Hermit Crab 'Homeward Bound': Missing Pet Brings West U Neighbors Together

Sarah Beckmann was just finishing a run when she noticed an unusual sight…a hermit crab walking on the sidewalk near her West University home. Sarah’s kids have pet hermit crabs, so she went on a mission to reunite the runaway hermit crab with its owners. 

“I first rang the doorbell of the closest house,'” Sarah shared. “I didn't know that family, but I hope the owner had a giggle after having a sweaty lady asking if they had lost a hermit crab! I walked the last few blocks home, with the stray hermit crab trying its best to pinch me.”  

When she got home, she put the lost hermit crab in a crabitat, a man-made home for crabs, where it made acquaintance with the Beckmann family’s hermits and had some veggies for a snack. 

Sarah posted a photo of the handsome sand-loving escape artist on social media, thinking the odds of finding the owners were low. Remarkably, within about 20 minutes, she had a response from Linda Yu saying her family thought it was their missing pet! 

When Linda saw the post about the long-lost hermit crab, she could not believe it. Kizer Sands, their feisty hermit crab, had run away from home more than two months before. 

She showed the post and photo to her sons. Andrew, a second grader, joyfully proclaimed, “This is the best thing to happen in 2022!” Older brother Jason, a fourth grader, enthusiastically added, “I knew he was still alive!”

Before he disappeared from the Yu’s house, Kizer was living in a big, stylish plastic container that had some sand, a piece of driftwood, and dishes for food and water. Jason and Andrew decided to make some hermit crab straw and cardboard houses for shade. One day, while the family was away and the containers were outside, Kizer crawled on top of the cardboard house, and took off on an adventure. 

Andrew and Jason Yu were thrilled to be reunited with their adventurous hermit crab, Kizer, who disappeared and returned by their neighbor, Sarah Beckmann, almost three months later!

When Sarah realized who Kizer belonged to, she couldn’t believe the coincidence. “I know Jason and Andrew from school at St. Mark's Episcopal. They know me as Nurse Sarah!” Ends up, the families live about half a block from each other.

When it was time for the big reunion, Sarah walked Kizer down the street where Jason and Andrew were waiting with their own crabitat. Sarah shared, “The boys were very polite and thankful, and we all thought it was pretty amazing that a hermit crab had survived for almost three months on its own, away from its natural habitat!”

After escape artist Kizer disappeared, the Yu family purchased a few more hermit crabs so Kizer had some new roommates to bond with. 

A few weeks later, Sarah reunited with Kizer. “Jason, Andrew, and I brought our hermit crabs to school one day so we could compare notes, do a little show and tell, and let the crabs play together for a day.”  

KHOU filmed a news story after hearing about the amazing hermit crab version of "Homeward Bound" (as Linda likes to call it). 

Linda laughed, “It is the craziest, funniest thing that we have a famous hermit crab. Sarah and I just laugh because it’s hard to believe that this crab homecoming piqued anyone’s interest besides ours.” 

Sarah said, “This story seemed so simple to me at first, so the response to our little hermit crab reunion adventure definitely made me laugh. It's been such a rough year for everyone. I could tell people needed a little joy in their news!”

Hopefully, the only place Shell-ebrity Crab Kizer will be making any appearances is his crabitat.

Stay tuned! Jason has been inspired by Kizer and plans to write a children’s book about Kizer’s adventures around the neighborhood.