adopt the crabs you're saving them from bad care - who doesn't want a second chance? - and can get the crabs for free or for a little amount of money... Did I mention sometimes they come with extra goodies like free shells or even their tank?!

(Make sure when you're taking you crabs home regardless where you get them from; keep them warm! The moss will provide the humidity but they need warmth too.)

Thank you, I'll try and get interactive and curious crabbies. I'm hoping there will be tiny ones, I want to watch them grow

I'd love to adopt but there are hardly ever crabs on craigslist and the ones that are, have a insane price. The last one I saw was well over $50 for 2 crabs and a bone dry KK.

Can I ask the best way to keep them warm? We'll have a two hour drive home when we get ours.

If you're driving with the heat on in the car you can just put them where the heat comes to warm your feet. You can also fill a rubber water bottle http://www.amazon.com/Mabis-Healthcare- ... B000BHDLQM with hot/warm water to use for warming the kk. Just throw the KK and the water bag into a cardboard box. Be sure to test the temp beforehand, so as not to overheat your crabs!


Crabbers unite!!!

I highly recommend getting a Snugglesafe. They're pricey, but it's the safest and honestly the best warmer we've ever used. We had it originally for the cats for emergencies and foster babies, but we use it for all hermit crab transport when the weather is chilly. That gets put into a hard sided insulated lunch pail along with lidded containers of moist moss so they don't get banged around. (Also works wonders for fish, snakes, and scorpions!) You stick it in the microwave for between 2 and 4 minutes depending on how hot and how long it needs to last, and it puts out steady even heat for hours. I ran a test last month since we were picking up our adopted snake after the event and the heater had to be at an okay temp after 6 hours - sealed up, it was still warm the next day.

Thats an awesome product! I'd never even heard of it before.


Crabbers unite!!!

Ooh I totally vouch for Snugglesafe! My mom has used them for years for her skinny little Italian Greyhounds to cuddle on. Why did I never think to snag one for transporting crabs?!

It's so hard to pick a crab based on personality in the store. Like others, I've gotten some that seem healthy and active in the store, and that sometimes changes once they get home. I seem to have good luck with the ones that stay in their shell but threaten to pinch me, or they pop right out to say hi. Missing limbs are the only real red flag for me, but I've gotten several that have been gimpy and managed to regrow them.

You could probably also use an old sock full of raw rice or beans and heat them up in the microwave, wrap in foil, and stick in the cooler...a DIY version. They would hold heat just fine if you aren't going super far.

soilentgringa wrote:You could probably also use an old sock full of raw rice or beans and heat them up in the microwave, wrap in foil, and stick in the cooler...a DIY version. They would hold heat just fine if you aren't going super far.

Side note. These are also great for neck/back pain. It's my go to when my arthritis is kicking up!

Also, if you have any shells, I like to bring some with me when picking up crabs so they can switch out if they want on the way home. Totally not a necessity but a few of my crabs have enjoyed shell shopping on the way home.


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moonbeam wrote:Also, if you have any shells, I like to bring some with me when picking up crabs so they can switch out if they want on the way home. Totally not a necessity but a few of my crabs have enjoyed shell shopping on the way home.

I love doing this when driving a distance for adoptions - you pick up a crab in an ugly peeling painted shell, or that's in shell that is in no way comfortable for it to be wearing, and when you get home and open the cooler up you have a beautiful happy crab staring back at you!

If I remember, I try to toss a treat in with the moss on the way out the door. (Usually I prep the carrier the night before and I won't put food in then because it'll mold overnight.) A chunk of fresh coconut, a couple pieces of popcorn, a piece of krill, or a cookie. Non-messy chunky things they can grab hold of during the ride. They're usually starved for "real" crab food, especially when new from the store.

maybe im wrong for doing this but to transport my hermit crabs from my store home(30-45 mins away) i ask for them in seperate large fish bags with a warm wet paper towel in them, keeps it nice and humid aswell as warm, even the hermit crabs that wouldnt come out for me did when in the bag(better conditions than the store most likely)

natch1 wrote:maybe im wrong for doing this but to transport my hermit crabs from my store home(30-45 mins away) i ask for them in seperate large fish bags with a warm wet paper towel in them, keeps it nice and humid aswell as warm, even the hermit crabs that wouldnt come out for me did when in the bag(better conditions than the store most likely)

I always did the same for unexpected purchases, otherwise they'd try to stick them in a cardboard box. If you know you're getting them though, bringing something from home will keep them more comfortable - especially if you have winter weather. There is a special kind of nervousness that comes from having to stuff a bag of crab down your shirt in order to keep it warm enough on the ride home...