Each year, millions of hermit crabs are sold in shops and are labeled as “easy throwaway pets.” However, many people don’t understand the harsh reality behind all of this. 

Before they end up in shops, hermit crabs are taken from their home environments to have their natural shells broken off with hammers. From there, they are stuffed into new, toxic ones with paint that can poison them over time. When they refuse to stay put, they are aggressively glued into this new shell (meaning they will never be able to leave it and can easily die of suffocation). Once these crabs are captured, they are often shipped into warehouses with hundreds of others and deprived of food and water. This continues until somebody finally buys them. Not only do hermit crabs have to go through this traumatic experience, but they retain a vivid memory of it as well. Along with this, people who work for hermit crab trades are constantly collecting shells from beaches - making it harder for the wild crabs to find some. This means that some of these wild animals will live much shorter lives since they are unable to hide from predators.

By signing this petition, we can help stop hermit crab abuse around the world and truly let them thrive in their natural environments.