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Availability
What species are available from pet stores in Australia?
Most Australian crabbers only have access to the Australian land hermit crab (Coenobita variabilis). There is probably less than six pet stores in Australia that sell the strawberry land hermit crab (C. perlatus). If you are lucky enough to encounter the elusive strawberries, be prepared to pay at least $40 AUD for each one since they will all be jumbo sized. Such pet stores only stock strawberries for a limited time. On the other hand, the common Australian land hermit crab is available in all sizes for a much lower price.
What species are available from pet stores in the USA?
American crabbers have more species to choose from. The two most common species are the Caribbean land hermit crab or purple pincher (C. clypeatus) and Ecuadorian land hermit crab (C. compressus). Strawberries are not too difficult to find in the USA, but they are rare compared to the Caribbeans and Ecuadorians. Very few crabbers have seen the other five species, which are the wrinkled land hermit crab (C. rugosus), Indonesian land hermit crab (C. brevimanus), concave land hermit crab (C. cavipes), blueberry land hermit crab (C. purpureus) and viola land hermit crab (C. violascens).
What species may be available elsewhere?
C. scaevola, also known as the Red Sea land hermit crab, have been used in laboratory experiments. However, it is unknown whether C. scaevola, along with C. pseudorugosus and C. spinosus, have been kept as pets by anyone.
Availability
![[ Submitted by Wai ] C. variabilis - Australian land hermit crab.](av_c-variabilis.jpg "[ Submitted by Wai ] C. variabilis - Australian land hermit crab.")
![[ Submitted by Julia_Crab ] C. perlatus - Strawberry land hermit crab.](av_c-perlatus.jpg "[ Submitted by Julia_Crab ] C. perlatus - Strawberry land hermit crab.")
![[ Submitted by Onyxsun1 ] C. clypeatus - Caribbean land hermit crab.](av_c-clypeatus.jpg "[ Submitted by Onyxsun1 ] C. clypeatus - Caribbean land hermit crab.")
![[ Submitted by Gizaroo2 ] C. compressus - Ecuadorian land hermit crab.](av_c-compressus.jpg "[ Submitted by Gizaroo2 ] C. compressus - Ecuadorian land hermit crab.")
![[ Submitted by Jedi_Sena ] C. rugosus - Wrinkled land hermit crab.](av_c-rugosus.jpg "[ Submitted by Jedi_Sena ] C. rugosus - Wrinkled land hermit crab.")
![[ Submitted by Julia_Crab ] C. brevimanus - Indonesian land hermit crab.](av_c-brevimanus.jpg "[ Submitted by Julia_Crab ] C. brevimanus - Indonesian land hermit crab.")
![[ Submitted by Tony Coenobita ] C. cavipes - Concave land hermit crab.](av_c-cavipes.jpg "[ Submitted by Tony Coenobita ] C. cavipes - Concave land hermit crab.")
![[ Submitted by Tony Coenobita ] C. purpureus - Blueberry land hermit crab.](av_c-purpureus.jpg "[ Submitted by Tony Coenobita ] C. purpureus - Blueberry land hermit crab.")
![[ Submitted by Happy_Crabbie ] C. violascens - Viola land hermit crab.](av_c-violascens.jpg "[ Submitted by Happy_Crabbie ] C. violascens - Viola land hermit crab.")
![[ Submitted by Tony Coenobita ] C. pseudorugosus - Sunset land hermit crab.](av_c-pseudorugosus.jpg "[ Submitted by Tony Coenobita ] C. pseudorugosus - Sunset land hermit crab.")
![[ Submitted by OtaS ] C. scaevola - Red Sea land hermit crab.](av_c-scaevola.jpg "[ Submitted by OtaS ] C. scaevola - Red Sea land hermit crab.")
![[ Submitted by Tony Coenobita ] C. spinosus - Spiny land hermit crab.](av_c-spinosus.jpg "[ Submitted by Tony Coenobita ] C. spinosus - Spiny land hermit crab.")
