“[H]e doesn’t have space” 🥺
By Ashley Ortiz
Last month, while walking along the vegetated coast of Islote, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Krys Amill spotted something unusual on the ground. A discarded piece of PVC pipe shaped like an asthma inhaler had mysteriously started moving — and the cluster of tiny orange legs sticking out of its opening made her heart sink.
“This is the saddest thing on the planet,” Amill said in an Instagram video. “This hermit crab is in his home. [Y]ou can see he doesn’t have space.”
Amill scooped the poor hermit crab into an empty container and rushed straight to the beach to find him a new shell. She searched tirelessly for a suitable home for the little guy but had no such luck. Then, she contacted one of her neighbors, who had a large shell to offer.
“[A] neighbor had this [shell],” Amill said. “We’re going to see if it fits him. I’m not sure if it’ll be too big.”
Amill set the new shell down next to the hermit crab and waited for him to make his move. Sadly, the hermit crab stayed perfectly still in the inhaler and seemed disinterested in his new home.
Amill almost lost hope until her neighbor suggested they step away from the container and give the hermit crab space to come out of his unconventional shell. When they checked again minutes later, they were overjoyed to see that their plan had worked.
“Look at him!” Amill said. “He needed space. Now, he has his house!”
You can watch footage from the rescue here:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEQZO0DSity/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=540&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedodo.com&rp=%2Fdaily-dodo%2Fhermit-crab-living-in-plastic-pipe-gets-perfect-new-home-thanks-to-kind-woman%3Futm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Ddodo%26fbclid%3DIwY2xjawOegsFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFPTEx2RzZwN#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A6172.5%2C%22ls%22%3A5246.5%2C%22le%22%3A6158.800000011921%7D
The hermit crab seemed elated to have a spacious new home. He waved at Amill before tucking himself back into the new shell for some much-needed rest.
Amill and her neighbor swiftly carried the hermit crab back to the coast. After setting him down on the ground, Amill picked up another empty shell and handed it to her neighbor.
“Here, take this shell so that you can save another [hermit crab],” Amill said.
The rescued hermit crab soon crawled away, searching for a quiet area to rest his shell for the night.
Amill wasn’t expecting to embark on such an emotional rescue mission when she went to the beach that day, but seeing the hermit crab thrive in his new shell made the panic worthwhile.
“Mission accomplished!” Amill said. “This is a happy hermit crab.”