Have you ever wanted to buy a hermit crab from a mall or beach shop? (Wal-Mart even has them for sale now, alone in plastic cups with no food, water, warmth, or larger shells to move into as they grow.) They're adorable all right, but hermit crabs are much happier living on the beach than as pets stuck inside cups or tanks—lonely and far from their real homes in the South. In the wild, hermit crabs can live to be 30 years old and are never alone—they live in colonies of up to 100.

Warn Wal-Mart

Tell Wal-Mart that you'd never shell out money for captive crabs and won't shop there till it stops selling hermit crabs and other live animals!

Write: H. Lee Scott Jr., CEO & President, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 702 S.W. Eighth St., Bentonville, AR 72716-8611 • 1-800-WAL-MART • walmart.com

Meet Jenny Bain: Hermit Crab Hero

“At my local shopping mall, there was a kiosk that was selling hermit crabs with painted shells.…I found out that these crabs live on sandy beaches.…[and that] they are very social…and should never be kept alone. I…filled out a comment card asking [the mall] to get rid of the kiosk…sent a letter to the mall administration, telling them that my friends and family would not visit the mall until the crab lady was gone;…e-mailed everyone I know, telling them to boycott the 'live novelty gifts'; [and] contacted the company that rents the kiosks.…A week later, I got a phone call from the kiosk rental company. They told me that the crab kiosk's contract was up in three days and that…they would not be renting to them in the future!”

Does Hermit Crab Cruelty Make You Crabby? Jenny made a difference, and you can, too. Tell everyone you know why hermit crabs don't make good pets. If you know of a place that sells hermit crabs, we can help you put a stop to it. Just e-mail Education@peta.org.