Can I release hermit crabs back into their natural habitat?

[Kelr2001]

I have two Caribbean purple claw hermit crabs, their native habitat is of course the islands in the Caribbean. This question is mainly hypothetical since I plan on taking great care of my animals for as long as they live (which is a looong time).

I was on vacation with my family and we stopped at an island (mainly uninhabited by people) called the Baths (beautiful place), we walked on a few trails and I saw packs of wild hermit crabs here and there, going on with their little lives, I noticed they were the same breed as my hermit crabs back home and I thought, if there ever comes a time where I can’t take care of my h-crabs anymore, can I release them on this island? It seems like an ideal home, as many other hermit crabs are healthily living there.

Any answers?
Thanks!

[CrabbyLover77]

Hi Kelr2001,

I would say that you should never release any animal that was once a pet back into the wild. Once animals our are pets, they tend to become more tame and dependent upon us for their basic daily needs. If you were to release them back into the wild, they would not be able to fend for themselves, and/or become too friendly with people. Here's a great little article explaining this better:
https://www.thesprucepets.com/releasing ... ld-1237278

Have a great day!

[wodesorel]

Disease and parasites are the biggest risk to native populations, and hermits in captivity have been exposed to other hermits from across the world due to the way they are warehoused and transported. They could be carrying illness and parasites that those wild hermits have no immunity to. Once an animal is in captivity, they sadly need to stay there, and that goes for any animal.