Advocacy at the Land Hermit Crab Owners Society is rooted in education, conservation, and animal welfare. Our mission is to protect land hermit crabs by reducing harm through accurate information, ethical standards, and informed decision-making.
This resource hub supports responsible advocacy by providing factual, science-informed materials that can be used to educate others, correct misinformation, and promote ethical care and sourcing. LHCOS advocacy emphasizes calm, respectful engagement and long-term change rather than confrontation or public shaming.
Whether you’re a seasoned advocate or just getting started, this is your one-stop shop for downloadable materials, campaign ideas, and educational tools. Together, we can protect wild hermit crabs and promote responsible pet care.
Why Advocate for Hermit Crabs?
Threats Facing Wild and Captive Hermit Crabs
Wild hermit crabs are under growing threat from the exotic pet trade, where millions are taken from beaches every year, often dying before they even reach a pet store. This mass collection disrupts coastal ecosystems and depletes natural shell resources.
Captive hermit crabs face a different danger: misinformation. Most are sold with improper care advice, leading to high mortality due to inadequate humidity, temperature, or habitat conditions. Without access to deep substrate, fresh and saltwater, and natural shells, they cannot thrive — and many suffer silently.
Education and ethical advocacy are crucial to ending unnecessary suffering and protecting wild populations.
- How Hermit Crab Keepers Can Help End Poaching and Protect Wild Populations
- Poachers and Social Media
Advocacy in Practice
Effective advocacy reflects LHCOS values:
- education over enforcement
- accuracy over opinion
- animal welfare over convenience
- conservation over novelty
- collaboration over conflict
Advocacy is most impactful when it helps others learn and choose better practices, even when change happens gradually.
Ways to Advocate
1. Educate the Public
- Handouts and Printables
- Flyers and infographics for vet offices, pet stores, classrooms, and events
- Visit one of the many boardwalk/beach shop areas and hand out free infographics to anyone you see with a hermit crab.
- 🔗 Free Downloads Library – CSJ
- Social Media Campaigns
- Create graphics and captions to share across platforms
- Share social media posts to drive engagement to your favorite crabby organizations
- Wearables – sport a catchy shirt or hat from your favorite crabby organization as a conversation starter
- Share social media posts to drive engagement to your favorite crabby organizations
- Remember to always be friendly and polite and avoid disparaging stores or employees
2. Report Illegal Activity
To report animal sellers on Instagram, you can report the specific post or the seller’s account for violating Instagram’s Community Guidelines regarding animal abuse or the sale of endangered animals. You can report content anonymously and the platform will review the report.
What to do if you see poaching or illegal sales on Facebook?
To report animal sellers on Facebook, report the post as violating community standards against unauthorized sales. Specifically, report posts that appear to be selling animals, especially those disguised as selling pet supplies, to Facebook’s review team. You can also report the seller’s profile directly
What to do if you see poaching or illegal sales on TikTok?
To report animal sellers on TikTok, long press on the video, select “Report,” then “Violence, abuse, and criminal exploitation,” and finally “animal abuse”. If the content involves suspected illegal activity, select “Report illegal content”. You can also report the user’s account by going to their profile, tapping the 3-dot icon, selecting “Report,” and choosing the appropriate reason.
What to do if you see poaching or illegal sales on Instagram
To report animal sellers on Instagram, you can report the specific post or the seller’s account for violating Instagram’s Community Guidelines regarding animal abuse or the sale of endangered animals. You can report content anonymously and the platform will review the report. aching or illegal sales
🔗 How Hermit Crab Keepers Can Help End Poaching
3. Promote Adoption, Not Shopping
- Share and support the LHCOS Adoption Program
- Direct others to proper rehoming channels
- 🔗 LHCOS Adoption Program
4. Join or Start a Local Initiative
- “Crabs in the Classroom” program is always looking for locals to work with classrooms
- Start a Return Shell to the Beach shell drive and put out public shell drop boxes
- Ship the collected shells to one of the Hermit Crab Shell Restoration projects
- Setup an advocacy table at local, fairs, libraries or pet expos
5. Raise Funds and Awareness
- Promote LHCOS fundraising campaigns
- Give Butter campaigns, merch sales, Crab Con fundraising
- 🔗 LHCOS Support Page
- 🔗 Crab Street Market Shop
6. Advocate Through Art and Creativity
- Submit or share original educational artwork
- Host a coloring contest
- Use downloadable coloring pages
7. Speak Up in Online Communities
- Share care guides and links in pet groups
- Gently correct misinformation using approved resources
- 🔗 CSJ Care Guide Library
- 🔗 LHCOS Facebook Group
8. Support Ethical Sellers
- Only purchase from LHCOS approved sellers
- Educate others on safe and legal product options
- 🔗 Approved Sellers Program
Guidance
Advocacy Audience & Scope
These advocacy resources are intended for personal education, informal outreach, and responsible information sharing. They are designed for a broad audience, including individual keepers, educators, students, and community members seeking accurate information about land hermit crabs.
Use of these materials does not imply authorization to speak on behalf of the Land Hermit Crab Owners Society unless explicitly designated.
Advocacy vs. Organizational Representation
Sharing LHCOS advocacy resources does not make an individual a representative or spokesperson for the organization. Official statements, positions, and announcements are issued only through LHCOS-managed platforms and communications.
Advocates are encouraged to share information accurately while making clear when they are speaking from personal experience rather than organizational authority.
Advocacy and Personal Wellbeing
Advocacy is voluntary and should be approached at a pace that is sustainable. Engaging in repeated conversations about animal welfare can be emotionally demanding, and it is appropriate to step back when interactions become stressful or unproductive.
Protecting personal wellbeing helps ensure advocacy remains constructive and long-lasting.
Knowing When Not to Engage
Not every situation requires a response. Advocacy is most effective when conversations are conducted in good faith and when participants are open to learning.
It is appropriate to disengage when discussions become hostile, repetitive, or dismissive of animal welfare concerns. Choosing not to engage is a valid and responsible option.
Tone, Accessibility, and Audience Awareness
Effective advocacy considers the knowledge level and perspective of the audience. When sharing information, aim for clarity and accessibility rather than technical depth unless the context calls for it.
Avoid jargon when possible and focus on explaining why practices matter, not just what is recommended.
Geographic and Cultural Context
Practices, availability of resources, and regulations related to land hermit crabs may vary by region. When applicable, encourage others to consider local conditions alongside general care and conservation principles.
Advocacy is strongest when it accounts for context rather than assuming uniform access or circumstances.
Use in Educational and Youth Settings
Many advocacy resources may be adapted for classrooms, youth programs, or informal educational settings. Educators and facilitators are encouraged to review materials in advance and adjust language as appropriate for the intended age group.
The goal of youth-facing advocacy is understanding and stewardship, not alarm or confrontation.
Improving and Updating Advocacy Resources
LHCOS advocacy materials are living resources and may evolve as new information becomes available. If you identify outdated content or have suggestions for improvement, please contact LHCOS through official channels.
Thoughtful feedback helps ensure resources remain accurate, relevant, and aligned with organizational values.
Join the Movement
- Become a Volunteer
🔗 LHCOS Volunteer Application - Sign up for Advocacy Alerts
🔗 Join the LHCOS Newsletter - Attend or Promote Crab Con
🔗 Crab Con Website
Download and Share
PSC 567
BOX 6636
FPO AP 96384 USA
https://www.patreon.com/MakeTheSwitch4Nature
Don’t have shells to send but want to help? Donate via Patreon.
Did you create a graphic or other resource you would like to share? Upload it to our DropBox. We are always interested in new and meaningful art to help hermit crabs.
Advocacy is one part of a broader effort to protect land hermit crabs in captivity and in the wild. The resources on this page are intended to support individuals who wish to share accurate information, model ethical behavior, and contribute to meaningful, sustainable change.
This work complements LHCOS education programs, ethical sourcing standards, conservation initiatives, and community guidelines. Advocacy does not require perfection or confrontation—only a commitment to learning, accuracy, and the welfare of the animals we seek to protect.
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