Hermit crabs are sold as low-maintenance pets worldwide, yet their complex social, environmental, and shell requirements make most commercial keeping conditions welfare failures.
Hermit crab welfare is a widespread and poorly recognised welfare failure. These social, mobile animals are sold in small numbers in painted shells in beach resort gift shops with minimal care information, and kept in plastic tanks that cannot maintain appropriate humidity or temperature. Without access to a range of appropriate shells in different sizes, hermit crabs cannot moult safely -- a fatal welfare failure. Without conspecifics, they are socially deprived. The impulse purchase context of hermit crab acquisition -- holiday souvenir buying -- means buyers are least likely to have researched their needs. Better information at point of sale and prohibition of the worst retail practices are the most direct welfare interventions.