HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi, I am a high school junior looking to use hermit crab breeding as one of my semester projects, but I have a few ideas on how to expand on to more than just a grade. I currently have two hermit crabs in a 20 gallon and I am fully educated on how to breed in captivity. But after breeding and raising, how would I adopt them out? How many would I have per "litter", since there are 800 or more eggs depending on crab size? Would I adopt them out by selling locally like in a pet store or making my own sort of business? Would I need a business license if I do so? Would I partner up with the pet store of humane society? Sell them online and ship safely to who buys?

By the way, I am in South Carolina and I can not find any laws regarding selling crustaceans for any other purpose but for food. Most animal laws I've seen online are for domestic animals, but there are some on exotic, but would hermits really be considered 'exotic'?

If there are any articles or if you would to send me personallized info, email info to chelsea.is.nicole[at]gmail.com and please be as specifc as possible. I really look forward to making a possible business out of my pets.

A good place for you to start is http://maryakers.com/inthecrabitat/
Even being “fully educated” of breeding hermit crabs isn’t going to guarantee a success of getting any to land. I don’t mean to sound negative, it’s just a very hard thing to do. I think there’s been about three people in the world that have gotten them to land, and Mary Akers is the only one in the world, that we know of, that has gotten the numbers she has. I think 200something last year and 700something this year. I think it is a great project and I do wish you luck. It is really great to see more people trying and with every one trying it is a huge step towards more captive bred hermit crabs. I’m not really 100% sure on adopting out, I think that would be up to what you want to do.

See the breeding section for information.

I really wish to emphasize how difficult it is to breed terrestrial hermit crabs. Only one person in the country, and possibly the world, is breeding crabs at a rate great enough to distribute, and that’s only once a year so far.

We’re not even certain how to induce breeding, it just happens sometimes.

If you do discover anything, though, let us know! Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

JoeHermits wrote:See the breeding section for information.

I really wish to emphasize how difficult it is to breed terrestrial hermit crabs. Only one person in the country, and possibly the world, is breeding crabs at a rate great enough to distribute, and that’s only once a year so far.

We’re not even certain how to induce breeding, it just happens sometimes.

If you do discover anything, though, let us know! Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

JoeHermits is very right on that, a lot of the attempts have really been “omg, I have eggs, I don’t want them to die” and with many attempts there and after have gotten further and further. It is with everyone working together that we can all pull our information and try to get hermit crab breeding even “easier”, I guess I can say, although nothing about it is easy. Don’t give up, get them comfortable enough to breed and just keep going is the only way to start.

I know it is very difficult to breed but a part of my project is to come up with any result possibly even change the end result to be finding the most comfortable its just right now my main goal is to breed. My current hypothesis for this project is "if i provide a sufficient habitat for land hermit crabs then they will breed" but during an experiment hypothesizes are subject to change.

That sounds great! Keep us updated, I’d love to see how your project turns out. No matter the outcome, it’s still a very interesting and unique school project.

For reference, some have noted that crabs seem to be more likely to breed in larger groups, though if that is because of greater selection pools or they actually become more sexually receptive is unknown.

Also, I read a post somewhere about a hypothesis that they may breed after stormy weather. I’ve heard of some fish breeding similarly (pressure fronts or something). My own breeding project years ago started after a prolonged period of heavy rain.

It’s all anecdotal, unfortunately, but it is something to think about.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This would be awesome !!! I hate the fact so many are taken from the wild. I look at the 3 I have and want to tell them sorry they’re stuck in a tank when they were used to roaming tropical shores. I just have a feeling their behavior is different in a tank vs the wild. I think they know they’re confined. So I am trying my best to make their lives as comfortable as possible. I would love to release them back where they were caught but I don’t know exactly where that is and not sure about releasing ones that have been pets. I would think they would pick back up where they left off but after being in captivity I’m not sure. But if I ever go on vacation to a place with hermits I will think really hard about how to take them with me. Hopefully they won’t get caught again. Lol.

Good luck with your project and please keep us posted.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

JR, it is not recommended to release crabs that have been in captivity.

Well then I will build a tropical room with salt and fresh ponds lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

jrleath wrote:Well then I will build a tropical room with salt and fresh ponds lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Now that’s what I call a dream tank.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

curlysister wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 08, 2020 10:19 am

JR, it is not recommended to release crabs that have been in captivity.

YES!!

curlysister wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 08, 2020 4:47 pm

YES!!

I think that's all our dream.

All I can say with breeding is it's tough. Unfortunately with having to work I could only dedicate about 3 hours a day to carding for the zoea. It was pretty much siphoning all the zoea by hand to new water and feeding. I managed to get them to 9-10 days.

One of the biggest issues people have is actually getting them to transition to land. Sometimes they just don't want to take that journey and drown.

Trying to find hundreds of tiny shells smaller than a BB and trying to sort sizes as the grow is very hard too.

As for if you are successful. You will more than likely need to raise them like Mary for a year before they are large enough to adopt.

If you would be successful in breeding I highly recommend doing an adoption process like Mary. That way you know they are going to good homes and get the proper care. Selling them to pet stores would lead to an early death sentence since they would not get the proper care.

But also selling to pet stores will save wild crabs. Meaning some would be sacrificed for the sake of the wild crabs. darned if you do dammed if you don’t. Double edged sword. Tough call but I’m all for saving the wild ones. There’s other ways we can go about saving wild crabs as well. But it will take cooperation from stores that sell the crabs. All the stores have to be educated on them like we are now. And they have to be willing to stop buying wild crabs or at least house them better and educate the buyer that they are only caught in wild. It’s too difficult to educate the entire population that crabs in stores are only wild. Somehow The stores have to be on board with us. One of two things has to happen. 1. Stores stop buying wild crabs. Or 2. People stop buying crabs from stores. I am so tempted to buy the poor crabs in my local pet store but I refuse because they will just get more to sell. It’s a viscous cycle. I think the only way to make this work is to get enough people breeding them and adopting them out first and foremost but Unfortunately also selling them to pet stores or they will continue buying wild ones. Maybe someone smarter than myself can solve this problem. But one things for sure the pet stores need to have better housing and need to educate the buyer what they need. If they have better housing at least potential buyers will see what it takes to have the correct set up. Pet stores really should know everything about every pet they sell but obviously they don’t.

Edit: most people thinking about buying hermit crabs won’t look here first. Most are bought on impulse. Not sure how we can get the word out better besides getting the stores on the same page.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk