Birgus Latro for sale?

[soilentgringa]

I'm pretty sure you can import them to the US as a food animal. States may have their own restrictions past that. They have not been listed as endangered yet, but their population had tanked in recent years.

Last year when that whole thing went down with the guy who sold a 13 year old kid a coconut crab for 500 euro but sent him a PP; we had a FB group member who threw a huge fit and posted several links to some federal site. Your state wildlife and fisheries can issue you a special permit to own one but federal law in the U.S. prohibits it. I don't have time to dig for that right now but yes, it really is against the law in the U.S. to own birgus latro.

Even if it was legal who has the space and correct climate for one to live and grow in and be properly cared for? I personally believe that wild animals should be left in the wild, especially after rescuing for 3 years and seeing dozens of dead or dying hermits come through my home, who never made it past their first molts with us. One lady gave us a 60 gallon tank with at least 13 dead pp's in it.

This is a subject I am seriously passionate about and I am going to have to disengage from this conversation.



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[Big Birgus]

I'm pretty sure you can import them to the US as a food animal. States may have their own restrictions past that. They have not been listed as endangered yet, but their population had tanked in recent years.

Last year when that whole thing went down with the guy who sold a 13 year old kid a coconut crab for 500 euro but sent him a PP; we had a FB group member who threw a huge fit and posted several links to some federal site. Your state wildlife and fisheries can issue you a special permit to own one but federal law in the U.S. prohibits it. I don't have time to dig for that right now but yes, it really is against the law in the U.S. to own birgus latro.

Even if it was legal who has the space and correct climate for one to live and grow in and be properly cared for? I personally believe that wild animals should be left in the wild, especially after rescuing for 3 years and seeing dozens of dead or dying hermits come through my home, who never made it past their first molts with us. One lady gave us a 60 gallon tank with at least 13 dead pp's in it.

This is a subject I am seriously passionate about and I am going to have to disengage from this conversation.



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I understand your feelings and would not plan to take anything if I wasn't capable to go above and beyond double of what they need. I have taken your feelings into consideration and would have to agree about the whole wild thing. Would just like to put it aside for this hermie if i could lol but what you say is true and how I feel as well. I was looking to save one maybe from Japan where they are kept in cat carriers as pets or slaughtered with boiling water to their faces while alive . 'Tis a shame if the law thing is true but I hope that's a way around it.

[Big Birgus]

Are there any owners or previous owners on here? I wish we had more pics of some )

[Big Birgus]

Wish more people cared about this topic

[PinchersAndShells]

I'm assuming that no one has replied not because they don't care, but rather that most members are fairly new to the website and wouldn't have been around long enough to know the answer to your question.

[soilentgringa]

I'm assuming that no one has replied not because they don't care, but rather that most members are fairly new to the website and wouldn't have been around long enough to know the answer to your question.

IMO it's because most long term members of this forum realize that birgus latro is an invasive species and importing it is not only highly irresponsible, but it would be cruel and inhumane to attempt to keep one as a pet.



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[PinchersAndShells]

I'm assuming that no one has replied not because they don't care, but rather that most members are fairly new to the website and wouldn't have been around long enough to know the answer to your question.

IMO it's because most long term members of this forum realize that birgus latro is an invasive species and importing it is not only highly irresponsible, but it would be cruel and inhumane to attempt to keep one as a pet.



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I understand, however not everyone on this forum is from a place where it needs to be imported so I was hoping that maybe someone who just lives near them could post some pictures, because I haven't seen any owners of it at all (understandably so), sorry for the confusion.

[wodesorel]

I do think it's because of the size and the danger they pose that people don't ever view them as pets. They're getting harder to find in the wild as well due the increasing popularity as dinner, mostly fueled by tourists who think of it as a rare delicacy. "First world" countries think of having all these weird things as pets, but people who live where they are native just see them as a normal wild animal. It would be like us wanting to have moles as pets, it's just not done. Even hermit crabs in areas where they are normally found aren't super popular to keep, they're viewed more as a kid's indulgence than an actual pet.

They would not be invasive in the vast majority of the US. Probably just parts of Florida, and Hawaii where all non native crab species are prohibited, including hermits.

I do think due to its size and strength that it's a spieces that probably shouldn't be kept in captivity. I view them a lot like iguanas, and giant boas, and huge tortoises and lemurs - sure, they can be kept in captivity and legally, but can they actually be provided with what they need? Huge amount of space, proper temps, colonies for those that require them, fresh air? The vast majority of the time the answer is heck no, people are instead keeping them in basements and dog cages, and what kind of a life is that?

[PinchersAndShells]

I do think it's because of the size and the danger they pose that people don't ever view them as pets. They're getting harder to find in the wild as well due the increasing popularity as dinner, mostly fueled by tourists who think of it as a rare delicacy. "First world" countries think of having all these weird things as pets, but people who live where they are native just see them as a normal wild animal. It would be like us wanting to have moles as pets, it's just not done. Even hermit crabs in areas where they are normally found aren't super popular to keep, they're viewed more as a kid's indulgence than an actual pet.

They would not be invasive in the vast majority of the US. Probably just parts of Florida, and Hawaii where all non native crab species are prohibited, including hermits.

I do think due to its size and strength that it's a spieces that probably shouldn't be kept in captivity. I view them a lot like iguanas, and giant boas, and huge tortoises and lemurs - sure, they can be kept in captivity and legally, but can they actually be provided with what they need? Huge amount of space, proper temps, colonies for those that require them, fresh air? The vast majority of the time the answer is heck no, people are instead keeping them in basements and dog cages, and what kind of a life is that?

Agreed!

[LadyJinglyJones]

And their strength is really alarming... a full grown specimen has a pinchy strength of 3000 newtons (- that's nearly 675 lbs. of force) which is roughly comperable to a lion's bite. It's more powerful than a large shark's bite. For comparison, a dog's bite is roughly 325 lbs... so we're talking about a pretty crazy force if an owner isn't very,very cautious.

Ref:

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.newscie ... -ours/amp/

[Orin]

Wish more people cared about this topic

I saw a live king crab at a market yesterday and thought of you, you might be able to find one of those instead. I would have bought it but they wanted $33.99 a pound and I'd have to set up at least a 120 gallon tank for it.

[Happyhermiehome]

And their strength is really alarming... a full grown specimen has a pinchy strength of 3000 newtons (- that's nearly 675 lbs. of force) which is roughly comperable to a lion's bite. It's more powerful than a large shark's bite. For comparison, a dog's bite is roughly 325 lbs... so we're talking about a pretty crazy force if an owner isn't very,very cautious.

Ref:

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.newscie ... -ours/amp/

With that kind of brute strength and the ability to open a whole coconut with nothing but it's legs you'd have to build a mini Fort Knox to keep one of these from escaping

[Big Birgus]

And their strength is really alarming... a full grown specimen has a pinchy strength of 3000 newtons (- that's nearly 675 lbs. of force) which is roughly comperable to a lion's bite. It's more powerful than a large shark's bite. For comparison, a dog's bite is roughly 325 lbs... so we're talking about a pretty crazy force if an owner isn't very,very cautious.

Ref:

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.newscie ... -ours/amp/

With that kind of brute strength and the ability to open a whole coconut with nothing but it's legs you'd have to build a mini Fort Knox to keep one of these from escaping

Hahahaha it'd be worth it just to have it there!


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[Fledgling]

I'm late to the party, but if you want to check international policies for trade in specific species you can go to the CITES website. CITES is the largest and most successful piece of international legislation regarding trade in exotic animals. There is a link to the CITES database where you can find which Appendix a species falls under. Each appendix has different levels of trade restriction depending on the impact trade has on the species native population.

I wrote a paper about the exotic pet trade this semester

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[Big Birgus]

I'm late to the party, but if you want to check international policies for trade in specific species you can go to the CITES website. CITES is the largest and most successful piece of international legislation regarding trade in exotic animals. There is a link to the CITES database where you can find which Appendix a species falls under. Each appendix has different levels of trade restriction depending on the impact trade has on the species native population.

I wrote a paper about the exotic pet trade this semester

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I’m delayed but thank you. I know they’re data deficient and illegal to export in restricted areas but I’d ont think they’re illegal to get here due to not be endangered.