LiveHermitCrabs.com

[mom23]

Oh my! I bet they were cold. Can't wait to see them. Are they healthy? Mites?

[wodesorel]

Just got the crabs a half hour ago! Only thing is the heat pack did not work they were all ice cold, I got them warmed up now in iso together, pics to come soon!

Please make sure to keep them as stress-free as possible for the next few weeks. This has happened before where it looks like the hermits have bounced back once they warm up and will act fine for several weeks, but ultimately there was too much damage done and they didn't make it in the end.

[mom23]

Oh no! Maybe you should contact LHC and give her a heads up just in case.

[Kgoleb]

So annoyed, Placed my order begining of September, and STILL have not received a tracking number or anything. Just canceled my order, I cant risk it with the temperature dropping the way it is..

[mom23]

We ordered in August so I bet September is shipping next week or the week after. She's honoring the live guarantee for all ordered placed before November 1. But I understand the waiting game is hard and it is freezing here. Brrr.

[CrabbyJ]

So happy they came!

[CrabbyJ]

Oh my! I bet they were cold. Can't wait to see them. Are they healthy? Mites?

They seem fine, I'll send you some pictures once they settle in!

[Ammolite]

Oh no! Maybe you should contact LHC and give her a heads up just in case.

DEFINITELY contact her ASAP. While the crabs did arrive "live," their health is compromised. Since LHC is the shipper the fault (should) fall on her. It was HER responsibility to ensure the crabs were packed and shipped properly.


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[mom23]

I got mine! Plus extras! Oh my it's pandemonium! We have mites too. They are going nuts right now. One is missing a leg, but he's moving ok. Straws are in the water. Tank trashed in 1 minute flat. Shells in bad condition on some. Lots of checking each other out, a few tiffs. I'm a nervous wreck. How do you guys do this. How does anyone get a picture of this chaos. Lol.

[Ammolite]

Which species had the mites? Just curious, since another member said the Violas had mites but the other species were clear.


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[mom23]

Straws, Indos, Violas. Every couple of crabs had a 1 or 2. So now my question is how big of an order of pred mites do I need for a 150???

[CrabbyJ]

Hi I did contact her and everything will be ok, she said the heat pack was hot when she packed them so something happened on the way here. They still seem fine, the straws are loving up all the saltwater!

just fyi other people that have ordered had no problems with heat packs, I have heard that all crabs came warm and toasty so I would not panic

[kuza]

I would wait on the predatory mites since a lot of crabs will go down right away to molt. A few mite baths may clear up the issue before it even starts. Only if you have a serious outbreak o you need to start looking as your mite fighting options.

[Ammolite]

Just FYI - There was a delay with shipping (her son was sick) and anything that was supposed to ship today is now being shipped tomorrow. I don't know if this affects anyone but me, but I figured I'd give everyone a heads-up.

[Ammolite]

Okay, I FINALLY received my LHC order. I figured I'd post pictures of the shipping container here since that's part of the "product review." I'll post crab pictures elsewhere later.

My shipping email with a tracking number said that the crabs would arrive at 12pm EST. They arrived around 11:40am EST, so that was close enough to the projected time for my liking. The postal worker who delivered them was very nice and wished me good luck with my new crabs. (He read the label, and already knew what was in the box.)

As you can see, the box is clearly labeled "Live Animals" and "Handle with Care," important when shipping fragile living creatures.



The first thing I saw when I opened the box was information about mites, how to check for them, and how to treat them. (Luckily, mine had no mites when I bathed them.) I think that's good information to include. (Bonus background image of one of the cats being nosy.)



The box was sealed with a styrofoam lid (not pictured) and packed with damp newspaper. There was a small heather in the box, which was starting to die when I received the crabs. Unfortunately, LHC used a normal hand-warmer style heater to ship the crabs rather than a heater designed for animal shipping, so I was a little disappointed. (I was also glad today's weather was very mild.)



Tucked within the layers of damp newspaper was a burlap sack secured with a zip-tie (which was a pain to get off). The crabs were definitely sealed securely, which was good to see.



Once I finally wrestled the zip-tie off, I opened the bag to see that it was packed with damp moss which offered the crabs additional moisture and protection. They seemed to be securely nestled into their bag. You can actually see one of the crabs waving "hello" with his oversized purple claw!



Finally, an after-bath group shot. I ordered 3 small Indos, and received 5 (two as a "thank-you" for being patient). I'd say they're all within the small-to-petite-medium range. (I didn't want to bug them with the size chart.) The sizes were definitely satisfactory for what I ordered. As you can see, their shells were pretty rough (as you'd expect from wild-caught crabs). One is missing a walking leg and LP tip, and one is missing an entire little pincher/associated limb. All are missing leg-tips and antennae tips. This is what I was expecting from wild-caught crabs, so I wasn't shocked or bothered. They all seem to move around without issues, so nobody will be iso'd unless I see a problem. There were no signs of gel limbs in the crabs with missing appendages.



Overall, I was pleased with the crabs when I finally received them. The crabs are a lovely assortment of colors (pinks, lavenders, eggplant-purples, and earthy-browns), and were all surprisingly friendly and outgoing.