Hermit crabs are delightful little creatures. Many of us remember having one as a pet as a child... and the sadness of its quick untimely demise.

Hermit crabs, like many reptiles and other small animals, have a specific set of environmental needs. Many other more in-demand creatures have a plethora of supplies and accurate information in the stores. This is not the case for hermit crabs. Like Betta fish, many people unfairly consider them a throw-away beginner pet.

Though these delightful, energetic, and docile animals can live 40+ years in the wild, many of them die in the short weeks after purchase from the pet stores, if they survive their trip from wild capture to the store at all.

We would like these major pet store chains to update their hermit crab care supplies and instructions.

These are some of the materials crabs need to stay alive and healthy:

Hermit crabs need a mix of quartz play sand and a little coconut fiber. No correctly mixed sand is sold on Petco or Petsmart's shelves. Pure coconut fiber is no good because crabs cant bury themselves in it to safely molt. They need a good 3-6 inches of sand - 3x as much as your largest crab is tall. This is a great opportunity to sell more product, make consumers aware of the need for additional bedding!

Hermit crab pre-made food doesn't actually meet crab nutritional requirements, in fact, you are better off buying turtle mixes of mealworms, crickets, and shrimp. Mixes of dried seeds, tropical fruit, flowers, vegetables, cuttlebone, and eggshells would also sell well to many pet owners if labeled for crabs - and do a lot to boost crab health. Many of these items could be given new labels from the existing food already in the supply chain.

Shells should be unpainted, as the paint is toxic and the shells suppliers paint often paint the crabs into them so they cannot change shells and die. Crabs need a selection of shells to grow into, at least 3 or 4 in the tank. People can also buy these shells from the store to decorate their fish tanks, so please keep them in stock in a variety of sizes.

Petco currently advises on their crab care guide that crabs be given shallow water - but this is not true! Crabs need 2 deep bowls of water - one fresh and one saltwater. Each one should be deep enough for the crab to fully submerge in. If these stores made special bowls with ramps, similar to what young turtles need to enter and leave the pool, many enthusiasts and new owners would buy them. Even just encouraging simple plain acrylic cubes with decorative bridges and ramps to help the crabs enter and exit would be fantastic and this decor could also be used as fish tank decor.

Hermit crabs also need controlled temperature and humidity, so tanks with sealed lids and humidity vents are helpful. Many people end up DIYing mesh lids for the correct amount of humidity and ventilation. We often use fish tanks or reptile tanks, but they are not always perfect, crab specific enclosures or tanks with the above-mentioned items in a starter set with a heating pad and LED light would be great.

Lastly, crabs love to walk, walk, walk - many folks have modified hampster and mouse wheels for crabs to climb on. Other kinds of climbing and hiding decor would also be popular and give new owners a chance to see how active and fun these mostly nocturnal climbers are. Other climbing and tropical jungle decor is a great addition to a crab or reptile set up.

If Petco and Petsmart did a quick google on etsy they would see there is a vibrant community of crab owners, many of whom got the pet for a child or on a whim, who now work very hard to ensure their little friend has a good life. We would love to spend money at a local and convenient chain store, if only they provided us with the correct supplies to keep our pets alive. 

Crabs are also social animals and should be purchased in groups of at least two!

Please ask Petsmart and Petco to improve the lives of these little crabs and improve their product selection.

Many of us do not support how these stores get their crabs, taken from the wild and often killed in the process, but since many folks continue buying them or get one without knowing much about them - let's make sure they have an adequate way to take care of them and give them a good life. 

Please Petco + Petsmart - update your information and supplies for these wonderful, peaceful little animals. ❤️