Where can I buy non pet store Hermit Crabs in Fairfax VA

[Deej]

Hi All,

My sons have brought home stellar report cards and will be rewarded with the Hermit Crabs they have been asking for (and reading about) for a good year. However, I hate pet stores and the few in Fairfax area all carry the painted shelled crabbies. My boys are Special Needs and the thought of them 'losing' their new pets within a week is horrifying. (I carry bugs out of my home and let them go free). Any ideas on where to purchase without having to make a road trip longer than 2 hours?

Thanks
Deej

[emmac350]

Honestly, without mail ordering them (which can be just as iffy - most people I've heard from lately have had good luck, but I've heard of some where they were happy if 50% of their mail-ordered crabs survived), adopting (put out an ad on craigslist, freecycle, etc.) is your only option. That being said, even those guys have a somewhat iffy chance of survival.

What you could do is buy the crabs ahead of time and keep them a secret for a month or so while you get used to caring for them and can work on getting the agreed-upon number of crabs for your deal to survive, then give them to the boys. That's probably the best bet, so you aren't scrambling to get the tank set up while the boys are in your hair.