Friend is cruel to hermit crabs-WHAT TO DO?!?!?!?!

[Isaiahtb]

My friend has a hermit crab that he uses for FIGHTING!!! He has him battle other reptiles for money! Sometimes they play for fun and others they play for over 200 dollars! He is very stressed and he is his only crab. He has a deep eco earth substrate so he can molt and proper temp and humidity and JUST the essentials to keep them alive. He is in this cramped 7 gallon and he just got him so he could regenerate after getting hurt. I told him a million times this isn't right! But he says, "Man-if I can make one hundred dollars just for buying a cheap 7 dollar crab, I could buy a bunch more to replace him if he's too weak to live. Besides, if these conditions are too overwhelming for him then he doesn't deserve to live!" That ticked me off! I was about to punch him in the mouth when his friend came over. He brought a tarantula in this critter keeper with some sand bedding. I thought they came over for a friendly visit but they came over to battle their pets!!! To make a long story short his crab barely won from his strong exo skeleton. They had bet 30 bucks for a pet. His friend threw the dead tarantula in the trash can and my friend just dropped his back in his tank. I could hear his shell hit the rock so and when he fell and that's when I said, "Look man I'll adopt your hermit crab once I get my tank set up just try and keep him alive until then!" He said, "Don't take too long-he may have an "accident" " He said with a man smile. I was boiling mad but I decided to be civil about it and leave. But what should I do?!?!I don't want him to die but who knows how long until I can get the tank set up. I plan to raise about 300 dollars and that will take a LONG time! What to do guys?!?!?!

[Wai]

Are you serious? I thought hermit crabs would be more tempted to walk away than to fight someone.

If he insists torturing his pets, there's not much you can do. It's not like the police will give a damn about hermit crabs, though you could try reporting him if you wanted to.

[Isaiahtb]

Wow...first time I've ever heard you swear Wai. But his herie is really aggressive sconce he is so stressed. But I know there is SOMETHING I can do! I need some ideas to help him and me get a crabitat.

[ladybug15057]

Wai is correct when he stated hermies will not fight, and they will not kill either. A hermie would retreat within their shell for protection.

[Isaiahtb]

Trust me if u saw the video hermit crab vs mantis you would change your opinion. Qnd he is very aggressive. I agree when he first got him he was a nice little guy. But he has basicaly tortured him and now he's really agressive. I must say it sounds stupid but if you saw it...it's sickning. He gets in his shell gor the first 3 minuets of the fight then comes out and tries to defend himself. But what can I do?!?!

[blondy627]

That is really sick and sad. But unfortunatley, if you got his crab, I'm sure he will just get another. Or a larger animal he could maybe make more money off.

[Wai]

I've never used the word "damn" with the intention to swear. Even my lecturers at uni use it all the time. I usually use it as a synonym for "bummer". In my previous reply, it was used as a substitute for "does not care". "Hell" is considered a swear word in some places too.

Where do your friends get their money from? I find the prize money quite hard to believe. Also, hermit crabs aren't well known to attack prey. They are far more likely to eat whatever is dead already.

[Isaiahtb]

It started when his father started giving him allowance. He's a problem child and he finnaly stopped getting in trouble and making good grades just to mooch off his parents. Basiccally he saw reptile fights on YouTube and thought that it would be good to make money from. When he battles adults pets that they get the most money. You see it's. Team of teens reptiles that battle other teens pets. But ur right even if I do adopt him he'll just get another one. And he also gives him tight fightting shells so " he won't fall out of his shell" but that makes him want to come out. But he already told me if I told his parents he'll beat me up real bad. I found out about this fighting buissness a few days ago and the owners are VERY agressive too! They broke a kid's leg for not paying 5 dollars to watch. He was only like 11 years old!!! I know he means he'll beat me up if I tell but should I take the risk?

PS: He does hide in his shell until he realizes if he doesent fight he'll die. That's why he fights. Not because he wants to but because he has to to survive! It's an OUTRAGE!!!!!

[Wai]

I thought the hermit crab would just stay shut in its shell until the tarantula disappeared. Hermit crabs are extremely patient animals. Besides, tarantulas are more likely to attack tiny prey rather than something as big as a hermit crab.

[Isaiahtb]

Hid hermit crab is small and the tarantula was really big. The hermit crab is very impatient because he has been stressed out so much. And they battle in a tiny cramped tank. Me and the hermie both know this. He bearly on because the tarantula was crawling over him and his abdomen was over the opening of the shell. His hermit crab pinched him there and fluids began to come out. The tarantula crawled over to a corner and died in the next hour.