James,
Do you want the crab living when he exits the shell?  If so, you could keep
it alive in a terrarium and try to coax it out with a promise of a new,
more spacious home in another shell.  If not, alcohol works great.  This is
for immersion of the shell with inhabitant, not personal consumption by the
collector. The latter does nothing to get the crab out of his home and
usually facilitates the arrival of considerable discord in your own home,
whereby you may be physically ejected from said abode.  Of course, I have
no practical experience in this matter as those you know me well may
attest.  You could also freeze the shell and interloper.  After the
squatter's demise, it can be extracted with a slow steady pull if the
anterior end of the crab's body can be grabbed.  The claws usually are shed
with the first tug.
 
Kurt
 
At 01:34 PM 2/2/99 -0600, you wrote:
>Dear all, today I managed to find a very nice apple murex on the beach,
>but when I picked it up, two large claws came out in defense. I need some
>advice
>on how to get this stubborn hermit out of the shell.
>
>Kind Regards James
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