Hermit crabs respond to predators by hiding in their shells. However, retraction may cause the crab to lose hold of the rock and fall through the water column, and the crab may land with the shell aperture in a different orientation. When the shell is aperture down, hermit crabs return to activity by moving their bodies forward and placing their legs on the ground. In contrast, when the shell is aperture up, crabs need to perform a righting maneuver by extending part of their bodies out of the shell, which makes them more vulnerable to predation. The main goal of this study was to examine the hiding time of the hermit crab Calcinus californiensis Bouvier, 1898 in different shell species under these two different situations to better understand the conflict between the cost of staying in hiding and the risk of predation. The study was conducted in rocky tide pools using seven different shell types that reflect different predator protection and resource value to the crab (based on previous studies). We measured the time required to perform the righting maneuver as a measure of the potential risk incurred when returning to activity. The hiding time with the shell aperture down was not affected by shell species. The requirement to carry out a righting maneuver lengthened the hiding time, which varied in the different shell species according to the time required to recover the natural position. The potential risks associated with the righting time, the protection offered by the shells, and the resource value played an important role in the hiding time of the crabs using different shells. This study shows that hermit crabs are aware of the attributes of the shell and use this information to make decisions about how long to stay hidden after being threatened.