HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I want to get several Hermit crabs for my son for Xmas. We live in the mountains at 5000 feet. Does altitude effect crabs? I am concerned about buying one down the mountain and then transporting it up. I've read up on habitats,etc but have seen nothing about this. Thanks!

Hello, welcome to HCA! I'm not sure that high altitudes would affect crabs. I'd like to think that as long as their habitat is kept in the correct conditions that they would be fine. I'm hoping maybe someone will have a better answer for you on that.

I do think it's better to buy crabs in the warmer months of the year. They are tropical creatures and when they get shipped during these cold months, it can cause lots of problems for them. A lot of them don't even make it through the shipping process because they can't handle the drop in temp. Even if they do make it to the store, the cold can have lasting effects. I would suggest putting off getting crabs until the warmer part of the year when shipping conditions are better. Also, you can always adopt instead of buying a lot of members find adoptions through HCA or craigslist (or an equivalent to that kind of site).

Again, welcome Let us know if there is anything else we can help with!


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Thanks- I'll look into adopting or possibly wait until his birthday in May.

Purple Pinchers have been found far inland and up in the mountains of the volcanic islands where they are native. It is an interesting question on how quickly they can adapt to the height, since crawling speed is a heck of a lot slower than driving! I know we've had several members in Denver and other high places that had hermits without issue, so it's only the acclimation that is in question. I imagine that if they were able to buy or adopt crabs that did okay it may not be a big problem.

You might want to post about adopting - many remote places and even some of the large cities have owners who want to re home but can't find anyone who is truly interested or shows that they're doing research.

There's also the bit where it may be an exciting present at first, but children often lose interest quickly once they realize the crab can't really be interacted with and will molt without being seen for months at a time. We have moms join every day who have inherited the responsibility from their kids within a few months of bringing home the hermits. Not saying all kids will be like this! But hermits aren't as awesome as a friendly fluffy hamster if you're looking for an interactive pet. Hermits also cost a lot more to set up properly, take more time daily to make sure the conditions are kept perfect, and live for decades. Not trying to scare you off - but it's all things that most parents don't take into account before bringing them home.

Thanks for the input! I agree about the exciting present could turn into a "moms pet" and am prepared for that should it happen (I had tarantulas, snakes, and iguanas growing up but never hermit crabs). My son is very into things that crawl and always captures spiders and puts them in jars as pets so I am hoping the crabs will be right up his alley.