HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hello,
I had just gotten hermit crabs and I saw someone mention you can ship them. So how do I do it?

Well, they have to be packaged as live animals and shipped overnight. You would have to talk to your local post office for more details since it's different everywhere. The best way seems how LHC does it, with styrafoam insulating the box, heat packs, and damp moss and burlap. They NEED to be warm enough, or they will freeze to death. And they NEED to be put as live cargo, or they will probably be put somewhere too cold/too bumpy.
Are you talking specifically about shipping yours somewhere, or having some shipped to you?

Just thought it'd be useful info

Labeling them as "live aquaria" is safe than "live animals" from what wodesorel told me. Also should be done in the warmer/non stormy months to minimize risk of getting too cold or stuck in a storm somewhere.

I shipped three Es to suebee in July (?) of last year. I know it was mid-summer, and I watched the weather to make sure it was going to be around 80 the days they were on the road. If you don't want to mess with or put trust in heat packs it's best to do it while the weather is warm, but not boiling hot. (I personally wouldn't ship in temps above 85 for fear of them overheating.)

Shipping via overnight USPS lead to second day delivery from Ohio to New Jersey. Apparently the USPS doesn't guarantee overnight service anymore as I couldn't get my money back from them being a day late. Because of this, I would recommend using UPS instead as they do accept live animals now and they have guaranteed overnight: http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resour ... imals.html

Shipping was $22 for three crabs.

When I packed them, I put them each in pint sized deli containers that my fiddler crabs had come in so they were already vented. I packed each cup full of moist moss, put in one small chunk of fresh coconut to give them something to much on, and then taped the lid onto the container very well as those little devils would have popped them off otherwise! I then packed the box full of shredded paper. The three containers fit into a normal sized shipping box. (Free, from the USPS.)

I did label the box Live Aquaria. Live animals can sometimes make them think there's something warm-blooded and can raise suspicion. Aquaria is shipped all the time and I shipped snails in the past that were labeled that way with with no problems. They don't pay much attention to something that can die in air.

It also helps to know what the postal/regulation code is to ship them. My Post Master was not going to accept them until I asked her to check the book and gave her the code that listed them as mailable. They are held responsible in the event that something improper is shipped, and I'm sure they never see hermit crabs getting mailed, so I can't blame them for not knowing off the top of their heads. Having the info for them makes it so much easier as those regulation books are huge!