About Hermit House

Hermit House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to ethical, sustainable hermit crab breeding and conservation.

Hermit House mission graphic

Our mission is simple: Keep Wild Hermit Crabs Wild.

On October 12, 2022, Hermit House was officially granted non-profit status. We did it!

We are working to end the sale of wild-caught hermit crabs by investing in ethical captive breeding, education, and conservation.

Founder & leadership

Mary Akers, founder and executive director, is a pioneer in land hermit crab captive breeding and a frequent public spokesperson for hermit crab welfare.

She leads education, outreach, research, and mentorship efforts while sharing program updates and myth-busting guidance on ethical care.

Our seven-part approach

  1. Establish a reliable captive-breeding program for land hermit crabs.
  2. Continually improve the methods for captive-breeding land hermit crabs.
  3. Mentor and support potential land hermit crab breeders.
  4. Educate the public on the capture and abuse of wild hermit crabs for the pet trade.
  5. End the sale of wild-caught hermit crabs.
  6. Preserve populations of wild hermit crabs and the lands they inhabit.
  7. Host Crab Con, our annual educational hermit crab conference.