Dead crab?

Where we discuss the behavior of our hermit crabs, as in fights, pecking orders, shell swaps, etc. Please post all naked-crab posts in the Emergency forum.
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JoeHermits
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Re: Dead crab?

Post by JoeHermits » Tue Jun 18, 2019 4:58 pm

Xenocrab wrote:OMG that's horrible! I wish there was a way to make the sale of hermit crabs illegal.

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I’m not a fan of the commercial pet trade in general, to be honest. When you’re distributing animals en masse for profit there are just too many ways for things to go wrong.

...And yet here I am, with pets. It’s a gray area I’m not always proud of, but I love them too much to give them up.


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Xenocrab
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Re: Dead crab?

Post by Xenocrab » Tue Jun 18, 2019 5:05 pm

I know exactly what you mean. I bought my snake over 20 years ago. She only eats mice. I can't watch. My tarantula is a rescue. She was abandoned in an apartment left to die. My Friend moved in and asked what to do. I said I'd take it. It didn't deserve to die. Yet, 100's of mice that I buy, die to feed my snake.
I'm way off subject here. I guess it's time to bury this crabby. He doesn't have a name. If only I could have saved him. It's not my fault, but I hate when animals die unnaturally. Poor guy. He never stood a chance. I'm very sad. I wish I had a name to put on his burial marker.

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Oliviet#1
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Re: Dead crab?

Post by Oliviet#1 » Tue Jun 18, 2019 6:21 pm

Xenocrab wrote:
Tue Jun 18, 2019 4:47 pm
OMG that's horrible! I wish there was a way to make the sale of hermit crabs illegal.

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Maybe instead of making it illegal maybe it would be better to have where they have better conditions and can’t dig them up. So the only ones for sale would be the ones that aren’t buried. And better food, deeper sand, no painted/more shells, and bigger tank(s).

I’m sorry the crab didn’t make it. 🙁
I have had pets in the past, but my family can’t have any furry or feathered ones due to allergies. I usually try my best to help and currently trying to set up a crabitat. I also try to treat others with Love!❤️

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Re: Dead crab?

Post by Xenocrab » Wed Jun 19, 2019 5:50 pm

I burried him tonight. I named him Poor Ole Tom after the GWAR song. I feel like it's my fault. I should have bought him months ago when I saw him, but I didn't. If only....ImageImageImage. He will live on thru the beautiful purple passion plant. I'm so sad. Would he have lived if I would have acted sooner? Was he doomed from the day he was ripped out of the wild? I'll never know. I didn't get to know him, but I loved him. R.I.P. TomImageImage

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Re: Dead crab?

Post by doth » Wed Jun 19, 2019 6:37 pm

I'm so sorry that he didn't make it

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Re: Dead crab?

Post by Adastra1018 » Tue Jun 25, 2019 9:43 am

I'm so sorry to hear of this tragedy! It's so hard not to give in to pity purchases but it really is the right thing to do. Something we all can try, (and I admit that I had the advantage of working in a pet store with good people who trusted me when I said "here's what needs to be done for this animal" and I had the liberty of inspecting all the pets daily) is when a you notice a crab is obviously not doing well, missing limbs, etc, find a manager and confidently explain that his animal is dying and that you'd like to adopt it and try to save it. Even though every crab is in bad habitat conditions, aim for the crabs that are clearly in a bad way because otherwise, They'll stop obliging you if you come in all the time, thinking you're scamming them and even if they do believe you that every crab is in distress, they get in trouble with corporate for constantly letting animals go home for free. Honestly it really depends on the manager. All chain pet stores have regulations for how habitats are set up and the associates aren't allowed to just change things even for the better. Proper channels must the gone through. I was lucky and when I told my district manager that an inch of ecoearth is not enough and here's why, she let me put deep sand in the tank, now I rarely pull dead crabs out. Most employees have no real knowledge so speaking and carrying yourself with confidence is key. Look for the phone number to call about dissatisfaction about how the animals are kept. When you call, let them know the crabs aren't being taken care of properly even if it is "according to regulation" and it's not just that one store. Change will only happen if we all complain and let them know they're aren't doing it right.

Definitely did not mean to carry on like that, but I think this in information everyone should know.
If you haven't, you should tell the manager that the crab you adopted was already dead. Even if there's nothing they can do, they should know about it and hopefully they'll feel enough shame to change some things. I know I'd sure be embarrassed.

I know it's heartbreaking, but you did the right thing.

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Re: Dead crab?

Post by Hermiesguardian » Tue Jun 25, 2019 10:39 am

Adastra1018 wrote:
Tue Jun 25, 2019 9:43 am
I'm so sorry to hear of this tragedy! It's so hard not to give in to pity purchases but it really is the right thing to do. Something we all can try, (and I admit that I had the advantage of working in a pet store with good people who trusted me when I said "here's what needs to be done for this animal" and I had the liberty of inspecting all the pets daily) is when a you notice a crab is obviously not doing well, missing limbs, etc, find a manager and confidently explain that his animal is dying and that you'd like to adopt it and try to save it. Even though every crab is in bad habitat conditions, aim for the crabs that are clearly in a bad way because otherwise, They'll stop obliging you if you come in all the time, thinking you're scamming them and even if they do believe you that every crab is in distress, they get in trouble with corporate for constantly letting animals go home for free. Honestly it really depends on the manager. All chain pet stores have regulations for how habitats are set up and the associates aren't allowed to just change things even for the better. Proper channels must the gone through. I was lucky and when I told my district manager that an inch of ecoearth is not enough and here's why, she let me put deep sand in the tank, now I rarely pull dead crabs out. Most employees have no real knowledge so speaking and carrying yourself with confidence is key. Look for the phone number to call about dissatisfaction about how the animals are kept. When you call, let them know the crabs aren't being taken care of properly even if it is "according to regulation" and it's not just that one store. Change will only happen if we all complain and let them know they're aren't doing it right.

Definitely did not mean to carry on like that, but I think this in information everyone should know.
If you haven't, you should tell the manager that the crab you adopted was already dead. Even if there's nothing they can do, they should know about it and hopefully they'll feel enough shame to change some things. I know I'd sure be embarrassed.

I know it's heartbreaking, but you did the right thing.
The problem with deep sand in the tanks at the store is that the crabs will more likely be able to molt. Then they will constantly be dug up to be sold. And that can have deadly consequences. With shallow substrate the crabs will mostly hold off on molting.
raising son's dog, Dante. Husky/hound.
Raising daughter's hermit crabs, Shelder, Paras and Derek. Added 2 more of my own (of course) Pete and Stryper. Former mommy to 2 guinea pigs and beloved cat, Nissi


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Re: Dead crab?

Post by Adastra1018 » Mon Nov 04, 2019 12:30 pm

I thought of that too. Also in a retail setting you'd want them up and visible to make people want them, but they were hiding and dying and in awful condition anyway, so carefully digging a crab up in a methodical way just seemed to be the lesser of 2 evils. We vary rarely had to dig any crabs up anyway because they weren't in high demand to begin with. We only sold a small handful of crabs a year, if that. (Some stores may sell them like hotcakes and so shallow substrate is ideal since its a short amount of time to wait for a proper environment.) Of the customers I had that were actually interested, most changed their minds when I told them the proper set up and food they'd need, molting lifestyle, the fact that they're hands off and NOT a good pet for a small child, lifespan, etc.

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