Part of the joy of having pets is forging a close bond. Of course, you must be realistic about how much affection hermit crabs can show you. That said, hermies can grow to trust their owners.
Give hermit crabs time and space if you want them to like you. This is especially important when you bring them home, as they must acclimate and overcome post-purchase stress (PPS).
Once hermit crabs are more settled, you can earn their trust. Provide same-species company, things to do, conditions that mirror their natural environment, and a diverse and nutritious diet.
Hermit crabs learn to recognize humans over time, so be consistent with your behavior. They’re likelier to enjoy your company if you don’t give them a reason to fear you and provide what they need to thrive.
Can Hermit Crabs Recognize Their Owners?
Hermit crabs have surprisingly good memories for such small creatures.
Social Recognition in Invertebrates explains how hermit crabs can remember a conspecific based on a single interaction, adjusting future behavior.
According to Ethology, hermit crabs have a hierarchical structure to their memories. For example, a hermit crab remembers whether a tankmate is dominant or submissive, reacting accordingly.
This suggests that hermit crabs can also remember, and thus recognize, their owners. Wild hermit crabs have little to do with humans but must interact with us in captivity.
Hermit crabs will recognize your scent and behavioral patterns if you act consistently. Eventually, hermit crabs will realize they no longer need to fear you.
Are Hermit Crabs Affectionate?
Wild hermit crabs form strong bonds with each other. Typically living in colonies of up to 100, they protect each other from threats and benefit from social interaction.
This suggests that hermit crabs can forge strong bonds with members of their species. Hermit crabs forced to live alone in captivity rarely flourish, often enduring short and unhappy lifespans.
They’ll never be cuddly pets that enjoy physical interaction. Hermit crabs will never like to be held. The best you can hope for is weary tolerance of this interaction without pinching.
This doesn’t mean that hermit crabs remain indifferent to their owners. Over time, you can gain a hermit crab’s trust so it no longer fears you.
How To Get Hermit Crabs To Like You
Seeking undisputed adoration from hermit crabs is a tricky task destined to end in disappointment. After all, nobody can answer the question, “Can hermit crabs feel love?” with certainty.
What is beyond doubt is that you can improve your relationship with hermit crabs. With appropriate care, they’ll realize they don’t need to fear you and actively seek your attention.
Here are ways to gain the trust of hermit crabs:
Don’t Force Interaction
If you want a hermit crab to like you, show patience and give it space. Hermit crabs aren’t intended to live in captivity, so adjusting to their new life will take time.
Most hermit crabs bury themselves under substrate for the first few days or weeks of a new living arrangement, known as post-purchase stress (PPS).
If a hermit crab survives PPS, it’ll emerge from the substrate and start to spend more time in the open of its habitat. When the hermit crab demonstrates more confidence, you can interact.
Suitable Habitat
Hermit crabs are likelier to enjoy your company if they’re comfortable in their surroundings. Replicate a hermit crab’s rough living conditions in a tank by doing the following:
- Adopt numerous hermit crabs.
- Keep the tank’s temperature at 80°F and humidity at 80%.
- Fill the tank with at least 6 inches of substrate for digging and burrowing.
- Provide recreation, most notably climbing apparatus and hiding places.
- Ensure your hermit crabs enjoy distinct periods of light and darkness.
- Keep external stimuli that may frighten the hermit crabs to a minimum.
Watch your hermit crabs going about their business within a habitat for a while. Once they settle into their surroundings, take a hands-on approach when bonding with hermit crabs.
Handling
We’ve established that hermit crabs are unlikely to enjoy handling.
Perfect your technique to ensure that being picked up isn’t stressful for hermit crabs. If you tame a hermit crab, it’ll cease showing concern about short periods of handling.
The best way to handle hermit crabs is as follows:
- Approach slowly so the hermit crab knows you’re coming.
- Gently grip the back of the shell.
- Place your hand under the hermit crab, stretched tight so there’s no loose skin to pinch.
- Guide the hermit crab onto the palm of your hand and lift it.
- Keep the hermit crab in your palm the entire time. Never hold a hermit crab by the shell and leave its legs dangling midair.
The hermit crab may delicately pinch you while you handle it. This isn’t necessarily a self-defense move, though that’s always possible. Many hermit crabs close a cheliped around a human hand to give themselves something to hold onto.
Once you’ve mastered handling, your hermit crabs will not become defensive when you attempt to pick them up. Some may even crawl up your arm and allow you to hold them for a while.
The longer you hold a hermit crab in the air, the greater the risk of accidentally dropping it. This may frighten the hermit crab or cause damage depending on how and where it falls.
Varied Diet
Hermit crabs are omnivorous scavengers, so they eat almost anything. Animal Behavior explains that hermit crabs prefer not to eat the same food twice in 24 hours.
Mix and match different fruits and vegetables daily, and spice this up with occasional meat.
Protein and calcium are the cornerstone of a hermit crab’s diet because they ensure the crabs grow and maintain a sturdy exoskeleton.
Hand Feeding
Once your hermit crabs accept handling, you can try hand-feeding them. This is a great way to earn hermit crabs’ affection, as they associate the scent of your skin with food and pleasure.
If you’re nervous about hand-feeding hermit crabs, start by offering the food through another object.
Use things thin with a round end, like a pen cap. Place some inside this pen cap, allow the hermit crabs to scent it, and place the pen cap in your hand.
The best way to enhance your bond is to allow hermit crabs to eat directly from your skin. Place something sweet and strong-smelling, like jam, on a fingertip.
The idea is to link the smell of yourself and food in the minds of your hermit crabs. Don’t try to hand-feed every meal. Instead, offer them occasional treats to improve your bond.
Encourage Play
Once they feel comfortable in their surroundings, hermit crabs love to play.
As hermit crabs love to explore, let them out of their habitat in a secure space occasionally. Creating a playpen on flat flooring is recommended so the hermit crabs don’t wander too far or get lost.
Ensure no other animals are nearby to attack them. If you keep the recreation time safe, hermit crabs will grow confident and look forward to doing the same thing.
Monitor how long hermit crabs are out of their tank. Your home’s temperature and humidity won’t match the tank, so return the hermit crabs before their lives are in danger.
Expecting a hermit crab to bond with you on the level of a mammalian pet is unrealistic.
