When you get a hermit crab, it’s so tempting to pick them up and hold them. I know, because I felt the same way when I got my first hermit crabs. I didn’t know right away that this causes a lot of stress, and is something you should think twice about.
Hermit crabs do not like to be held or picked up. Hermit crabs are not bred in captivity. It’s unnatural for it to have a human counterpart like most other domesticated pets. Picking up a hermit crab that’s unfamiliar with you will cause it stress. Once your crab trusts you, you can hold it.
Gaining a hermit crab’s trust is a long process.
It’ll take a while, but you can train a hermit crab to trust you. You first need to get it used to your scent. Hermit crabs rely on their antennas to “smell” their surroundings. They don’t hear or touch, but instead smell.
To gain a hermit crabs trust, you need to pose as gentle and calm. If I was to jump up and down in front of my hermit crab tank, they would hide in their shells or burrow. Instead, I approach in a calm manner when I’m doing my daily hermit crab chores. After doing this every day, your hermit crabs will stop hiding in their shells when you approach. Once you’ve jumped that hurdle, you’re free to move on to the next step: getting them used to your smell.
I’ve started the habit of resting my hand in the hermit crab tank while I’m replacing my crabs food for a few minutes. I’ve had one of my four crabs, the oldest, sniff my fingers with its antennas. This is exactly what I want. With this, my crabs are getting used to my smell and know me as a non-threat.
I’m still in the process, but soon I’ll be able to hold my hermit crabs without stressing them to no end. You know a hermit crab is okay with you hold them when it calmly comes out of its shell as you do.
If you need to move a hermit crab, grab it by the shell.
There are several instances where it would make sense to pick up a hermit crab. If it’s ever in harms way, you need to clean your tank, or for whatever reason, it’s important to know the proper way to pick it up.
First off, don’t dig up your hermit crab from its substrate to pick it up. This crab could be molting and disturbing its molt could stress it enough to kill the crab.
If your hermit crab is strolling around the surface of the tank, it’s safe to pick it up. If it’s unfamiliar with you, it’ll stress a bit but it won’t die.
Pick up a hermit crab by its shell, and never its legs or claws. These are fragile parts and touching them will for sure get you pinched. Once you have the crab, hold out your hand underneath as a flat palm with no loose skin.
A flat palm is the proper way to hold a hermit crab.
If you’ve ever picked up a hermit crab by its shell, you’ll notice it squirm and almost leave its shell. This is a stressful experience for the crab and yourself, so do the crab a favor and don’t hold it like that. While you should grab the hermit crab by its shell, you need to transition it to a flat palm so it feels secure.
As mentioned before, don’t make a habit of this unless you have given your crab time to get used to your scent. Before that, only pick up a crab when you need to.
The best way to hold a hermit crab is with your palm face up. Set your hermit crab in the center of your palm, or the center of both your palms if it’s a larger crab. Don’t hold the crab too high off of the ground, even a fall of several feet on a hard surface can be fatal for a hermit crab.
If you’re instructing a child on how to hold a hermit crab, I recommend you have them sit on their knees or sitting on the floor criss-cross. This way, we can avoid any possibility of a long fall for the hermit crab. Make sure to demonstrate holding both palms flat for the hermit crab to sit on, and to maintain a calm environment.
Your hermit crab may pinch you.
I promise that your hermit crab means no maliciousness if it decides to pinch you. I’ve been pinched, and it’s always been because my crab is trying to hang on to my hand. It’s unnatural for a hermit crab to be picked up, so it’s no surprise that it’ll cling onto whatever it can. This is why it’s important to have a flat hand while you hold crabs with no loose skin.
A hermit crab pinch isn’t as bad as you might think. It stings a little, but it’s tolerable. Your hermit crab will let go if you hold it lower to the ground or place it back in your tank. The important thing is to stay calm.
Wash your hands before and after handling a hermit crab.
Hermit crabs are hypoallergenic and some of the cleanest pets you can own. There are no known hermit crab diseases that can be spread to humans and vise versa. However, I still want you to wash your hands before and after handling them. They are still an animal, and a fragile one at that. It’s important not to take any chances with their health.