Moving with crabs

emberfusion · Post by **emberfusion** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:11 am

This thread has definitely got me thinking.
I'm moving into a dorm next semester (my family will look after them for me), they won't let me take my crabs (

I state my argument regularly), but the end of next summer I'll be moving into an appartment close to the college simply because I cannot leave my crabs that long.

It's only an hour and a half, but a ride up the mountains...

Does anyone know how altitude changes like that would affect the crabs?

Ugh. I just thought about moving the 55g up there...

Bob & Souix's Mom · Post by **Bob & Souix's Mom** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 9:36 am

I've moved 20 miles about three times now. I don't have any concerns with temp/humidity, so I just removed their water/food/climbys and moss pits.
I let them ride on the bare sand so that a fall wouldn't send them crashing into the glass walls. Unless your sand is very dry there should be no reason for tunnels to collapse.
As for the speed bumps, just take it verrrrry sloooooow and inch your way over. Same thing with traffic, leave lots of room to start/stop.

I've never had EE, so I don't know how that would behave during a move. Anyone moved with EE before ?

evre1's-mom · Post by **evre1's-mom** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:00 pm

In Nov I moved 9 crabbies from TX to PA. I wasn't sure if anyone was molting or not, but I had no choice. They rode in the back seat of my car in their 20L and 10G tanks wrapped in blankies and spent 3 nights in hotels with their heaters plugged in. Everyone did great! No one seemed stressed when we got there and they all are still going strong. My jumbo finished a 4 month molt just a couple days before we left. Whew! I might add I did have the heater on in the car and kept it around 72 degrees.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat May 09, 2009 5:23 pm

I'm moving at the end of semester and flying with my crabs from Washington state to Minnesota then driving 3-4 hours down to Iowa with them. I'm packing a Kritter Keeper in my luggage and basically following the shipping guidelines and putting my crabs into a tupperware container with holes to let air in. I plan on setting up the KK in the car once I land. I'm shipping all my extra stuff and buying a new tank somewhere along the drive home so I can have one at school and one at home. I figure if the airport asks what's in the tumbler I'll tell them shells wrapped up so they don't clank together...which is mostly the truth

Post by **Lady WolfStorm** » Sat May 09, 2009 7:27 pm

Selene, good luck on that idea.

The x-ray machines will pick up on the tiny skeletons of the crabs. It wouldn't surprise me if your bag gets hand-searched. They may still deny your crabs access to the plane. It all depends on the carrier's policy and how close the security scrutinizes the carry on.

On my last trip out to Las Vegas just over a month ago, they wouldn't even let me carry on a bottle of water because it was opened. It used to be that they make you drink out of it to make sure it was okay.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat May 09, 2009 7:58 pm

I've gotten crabs through before so it shouldn't be a problem as I'm flying the same airline and have never been searched, exoskeleton doesn't show up in xray quite the same as bone and metal is more what they look for. Not to mention if they catch anything it'd be the shells first, which wouldn't raise alarms as I'm coming from a coastal area.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 19, 2009 4:13 pm

[quote="mogymog"]Only about 5 miles down the road, but between us and the new home are these evil things called Speed Bumps.quote]

OMG I hate speed bumps!There is like 20 at the High School across the street!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:56 pm

I live in CO but in a bit I'm going to be going to IL for a while, and was wondering...If I find a crab out there that I'd like, how do you recommend I get it back here. I'll be flying, and it's no long drive from the airport to where I'll be either way, but I wasn't sure what's the best way to bring one along.

Post by **Lady WolfStorm** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 4:25 pm

Check with the airline if you are flying. Most airlines won't let you take it on the plane. I've met that barrier when I was on the East Coast and wanted to bring one back. I'd hate for you to buy it and then not be able to transport it home.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 4:31 pm

Yeah, that was going to be my next stop for asking questions...but hypothetically speaking...what would you recommend?

Post by **Lady WolfStorm** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 5:33 pm

I re-read the this particular thread.. Selene had posted what she'd do...

I'm moving at the end of semester and flying with my crabs from Washington state to Minnesota then driving 3-4 hours down to Iowa with them. I'm packing a Kritter Keeper in my luggage and basically following the shipping guidelines and putting my crabs into a tupperware container with holes to let air in. I plan on setting up the KK in the car once I land. I'm shipping all my extra stuff and buying a new tank somewhere along the drive home so I can have one at school and one at home. I figure if the airport asks what's in the tumbler I'll tell them shells wrapped up so they don't clank together...which is mostly the truth

Tupperware with holes, with 1 crab and moist eco earth inside. I wouldn't put the tupperware in luggage though, even though Selene later said she had no problems. I guess if the flight is short it wouldn't be a problem. I'd hate to see it get disturbed by airport security, though!

When I got my crabs from Hermit Crab Patch, each crab was in its own tupperware container with airholes and EE, and the outer shipping box had holes for ventilation and the box properly marked "Fragile: Live Hermit Crabs"

You can always ship overnight with the above method

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 5:59 pm

Cool thanks. I guess this means I have to call the airline...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 4:53 pm

I am going on Vacation and I have to take my hermies to my sisters. She lives about 20 minutes away. I was just going to take the 10 gallon tank and put it in the car and go. Is that ok?

RChandler · Post by **RChandler** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:27 pm

I'll admit that I didn't read the whole thread, but wouldn't packing them up as if you were to ship them be secure enough? I would take tips from the document somewhere on the right hand menu of this site. It seems like it works, as it is intended to ship hermies specifically.

Hope it helps,
RC

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 11:58 pm

Don't know why I didn't post this before, but I did manage to bring 2 back from Illinois to Colorado. I got a small plastic container, filled it with some damp moss, and just asked them to hand search it when I went through security. They wiped the outside, asked what was inside, and I was on my way. I set them up as soon as I was home and all was well. Both crabs are still doing great. I wrapped them up in a jacket on the plane to keep the humidity a bit higher than just leaving them out, plus planes get cold. The airlines thought it was just a jacket under my arm, no problems.