Recently I came across many shops along the Ocean City, NJ boardwalk with cages full of hermit crabs with painted shells for sale. Seeing this upset me for various reasons.

Firstly, hermit crabs struggle immensely to survive outside of their natural habitats. Removing them from the ocean is considered inhumane. Hermit crabs thrive in colonies and enjoy foraging and exploring. They have a life span of up to 30 years when living in the wild however when in captivity they rarely make it past 1 year. Most pet hermit crabs experience a slow suffocation leading to their death which is likely going unnoticed by their owner due to a lack of humidity in their environment.

Secondly, the paint from the shells that humans supply them with once they are captured is toxic and deadly. Hermit crabs do not care what color their shells are, they just want to live happily in a comfortable environment.

Signing this petition will help bring justice for these sea creatures who cannot speak for themselves. Please help me to stop this form of cruelty by sharing this message and not supporting the sale of hermit crabs in boardwalk shops or pet stores.