HCA: Hermit Crab Association

So here's a question, a lot of people who haven't had crabs or didn't know how to handle them as a kid think all crabs will pinch you. Mo is a great example of a very nice crab. I don't think he'll pinch anybody even if they make him nervous. I can never state that as fact but it's been shown to be true so far. I would only let experienced people handle Whimsy but I feel like using Mo as an ambassador for the whole land hermit crab hobby.

People just love watching animals I think and since Mo is such a ham when he's not in molt even if people are afraid of his pincher at least the TRUTH about caring for crabs will be retained much better with something to connect it to rather than have boring papers and lectures about it. The trouble is, and this is the part that I know I'm not any speck good at, how do I effectively communicate with people of all sorts and backgrounds that Mo is a friendly crab?

This is going to be sometime in the future, but my plan is to educate people about their pets in general, but also provide opportunities to explore new options and to face stereotypes that maybe underexposed people have made about land hermit crabs, that, even though they aren't "cuddly" they are handleable, and some obviously may mind more (**cough** Whimsy **cough**) than others, but others can be really into it. Who knows what Mo is thinking every time I scoop him up, but he pops right into playful action as if he thinks he's exploring or maybe trying to play with me, but I don't know.

The goal is to create a wider base of knowledge for the people who have not been shown such things before. Something that will stick in their mind so they can say, 'Wow, I did that!' and remember the importance of keeping them happy and healthy and mostly blow their minds on how long I've had Mo, and stressing that they aren't just a 2-3 year pet. If you want one of those, go with a small rodent.

I want to build a playpen of sorts that I can add soft sub to and is big enough for climbing furniture so I can give Mo a figurative pedestal to stand on. Guests would be able to come around and touch him or handle him with guidance if I can find out the legal disclaimer stuff I need for that. I can even have Whimsy and Lunie in another tank behind me that shows tank requirements and what you can do if your imagination is there. Before they touch him though, everybody would have to "wash" their hands in a basin so any perfumey stuff on their hands doesn't bother him.

I think I thought of everything, but what do y'all experts think? Is there something I should include? Something to avoid? Should I just leave it altogether? I want to be prepared if I want to head out and educate. Thanks.

Hermit crabs aren't pets to be handled, IMO.

While some crabs do appear to grow used to their human owners, the fact is that they are prey animals and see larger creatures as a threat.

I think that it would cause undue stress to have multiple people handling a crab, and just because one hasn't pinched you, doesn't mean it won't pinch someone else.



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Increased activity while holding or handling crabs is not a sign of playfulness. It is a sign of panic. They are trying to escape.

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I really try not to touch my crabs unless I need to.
The last time I touched one of them was when I lifted a coconut hut, and moved one out of the way so I could put it back down.

I haven't handled the others for a while now, except when I redo their tank, I usually take them out and put them in a container with moss.
My crabs won't pinch me, but I haven't proved it for all of them, just a few.

Stella, she wouldn't ever pinch me, I've held her many times with nothing.

I don't handle my crabs either...

Once I get my order in, I’ll finalize my 55, and never touch another crab for six months for cleanings.


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I'm on the opposite end of handling. Once a crab has had the chance to molt and heal from the collection process I don't see occasional handling to be an issue. Carol handled hers daily for over 30 years and let them roam around a furnace heated house for hours every evening. Just being around us and having us stare at them startles them and makes the majority of them panic, running away or slamming back into shells. Handling can't be any worse!

That said, ambassador animals are in a grey zone for me. The work they do and the education they provide is invaluable, but it does come at a risk to the animal. They are exposed to non-ideal conditions on a regular basis, traveling is stressful, and they are exposed to bacteria and chemicals from the humans that touch them. Dogs and cats are slightly different as they are fully domesticated to us and generally are only at risk to diseases passed by others of their kind, but things like crabs, amphibians and reptiles are not.

I don't know of any educational unit that allows handling of amphibians for that reason. There are places that do bugs, but they aren't irreplaceable pets to the people who show them. The big question here is how attached to her you are and if you are willing to accept that risk.

You also cannot account for what a person of the public may do if gripped tightly or pinched. My husband has been bit by dozens of cats over the years at his job and never flinches, but the first time he got pinched by a crab he flung it across the room out of pure instinct of wanting it off his hand. (The crab was thankfully okay, we purchased it and brought it home.) A crab is an animal, you cannot predict what it may do in a situation.

As far as legal, if someone got hurt and wanted to make a stink it would be all on you if they really wanted to pursue it in the courts. (I can't imagine it would be a problem with a crab, but imagining worst case it would be like a immune-compromised individual getting pinched and it getting infected, or a child with severe emotional issues getting pinched and suffering PTSD. I don't trust anyone in our sue happy culture.) Many private business do require insurance on educational animals for just this reason but other places are just happy to have the show.