Crab Con

2023 Tickets

International Annual Hermit Crab Convention and Adoption Event
Join us at Crab Con 2023 July 7-9th in Blacksburg VA!

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

VIP

^$179/ person

Conference Entry (Access to all talks as they air)
Expo Shopping and Crab Con Discount
Conference Playbacks
Conference Swag (Pin and Tote Bag)
VIP Opening Reception and VIP Deluxe Swag

Buy Now!

Full Access

^$79/ person

Conference Entry (Access to all talks as they air)
Expo Shopping and Crab Con Discount
Conference Playbacks
Conference Swag (Pin and Tote Bag)

Buy Now!

2023 Crab Con Schedule

Schedule is subject to change. The schedule on our Hopin site will always be the most up to date, especially once the conference opening gets closer.

Stay in the loop!
Text TICKET to 1-833-247-5339 to get text alerts from us.

Thursday July 6th 2023 Times shown are Eastern Standard Time USA VIP and Companion ticket holders only
Friday July 7th 2023 Times shown are Eastern Standard Time USA
Saturday July 8th 2023 Times shown are Eastern Standard Time USA Last day of the in-person activities.
Sunday July 9th 2023 - Virtual Day Times shown are Eastern Standard Time USA Sunday's presentations will only be available on the Hopin site.

Main Stage

05:00 PM - 07:00 PMVIP Reception

Private Event:

Opening reception meet and greet for VIP ticket holders and Companion ticket holders only.

Main Stage
Session

09:00 AM - 09:10 AMConference Open By Mary Akers, Stacy Griffith, Jeff SongsterCrabby Crew

09:10 AM - 10:00 AMThe Sordid History of Hermit Crab Keeping By Larisa Meeks

Run time: 31:02

10:00 AM - 11:00 AMCrab Survival 101: Steps to Take Before and During a Natural Disaster By Jeff Songster

11:00 AM - 12:00 PMAmong the Natives: Crustacean Plantation takes a close look at the behavior and shells of local C. clypeatus populations By Angela Sayre

Run time: 20:01

Followed by a live Q&A

12:00 PM - 12:30 PMBe the Ocean: A recording of Pop Up Magazine’s live storytelling performance By Rachel CusickRadio Lab

Run time: 14:48

Followed by live Q&A

01:00 PM - 02:00 PMLunch Break!

Grab a snack, hydrate, take a crab nap and come back for the afternoon line up refreshed!

02:00 PM - 03:00 PMMeet the crabs: and tour the Crab Museum By Ned Seusat-WilliamsCrab Museum

Run time:

Followed by live Q&A

03:00 PM - 04:00 PMHolistic Hermies: Shopping and Preparing Natural Foods for Hermit Crabs By Brandi Jennings

Run time: 21:18

Followed by live Q&A

04:00 PM - 05:00 PMHermit Crab Morphology by Dr. Christopher Tudge By Christopher TudgeAmerican University

followed by live Q&A

05:00 PMDay One Wrap Up and Replay By Mary Akers, Stacy Griffith, Jeff SongsterCrabby Crew

Mary, Stacy, and Jeff will close out the day.

The Day One replay will be available in the replay section.

***This is a change from last year.***

09:30 AM - 10:00 AMLive Q&A with Larissa Meeks By Larisa Meeks

10:30 AM - 11:00 AMLive Q&A with Jeff Songster By Jeff SongsterPrize Guy

11:30 AM - 12:00 PMLive Q&A with Angela Sayre after her Crustacean Plantation talk By Angela SayreCrustacean Plantation

12:30 PM - 01:00 PMLive Q&A with Rachel Cusick By Rachel Cusick

02:30 PM - 03:00 PMLive Q&A with the curators of The Crab Museum By Ned Suesat-WilliamsCurator Crab Museum

04:30 PM - 05:00 PMLive Q&A with Dr. Tudge after his morphology talk By Christopher TudgeAmerican University

Main Stage
Session

08:45 AM - 09:00 AMGood Morning Crab Con By Mary Akers, Stacy GriffithCrabby Crew

09:00 AM - 10:00 AMCameras in the Crabitat: Getting Wise with Wyze By Monica Muth, Suzanne Whaley

Run time:

Followed by live Q&A

10:00 AM - 11:00 AMMaking the Case for Hermit Crab Sentience and the Ethics of Captive Breeding By Mary AkersHermit House Founder, LHCOS VP

Run time:

11:00 AM - 12:00 PMCrab Keeping with Kids – Child Friendly Ways to Keep Them Engaged with Their ‘Hands-Off’ Pet By Christine SandbergChristine's Crab Care

Run time: 33:13

12:00 PM - 01:00 PMMethods for Successful Plant ID: How to Use apps, online sites, and hard-copy resources By Jeanne SinghassBecause of Crabs, LHCOS Local Representative - Virginia

Run time: 24:53

01:00 PM - 02:00 PMLunch Break

02:00 PM - 03:00 PMPreventing and Exterminating Common Pests in the Crabitat By Evie SpencerHermit Harbor, LHCOS Local Representative - Florida

Run time: 19:02

03:00 PM - 04:00 PMThe Dry Setup Method: A Deep Dive into Substrate By Stacy Griffith, LHCOS President, Owner CSJ, Author The Complete Guide to Land Hermit Crabs and Their Care

Run time: 33:08

04:00 PM - 05:00 PMSentient Souvenirs–A Premiere Showing of Pearl Marley’s Hermit Crab Documentary By Pearl Marley

Run time: 18:09

05:00 PMDay Two Wrap Up and Replay By Mary Akers, Stacy Griffith, Jeff SongsterCrabby Crew

Mary, Stacy, and Jeff will close out the day and the in-person part of the conference.

The Day Two replays will be available in the replay section.

***This is a change from last year.***

09:30 AM - 10:00 AMLive Q&A with Monica and Suzanne By Monica Muth, Suzanne Whaley

10:30 AM - 11:00 AMCrustaceans Helping Crustaceans: Isopods as your clean up crew By Joel Selph

02:30 PM - 03:00 PMCaution: That New Hermit Crab May Change Your Life By Tricia LandersJust 2 Old Crabs

03:30 PM - 04:00 PMIdeas for Integrating Hermit Crabs as Classroom Pets By JoBeth Chay

04:30 PM - 05:00 PMLive Q&A with Pearl Marley after her documentary premiere By Pearl Marley

Main Stage
Session

08:45 AM - 09:00 AMGood Morning Crab Con By Mary Akers, Stacy GriffithCrabby Crew

Join us for the final day of presentations virtually via the Hopin site.

09:00 AM - 10:00 AMOn Breeding C. variabilis By Tiffany Boer

Run time: 31:02

10:00 AM - 11:00 AMRecognize the Signs: Mating Behavior in Land Hermit Crabs By Stacy BoltzThe Healthy Hermit

Run time:

11:00 AM - 12:00 PMCrabitat gigantus: Managing the Special Needs of a Larger Enclosure By Brenda Cosola

Run time: 21:36

12:00 PM - 01:00 PMGetting to Know You: Learning to Recognize the Signs and Causes of Unusual Hermit Crab Behavior By Jessica ValderamaLHCOS Moderator

Run time: 26:05

01:00 PM - 02:00 PMLunch Break

02:00 PM - 03:00 PMDaniel Kaye Kaye Reads from his Milo the Hermit Crab Books By Daniel Sean KayeAuthor

Run time: 21:49

03:00 PM - 04:00 PMBenefits and Challenges of Crab Keeping for the Neuro-Spicy By Amber Rupe

Run time: 18:47

04:00 PM - 04:30 PMHermit House: A Call to Action By Mary AkersHermit House Founder, LHCOS VP

04:30 PM - 05:00 PMConference Wrap Up By Mary Akers, Stacy Griffith, Jeff SongsterCrabby Crew

Crab Con 2023 comes to a close.

See you next year!

09:30 AM - 10:00 AMCrabs with Beach Trash Homes By Shawn MillerMake the Switch 4 Nature

Shawn Miller updates us on his ongoing project

10:30 AM - 11:00 AMShow and Tell: Kids are the Experts

10:30 AM - 11:00 AMThe Art of the Rescue: The Pros and Cons of Doing Hermit Crab Rescue Work By Rita ClemensLHCOS Local Representative - New Jersey

11:30 AM - 12:00 AMLive Q&A with Brenda Cosola By Brenda Cosola

Following her presentation on the Main Stage

12:30 PM - 01:00 PMLive Q&A with Jessica Valderrama By Jessica ValderramaLHCOS Approved Seller Coordinator, Moderator

Following her Main Stage presentation

02:30 PM - 03:30 PMCrab crafts for kids By Christina DaileyLHCOS Local Rep

Crab Con is an international annual hermit crab convention for land hermit crab enthusiasts. The first and only of its kind! The first Crab Con was held July 2019 in Lockport NY to celebrate a huge break through in captive breeding. Hatched and raised in captivity at Hermit House, over 200 baby Coenobita clypeatus were …

Mary AkersFounder Hermit House, VP LHCOS, Owner Earth Water Fire Studio

Virginia, USA

Stacy GriffithPresident LHCOS, Owner CSJ, Author of The Complete Guide to Land Hermit Crabs and Their Care

Illinois, USA

Amber Rupe

Angela SayreCrustacean Plantation

Brandi Jennings

Brenda Cosola

Chris TudgeProfessor Dept of Biology, American University

https://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/ctudge.cfm

Christine SandbergOwner Christine's Crab Care

Daniel KayeAuthor Milo the Crab

Evie SpencerOwner Hermit Harbor

Jeanne SinghassOwner Because of Crabs

West Virginia, USA

Jeff SongsterPrize Guy

Jessica ValderramaLHCOS Approved Seller Coordinator, Moderator

Larisa Meeks

Ned Suesat-WilliamsThe Crab Museum of London

England

Pearl MarleyDocumentary Filmmaker

Rita ClemensLHCOS Moderator

Rachel CusickRadioLab Producer

Tiffany Michelle Boer

Australia

Stacy BoltzOwner The Healthy Hermit

Crab Con News

June 28, 2023June 28, 2023

What if I miss a presentation?

If you purchased a Full Access or VIP ticket you will be able to rewatch all of the presentations and sessions for one year after the event.
Whats the difference between Full Access and VIP tickets?

Free stuff!! Loads of free stuff! VIPs get an event canvas tote bag filled with crab swag.
What is a session?

A session is a live video chat with a person or group on a set topic. Think of it as a room you can drop in to. You can even participate via video!
How does a virtual conference work?

Check out this video tutorial:
https://crabcon.org/how-does-it-work/
Will there be hermit crabs for sale?

We do not sell hermit crabs. Captive bred baby hermit crabs are available to adopt by approval only.
Where do I find vendor deals?

Enter the Expo and locate the vendor booths. If they are offering a coupon code or special deal it will be displayed on their booth.
How will I know when a presentation has started?

In the reception area you will see an indicator that there is a live presentation happening.

There is also a full schedule on the event page.

From the event page you can add specific talks to your personal calendar as a reminder.
Can I shop the Expo while talks are live?

Yes! The vendor booths will be open once the event begins.
If the booth owner is currently speaking they will not be available live in their booth. However, you can still shop.
Can I use a phone or tablet to attend Crab Con?

Yes but your experience will be less than idea. If you must use a mobile device please install the HopIn app. The web browser on your phone will not function in an acceptable manner.
Is there a hermit crab conference?

Yes! Crab Con is the first, and currently the only, conference devoted exclusively to land hermit crabs.
What is the difference between the Main Stage and Sessions?

Main Stage presentations are pre-recorded. At the end of each day, the Main Stage presentations for that day will replay as one continuous video overnight. You can jump to whatever presentation you wish.

A session is a live panel of presenters. There will be no end of day replay of sessions.

Main Stage presentations will be available to VIP and All Access ticket holders immediately after Crab Con ends. Sessions will be available to VIP and All Access ticket holders approximately two weeks after Crab Con ends.
How do I change my name or email address on Hopin?

Unfortunately, Hopin will NOT allow the Crab Con organizers to change the names or emails of registrants. Only attendees can change their names or emails in the Hopin system. This is to protect the attendee's identity/personal information. Once you have registered, only YOU control that information.

Here is the link with instructions on how attendees can make changes to their names or emails themselves.

https://support.hopin.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407672721684-How-to-update-your-profile-details#

If you gave Hopin the wrong email when you registered, you can still correct that, too. You simply need to sign in using the INCORRECT email that you gave Hopin when you registered (if you don't know what that is, we can find that out for you) and using your password. Then once you are in the system, you can correct your email by following the instructions in the link above. Again, Crab Con organizers do not have permission to change emails for you. If you are still encountering issues, HopIn has Help staff that can solve more complicated issues with your registration.

Crab Con

Crab Con

2023 Crab Con Tickets

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2023 Crab Con Schedule

About Crab Con

2022 Crab Con Presentations and Sessions

2021 Crab Con Presentations and Sessions

2020 Crab Con Presentations and Sessions

2023 Speakers

Crab Con 2022 Photo Gallery

Crab Con 2022

Crab Con News

2023 Crab Con Parking

2023 SWAG Update!

2023 Crab Con T-Shirt Contest Entries

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