HCA: Hermit Crab Association

so we have had our hermies for 2 months now. i had them as a kid but had no idea how to actually take care of them, as im finding out now. i found a "kit" at the thrift store and thought it would be a fun and new, easy(HA!) pet. i got one, then read online that they get lonely and got 5 more. we quickly moved them from their critter carrier to a 10 gallon tank and this weekend we are moving them into the new 55 gallon tank. I was just curious about handling them and how often people do that. when we first got them we took them out and set up play areas on the table for them but after spending a lot of time on the forum i stopped, because i realized they probably couldnt breathe. since then, though, i feel like a few arent as comfortable around us. our biggest, and i believe is a Ecu or Reggie, runs when he sees us and i often catch him trying to climb the tank walls. im just wondering how i could handle and socialize them, or how long is appropriate to do so, in order to make them more comfortable with us.

hayhay528 wrote:so we have had our hermies for 2 months now. i had them as a kid but had no idea how to actually take care of them, as im finding out now. i found a "kit" at the thrift store and thought it would be a fun and new, easy(HA!) pet. i got one, then read online that they get lonely and got 5 more. we quickly moved them from their critter carrier to a 10 gallon tank and this weekend we are moving them into the new 55 gallon tank. I was just curious about handling them and how often people do that. when we first got them we took them out and set up play areas on the table for them but after spending a lot of time on the forum i stopped, because i realized they probably couldnt breathe. since then, though, i feel like a few arent as comfortable around us. our biggest, and i believe is a Ecu or Reggie, runs when he sees us and i often catch him trying to climb the tank walls. im just wondering how i could handle and socialize them, or how long is appropriate to do so, in order to make them more comfortable with us.

They are not pets that need to be handled or played with.

The only time I ever touch my crabs is to put them in the tank, or in an emergency.

Some crabs eventually start to associate us with food and will come out of hiding when they see us, but overall anything larger than they are looks like a predator.



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i agree they arent holding pets. i consider myself a hands on crab owner and even then at most and i do mean most; i move, add, remove and i offer my crabs food from my hands once a day or so when i see them out. i also only have four crabs so its much easier to get close to them. now after almost a year they are pretty used to my hands and smell. i also feel doing this in tank keeps it stress free so they are more open to the giant alien invader. i also watch my gauge and limit the time im doing anything with the lid open. keeping in mind those things and the fact that they are crabs (that means they dont see well, fast movement scares them, along with loud sounds and sometimes even then they are crabs and just wont be interested )

just my opinion.

People do and can take out their crabbies for playtime. Do I encourage/support it, no not really.
They require high humidity levels and heat, and often our homes dont even remotely mimic it. Even then, the stress of being placed in an unfamiliar or unknown enviroment is highly stressful, and this stress can be easily avoided IMO.

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I don't like holding my crabs because it stresses them out. However, I have handed my crabs little bits of food before which they take from me and eat it. (Popcorn, dried banana and strawberry works great for this.)

PinchersAndShells wrote:I don't like holding my crabs because it stresses them out. However, I have handed my crabs little bits of food before which they take from me and eat it. (Popcorn, dried banana and strawberry works great for this.)

yay im not the only hand feeder. i really thinkits the way to go.

When I was younger and didn't know any better I used to do it. Now that I am an adult (in my 40s) I do not, nor do I recommend it. To each's own.

I think we underestimate what they can safely tolerate. I look at Carol's two, who ran around the house every night for 20 years in the average humidity in New Jersey, including when it dropped low in winter from heating sources. They lived 40 years. 20 minutes outside of a tank is not going to do anything to them.

That said, they do need to be established before messing with them on a regular basis. Let them get at least one molt in, preferably a few before being really hands on with them. It's a lot of stress at first, and they don't need that on top of trying to adapt to captivity.

I am personally not hands on with my crabs, but I see nothing wrong in people who want to be. We buy them as pets after all, and having well adjusted animals is always a good thing as once they adapt less will bother them in the future.

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I agree with the posts above - I think of them more as just look and don't touch type of pets - like a fish

However, I have had a group of crabs for many years and as they got to know me better they would come out and about all the time. One way you can get them to come out so you can see them is to provide lots of tasty foods! That's when I see mine the most. The more they get used to you working around them within the tank, or feeding them, the more "pet-like" they'll become and you'll see them more! I think that's the safe way of doing it.