Family and impulse buys

[Fledgling]

So my cousins are in Florida and just bought my youngest cousin 2 small hermits.... without any prior preparation. I'm going to do my best to coach them through a setup and general care... but I'm still a bit worried. They are great people, but the kid is only 7 and I don't know if they'll be up for everything that goes into their setup.

I have a 30 gal with 3 crabs, 2 large-medium and one small... if worst comes to worst I may end up taking them in.... but I'm worried about overcrowding. There's no way I can upgrade my tank anytime soon, but I don't want the poor little things to be without a good home.

Any advice?

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[NLindsey921]

Wow. Aren't impulse buys just wonderful. Last thanksgiving my mother bought me an e. I only have a 29 gal tank. But just try to coach your cousin thru the proper care of the crab and see what happens. Who knows. Maybe he'll take to it and be able to keep up with it or (more likely) his parents will take to it and take care of the crabs. If worse comes to worse you could always take them in. If you talk them into giving you the whole set up you wouldn't have to worry about overcrowding. You could keep them in the separate tanks.

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[auracaria]

This happened to us. Someone gave some to my son and the conditions they gave them to us in weren't ideal. My son and I are now researching how to own crabs properly and our holiday project is building a new home with all the right setup for them. I'm completely against giving animals as pets unless the person receiving (or their parents!) knows all about it and is prepared to take on the responsibility. I hope with some support from you they can enjoy their new pets.

[wodesorel]

A proper 10 gallon isn't too crazy or costly of a thing to set up, and two small crabs would be okay in that for a (long) while. At that point someone in the family will either fall in love with them or they all will loose interest in a few months, but the crabs won't be at serious risk. It's always a cringeworthy moment, but it also happens with a lot of different species this time of year. :/

[Fledgling]

Thanks everyone. I was panicking a bit after seeing a pic of my cousin holding the small critter keeper they have them in now, but I've calmed down now. I guess all I can do is cross my fingers and help them out the best I can. I've already sent them the link to this site, so hopefully they've started reading the care guides.

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[LadyJinglyJones]

Knowing is half the battle - especially with animals as widely misunderstood as hermits! Having you as a resource already puts those crabs at an advantage.

And if you do end up with the critters (and their keepers ... meh you can save those as ISOs) don't forget the super cheap crabber option - the crabitote! They aren't pretty, but they're super easy.