LiveHermitCrabs.com

[kitkathermiesworld]

I understand but why not have them destressing in March - June soo people dont haft to wait until September. Especially if she go threw this every year she should already know what to expect. Yes people would get annoyed hearing the same amswer well some will but any answer is better than no answer. What about people who order from her but aren't register here, I know they would be outraged by the lack of communication and to know she only contact some people to tell everyone whats going on. Why ? They didnt send their money to them that's her job. If she so stress out from doing this get help it's not that hard or dont do it. That' s how I feel, she runs a business with other animals as well and thats the price you pay when your the boss.

[SachOfSCP]

I'm curious why is she the only supplier of exotic crabs? Does anyone know what you would haft to do, to start selling them? Does she have special ties with Indonesia and other places that only she can do it because her business is truly ridicolous. Even if you do eventually get your crabs, the not keeping in contact is a deal breaker especially if you just gave her $100's of dollars. I'm pretty sure no one has money to be going on who knows what while you wait a half of year for your purchase. And if she is the only person running her business and she know its overwhelming why doesn't she just fix that by hiring a part time helper. I bet she can pay someone $7 hr for about 8hrs the whole week to just send emails weekly to everyone and feed the hermies or whatever else she might do.
I haven't order from her but I was soo ready to this month. But after reading this I rather just save the hassle even though I really wanted some ruggies.
Ps. If her crabs come to people in bad shape with mites are they actually better than pet store crabs? At least the ones in the store didnt have mites and you get to actually see what you are getting

To be honest...from what I have seen she is the only one (essentially) selling exotics because she is the only one who A: gets the money to do it (by pre-selling inventory she doesn't have) and B: is willing to crowd so many crabs into one place.

*I* could sell exotics if I was willing to pile them all into my house like she does; getting a hold of suppliers isn't hard. The problem is you have to order anywhere from 50-500 crabs at a time from these people and that's of one species. So, say I wanted to sell only blues & straws; I'd have to buy 100-1,000 crabs to sell only those 2 species and I am not equipped to house that many crabs safely.

I can't say with 100% certainty that this is how she does it, but if you look up the address on Google maps that she lists as her business address not only do you find like 3 businesses all associated with the same address, but it looks like a house in a residential neighborhood; on a cul-de-sac. That is very suggestive to me that she has tons of crabs in a very small amount of space & most pet stores don't even have the room to offer that many species even in their crappy conditions. Remember too that on top of the crabs....she also sells other exotic animals. I shudder at the thought of some sort of animal hoarding type situation going on at her house.....

[mom23]

I think this thread has become a bit snarky. If you've read any part of this thread you know that year after year this crap seems to happen. It's a gamble going into it. It seems pretty simple to me. If you don't want to support LHC then don't. If you truly want exotics then go into it knowing the risks. Is it good business? Of course not, but no one else steps up to compete in the online industry. My guess on that is because it sucks. It's most likely expensive, a lot of red tape, dealing with exporters from other countries and a lot of work. Until the market becomes competitive LHC is it. I don't know about CJMiller's case, but I think most people can get a refund. I've had disappointments too as others have, but the crabs I do have from LHC I love. They were so worth it to me. Also I do think she cares about the crabs. She asked me if I'd be willing to take 2 injured blues and try to save them. Of course I said I would. I will do my best for them. She didn't have to do that. She could have just let them die. So I don't think she's this heartless horrible person she's made out to be.

[wodesorel]

This is the first time in the five years I've been here that she wasn't able to complete orders. She's always been extremely late, but eventually everyone got what they had originally ordered. She has never ran out of crabs before the pre-orders were filled, and she was always able to get in more which allowed more people to order until at least Christmas. This is not like years past.

[kitkathermiesworld]

I'm not saying she's a horrible person at all. I just dont understand why she cant run her business a little better. Making people wait 6months for crabs is pretty extreme especially when they cant get a hold of you or updates from you (not others). People who dont know about this thread, dont know how it is year after year so they are at a real big disadvantage because she dont state on her website hermit crabs will come in Aug Sept. Her online store sells hermit crabs, snakes, reptiles, and etc. So if she need help I think she should get it. So she doesn't haft to keep giving refunds and can make a better profit.
How long does it take for a crab to de-stress?

[mom23]

Even with all of that said, it still remains that ordering is a gamble no matter what the issue of the year may be. There are just so many variables, some that a person can't control (ex-how many survive importation). I agree the business needs improvement, not disputing that at all or saying that everyone bashes her....it just seems to me that this thread has become repetitive and more about bad mouthing her or supporting the end of LHC when half of it is speculation over proven fact. I believe that *most* people that order exotics probably have read something about LHC on one of the hermit crab forums or heard by word of mouth. Yes you can google buy hermit crabs and it may pop up, but wouldn't most novices purchase at a pet store or boardwalk, mall or such? I may be guilty of assuming such. It just still surprises me that people that have read this thread continue to be surprised. I should really stop reading it, but it's like a train wreck that you can't help but watch. :/ I guess I just don't want to lose the only place available to me to get the exotics my family loves.

I think LHC keeps the crabs about 2 weeks (if I remember correctly) for de-stressing. I had a new indo sit in the same spot for 3 weeks though. She may have roamed late at night when I didn't see her, but now she's active all the time.

[crabbienewb]

I'm not saying she's a horrible person at all. I just dont understand why she cant run her business a little better. Making people wait 6months for crabs is pretty extreme especially when they cant get a hold of you or updates from you (not others). People who dont know about this thread, dont know how it is year after year so they are at a real big disadvantage because she dont state on her website hermit crabs will come in Aug Sept. Her online store sells hermit crabs, snakes, reptiles, and etc. So if she need help I think she should get it. So she doesn't haft to keep giving refunds and can make a better profit.
How long does it take for a crab to de-stress?

There isn't really a length of time set in stone. I mean say you got a box of 100 crabs show up at your house, they were in transit lets say for 1 week. If you are running a business selling live animals, how long do you think you'd wait to ship them after receiving them? Take into consideration that all crabs will be wearing whatever shells they had on in the wild, there will be some dead ones, some injured, etc. I would want them to molt first, and that would be completely impractical and no way anyone could even break even on a large number of exotic crabs being held through a molt before shipping. I'd wait at least a month though. But what if after a month they still don't look too good? That seems to have been what happened with the blues, if what was said is true, that the blues did not do well and that is why she won't get them again.

I do think she should just pull all email addresses and make an email list so she can mass email with updates, that would take no time at all and would keep people updated. I don't really know why she doesn't do that. It seems like it would fix the majority of the complaints.

[crabbienewb]

Cavipes, Ruggies, Indos, Blues, all now out of stock to order. PP's preorder.

If she see's this, she should edit the 6pack and 12 pack to show oos as well.

I think it was just a bad year, or she got swamped

[Avery]

I should really stop reading it, but it's like a train wreck that you can't help but watch. :/

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. For speaking these thoughts you are not alone in thinking, and for making me laugh.

[mom23]

Glad I'm not alone and that I could make you laugh! It's true though isn't it?

[lefty]

that is exactly how i feel , well said mom. sheesh i said i would stop reading this thread :roll: i am ordering at x-mss again, if she still sells them.

[Avery]

Glad I'm not alone and that I could make you laugh! It's true though isn't it?

Yes, it is true. I've been buying from her for years. Some years are good and some are not so good. There will always be mites. There will always be discrepancies with shipping methods, refunds and refund issues, additional crabs added, replacements, a +1 or no +1's, cold weather, hot weather, holiday's.... it's a long laundry list.
Its all documented here.
Everyone should know they are throwing their dice onto the table.
It's a ball on a hill we must roll with as consumers, due to lack of other options. And with that being said: while this option for my sweet little exotics is shaky, I do not know how much I would extend myself to trust a new vendor, if there was one.
I'm use to the quirkiness LHC provides me with.

[mom23]

If everyone runs her off we won't have that option. I truly believe we are all entitled to our own opinions and we all agree the business needs improvement. I know there have been a lot of disappointments. I've had them too. I just don't want to make assumptions, judge her on things I don't know to be true, or repeatedly bad mouth her until she quits. If this job were easy at least ONE other person would do it. If LHC goes so does my option to order exotics if I choose to. Why would I want that? I feel like it's kindergarten and I'm telling my kids just because you don't like it don't ruin it for everyone else.

[mom23]

LHC quirkiness. Love that.

[SachOfSCP]

I often walk away from this thread myself because I just can't wrap my head around the division among crabbers' opinions.

We all try to create the best environment in captivity we can to mimic nature yet want to support more wild harvesting, bad shipping & selling practices?

None of us would stand for this for even a month from ANY other seller of ANY product; yet put up with this nonsense for months each year?

We put up with it because she is the only way for us to get exotics?

Do you guys not realize that even a company who can conduct business more efficiently will never get off the ground as long as people are willing to put up with LHC?

Do you not realize that she will never have motivation to change if we keep letting her do it the way she always has?

I too fell into her trap; I admit. It is no excuse but the only reason I ordered this year was for the Aussies and not even because I "wanted" them but because I have made it my job to educate & I needed the firsthand research. I know now I won't be able to observe them firsthand any time soon and I am okay with that if it means putting less money into the pockets of harvesters like Merv Cooper and sellers like LHC.