Have you ever been on a family vacation or traveling with your friends or even visited a relative somewhere along the coast? If you have, chances are you’ve come across a sign saying “hermit crabs sold here!” The pet that has been falsely advertised as a souvenir. The entire hermit crab industry is abusive from the very beginning of the process to the second they are put into a customer’s hands. If you ever cross paths with getting a pet hermit crab, be the person who allows the abuse to stop!
Hermit crabs are supposed to live up to 30 years in the wild. Unfortunately after being sold in toxic shells and abusive enclosures, they might last a year or two if you’re very lucky. Hermit crabs aren’t breaded pets;it’s not like fish where captivity is all they’ve ever known and are oblivious to the real world. Hermit crabs are actually born in tropical climates in the indo-pacific region or Caribbean. They are then stripped from their homes and natural habitats, forced into painted shells and sold into captivity, most of them dying in the process.
On top of the cruel way hermit crabs get to be in stores, they are also sold to misled customers, most who are oblivious to the torture their putting their pets through. Most stores sell hermit crabs in small plastic containers, the biggest being maybe 2 gallons. They usually include a thin layer of sand or a thin layer of gravel with not nutritious “hermit crab food” and a sponge to drink their water from. In reality, hermit crabs need to have one or a few friends in order to be happy. They are very social creatures and thrive in groups. The rule of thumb for hermit crabs is that each crab requires 10 gallons of space and getting multiple would double or triple this number.
It is also vital for hermit crabs to be able to molt which is when they shed their exoskeleton. In order for this to happen they need at least six inches of substrate (sand or eco earth) They also require both fresh and salt filters water bowls that they can drink from and fully submerge in and a heated, humid enclosure . And last but certainly not least they need nutritious diets just like you and me. Obviously these are never the things listed when it comes to hermit crabs being sold which is why their long lives are cut so incredibly short.
Some people may argue that listing the necessary requirements for hermit crabs will result in shops losing business. While this may be true, is the abuse of innocent animals really worth the stake? Safevoices.org states, “the crime of inflicting physical pain, suffering or death on an animal, usually a tame one.” This is the definition of animal abuse, which definitely fits how these poor creatures are being treated.
People need to be rightfully educated before thinking about purchasing this pet and stores need to stop the abuse before the industry grows bigger and the problem becomes more severe. These living creatures need to be treated as more than just another souvenir.
