HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I've read that some crabs can live up to 30 years in the wild. However, I have noticed that the memorial/tribute board is posted to quite often, with many quick deaths. Just out of curiosity what is the longest anyone has had any one crab? Thanks!

as far as I remember... 20 plus years in captivity.

the trick is, having the right conditions and maintaining them. a lot of those tributes are from beginners who came here looking for help, or who didn't have stable conditions.

since I started using the right methods in crab keeping, the longest time I have had a crab is about a year and half now. I didn't use the right method before, so I lost some - but now I know, and I have been striving to keep a good 'tat, and they crabs have been doing well.

27 and 28+ years...here's a Link.
http://www.geocities.com/hermit_crabs/carol/gallery.htm
Carol Of Crabworks.

It sounds as though 20+ years is sort of an unusual ideal event. Does anyone have a feeling for the average lifespan of crabs in captivity? (Given decent care along the lines of the stuff on the care sheets here.)

I get way too attached to my little critters (if only hamsters lasted longer!) and I was wondering how long I should realistically expect to have my little crabby friends.

The lifespan for hermies in excellant care seems to be about 3 years. I have been trying my best to keep them and the longest I have had one live was also a year and half once I learned what I was doing. This info comes from several years of research and message boards where people would say their goodbyes, the longest lifespans were about 3 years. Once I read about someone who'd had their jumbo for 5.

That is why I stopped crabbing for a while. Unexplained deaths are so frustrating and I get SO heartbroken when I have a loss that I'd quit. But I'd invested so much in it, and I missed the little cuties and now I've started up agian with high hopes.

follow OIF's link and look at the 'earlier years' section....

you can see pics of all the shells 'Jon and Kate' went thru, all the way to over twenty years old... amazing!

I started a thread on this before and never got a satisfactory answer. I wanted to know how successful experienced members of the HCA have been by finding out who held the record on having the same crab for 5 years, 10 years, etc. It's hard to know how old a crab is when you get him because size only tells a small part of the story, but surely someone has kept them in captivity for a good long time. . . but who?

viewtopic.php?p=255510#255510

Jedi....Valid Point...I saw that thread And I am Curious as well...But I truly cannot answer for myself.

the average is probably low.... like 1-2 years.... just b/c there are so many newbies out there who don't know what they are doing. if only everyone who knew how to care for crabs were asked, I personally think there would be a higher average.

sooo..... my conclusion: we need to educate unexperienced crabbers!

As an interesting comparison, when I first started crabbing I did almost nothing right, I had two crabs they lived 9 months (a miracle really, poor things).

They died, I was so much more upset than I thought I could be, I had become very attached. I wanted to try again and do everything right.

Did my research, left NOTHING to chance, longest of my next four was a year and a half, and despite their reputed fragility my longest living crab of that bunch was my straw.

I guess my point is, I feel there is more to things than experience vs. non-experience. There are obviously factors in the wild that we may not be duplicating, or it may be a matter of statistics, I mean, what percentage of crabs in the wild make it to a year, then to five years, and so on.

It's sites like this which will ultimately make the biggest difference, especially if we take a scientific approach to collecting data and trying to put it into context. There's so much we don't know.

well, I guess my assumption was in general. there are probably specific cases which differ from the norm. when I start thinking, it just kinda all comes out! you wouldn't believe how fast I typed that, trying to keep up with my thoughts!

so ya, that was pretty much a theory that I came up with on the spot. it seems that it would make sense tho...

I think most of us can agree that IN GENERAL - bad conditions kill crabs.....

I think most of us can agree that IN GENERAL - bad conditions kill crabs.....

We could all agree with that! I think we could all agree we have a responsibility to give them the best conditions possible too.

I wish so much that it was a simple matter of good conditions=long life, we'd all have a lot less heartbreak.

I would be thrilled if I could break my record of a year a half!

ya, I'm trying to break a year and a half too. that is since I learned the proper methods!

maybe I'll just move to Florida, and then not have to worry as much about my 'tat levels!

Carol's crabs were absolutely gorgeous. 20 years, how great would that be! I must admit I'm envious.

I LOVE the picture of all those shells lined up.....and the baby pics and then adult pics....

judging by the size of her crabs, my big un's must be about 10-15 years old!!!! I haven't had them that long tho - I got 'em that age. I hope they live to be super old!