Nature Gift Store 1 Live Hermit Crab Shipped Now-with Premium Hermit Crab Shells: Land Crabs with 2 Extra Shells

Arrived much sooner than expected. Came very well packaged, it was very active when it first got here. It's very tiny, probably about an inch and a half or something. The $11 for the crab is a pretty good deal, it came with a shell about double the size of the one it's wearing. The crab that is in the habitat with it currently is probably quadruple its size, so more smaller shells will probably need to be purchased later on. I'm not actually keeping this crab, I had to purchase one because I am babysitting sitting right now, and there was originally two hermit crabs when I started babysitting, then a few days ago one died, so I replaced it. So far the little crab seems ok, I plan to give them back tomorrow, so I will update again in a couple weeks on its health.

I recently purchased two hermit crabs for my daughter online with high hopes of providing them a comfortable and suitable habitat to thrive in. We currently have two other hermit crabs, and knowing that they are social we wanted to expand the crabitat. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts to ensure that their environment met all the necessary requirements, both crabs arrived alive but tragically passed away within a week. During that week they were very inactive, but I attributed this to post purchase stress. The crabs were incredibly tiny, about the size of a dime, shell included. While I understood that they are very delicate creatures, I expected them to be a bit more resilient given the care and attention I devoted to their setup. I ensured they had the proper substrate, maintained the right temperature, and monitored the humidity levels closely. We kept them separate from the other crabs because of their size, the habitat was designed to mimic their natural environment as closely as possible, with plenty of hiding spots, a variety of shells (even though finding shells that tiny was tough considering most pet stores and amazon shells do not have shells that tiny), and even a little water pools of fresh and salt water for them to bathe in. The fact that both crabs succumbed so quickly was disheartening. It's unclear whether this was a result of the how tiny and immature they were when I received them or if there were underlying health issues. Regardless, it's a frustrating experience, especially after putting in the effort to create an ideal home for them. In the future I would probably check to see the size and maturity of the crabs being sent.

Unbelievable! After five days of no communication from the carrier except “tried to deliver” ( 2 days b4 the delivery date) and one message that my crabs were sitting in a carrier facility (no mention of which location in our area) we finally were notified by Amazon that they were in our mailbox (2days after the delivery date). Thank you Amazon because the carrier either couldn’t read or write or just doesn’t care that crabs are live animals! Poor little Hermies! I called my husband from work and asked him to go get the 2 DEAD Hermit Crabs out of the mailbox. GUESS WHAT! These 2 little guys were alive and kicking which is unusual since they are nocturnal critters. They were packed in shredded paper with a moisture soaked sponge so they wouldn’t tossed around during shipping. I was more afraid that the cold weather would have killed them during their long journey, bit they were kicking up a storm when they arrived! I put them in a warm 50 gallon tank after dousing them in the salt water bowl for a second. They are joining 2 older and larger crabs so I have been watching them closely to to make sure there is no crab tipping (bullying) from the current residents. So far, they are both active, eating, and enjoying the salt water. So 5 stars for two healthy, STURDY, well packed hermies! UNBELIEVABLE!!

Please don't buy a hermit crab this way. They stress very easily (which can happen while shipping) and can lose limbs and die. That is exactly what happened to mine, which broke my heart. Many of the reviews said their crab arrived dead or died shortly after. If you are going to get hermit crabs, please do your research and maybe try to rescue from an ad on Craigslist for someone selling theirs. Also, there is a lot of misinformation about hermit crabs. Be weary of who you listen to, including pet stores, because they are usually just trying to profit. The hermit crab organization online is a great resourceful community to get the information you need with hermit crab care. Get 2 or more hermit crabs at a time (they travel in large packs, not solitary), and offer at least a 10 gallon (preferably more) with 2 hermit crabs or more if you get more crabs. Also, provide at least 4-6 inches of coconut fiber substrate (Eco Earth is about the best). It should be enough the hermit crabs can completely bury themselves in and needs to be damp for humidity. Plus, offer 2 shells slightly larger than each crab (for each crab) and no painted shells that are toxic for them. Polished shells with no chemicals can be safe. Then, provide fresh fruits, veggies, and even egg shells (for calcium), etc. Freeze-dried food, like fruits and veggies, shrimp, or mealworms, are also safe as long as chemicals and preservatives aren't added. As far as water, they need two different water dishes. Ramp bowls can be good to help them get in and out easier and to try to avoid drowning. One dish should have purified bottled water or filtered water. Tap water can kill them and is toxic with the chlorine. You can also buy a water conditioner that will dechlorinate tap water. The other dish needs to have salt water (either premixed in a bottle or use a separate conditioner just for dechlorinating and created salt water). Don't add iodized salt to water, because it has harmful chemicals. Lastly, offer climbing things, such as chollo logs, climbing nets, and artificial plants, so they can have enrichment in their environment and explore. One more note I'd like to make is that they need the temperature to be between 72 - 80 degrees. You need a heat pad, as well as a thermostat (to regulate the heat pad temperature to keep it from overheating). Mist their cage daily with dechlorinated (or purified bottle) water to add humidity to help their breathing (they have gills and need a combination of air and moisture). If you do all of this, you should have healthy and happy hermit crabs that thrive and can live up to 30 years! ❤

I was a little weirded out by this. But since I already had a crab habitat and a couple small hermit crabs I decided to order them. I’ve had them for a while and they are still alive so that’s good.