HCA: Hermit Crab Association

sugar, I don't have the time right now to go back through and search for them, but there were a few HCA members who did request refunds and finally had to involve paypal in order to get a response from her. The long-time members knew she wasn't a scam and that there were issues when ordering and I think were willing to wait for their crabs. For newer members who had just discovered her though, they placed an order worth over a hundred dollars, and then never got any response as to where the crabs were when the website stated they would ship within 2 weeks. That had to come off as "scammish" and all they had to go on were a bunch of us (complete internet strangers) saying - no, you won't get ripped off, just wait.

There will always be people happy with her customer service, and then there will be those who wait for months and receive no updates. Ordering from LHC has always been a gamble, and there are old topics about both wonderful service and horrible service stretching back years. I'm sure everyone who was around last year remembers her doing the same thing. The fact that people are having great experiences now does not discount the fact that some members were screwed over just a few months ago.

This topic stands as a sort of record of customers who have ordered from there so that all of our members can read through and decide if it's something they want to do. There's no other feedback out there for people to judge this place by. LHC is also the only game in town when it comes to exotics, so even then there's not much of a choice if you want something other than a PP or E. I'm very glad that people are posting their positive experiences. It might mean that more members will finally order the exotics they want, but the facts of what happened over the summer didn't just go away now that she's shipping crabs on schedule and the people who had to put up with that should not be made to feel like they did something wrong by filing disputes or canceling orders rather than waiting for months on end.

But everyone who requested a refund did eventually get one, right? Sometimes I skim these long threads so maybe I missed a case where someone was actually scammed by LHC.

I'm certainly not trying to make people feel bad for cancelling their orders or disputing with Paypal to get a refund. My issue is and always has been that instead of just ending the transaction and posting their negative experience here, some people are taking the bad customer service really personally and are getting nasty with anyone who tries post a positive experience. Maybe I'm just not used to seeing so many deliberately rude comments and sarcasm directed by some members toward others here at the HCA.

When you think about it our crabby friends can get kinda expensive, only adds fuel to the anger fire. Honestly I eventually got my crabs, and they were healthy and mite free. Considering how long it took to get the crabs I wish I got a little more notice (which I requested) when I would receive them, but I was able to arrange something so I could be home. Will I order again in the future, that depends on the size of the tat Im trying to fill and what I want to fill it with, honestly there arent many options out there.

I've been dying to get the ruggies from the original first post of this thread. I caved in and decided to give LHC another shot since I had seen a few members had successfully ordered & received crabs.
I placed my order on 4/9/13 and she was available to ship immediately but I missed the time frame and didn't reply in time. We've been emailing on possible shipping days and I was told they would ship today! I received my email with the tracking number and all.
I ordered a six pack of small ruggies, and asked if I could get the smallest possible. I'm sure they'll arrive with mites so I need to get prepared.
Over all a pleasant experience so far, I hope the crabs arrive safelyand not ttoo stressed.
I'll update when they arrive!

HI Kip, Yey on the Ruggies
I wanted to just add a lil something... We received a shipment on the 10th. And as near as I can see, they did not have one mite on them. We did use H.Miles anyway and have been keeping them in ISO for stress purposes, but, that bieng said, I have seen no unwanted guests at all. I've been pretty impressed with this shipment.
One did pass, and the best we can tell, it was possibly from the stresscoat she treats the crabs with, as he was literally bubbling. He might not have been rinsed well enough, ( no ones fault ) and by the time he got to us, it was to late.
So, Congrats, and I cannot wait to see pictures

Stress coat is safe for hermit crabs. In general, clear bubbling indicates overheating while brown-ish bubbling is more serious and often indicates severe internal stress.

The last batch of crabs I got from LHC (multiple rugs and indos) had no mites. I ISO-ed and gave saltwater baths for about a week but never saw anything come off them. They arrived in good shape and are all still cruising around my crabitat.

Sugar,That thought too is what was also discussed: but the line of thought was maybe he didnt get rinsed well, and then the compounded stress of the shipping, and the heat packs were going well (for the first time ever, have the heat packs been nicely warm upon arrival!)... of course there are going to be several theories, but that is why I posted it here: I needed folks who had hands on with the bubbles as I had never experienced that before This guy had very clear bubbles- like mini soap bubbles, and the more he moved the more he produced and they were slimey. He was trying to crawl out of his shell, and had hardly enough strength to do that.

Beyond that lilttle guy- the rest of them are doing fantasic, mite free, and happy I will add too- that they are all beautiful ( of course ) but, she really did a great job with this shipment, over all.

Your crab had several symptoms of serious overheating. Clear bubbling, trying to leave his shell, lethargy. He may have had some kind of weakness/sickness that made him more susceptible to overheating or he could have just had a naturally low heat tolerance that was compounded by being stuck in the shipping box where he couldn't escape it.

I have an Ecuadorian named Inca who I got about five years ago. He has always been very healthy and molts well but he is prone to overheating. On days when my tank gets to its highest temperature (85) and he chooses to sit up in one of the moss pits, which are directly under the lights and even hotter, he will invariably start bubbling. I treat by giving him a couple baths in room temperature dechlorinated water. He's done this maybe 6-8 times over the years I've owned him and quickly recovers each time. I imagine that prolonged overheating could lead to a condition similar to sunstroke, which can result in death. BTW- Even a crab sitting right next to Inca in the moss pit when he overheats will show no signs of discomfort or distress. That's why I have come to believe Inca is simply naturally more easily overheated than most other crabs. Also, maybe the other crabs are smarter and choose to head for a cooler part of the tank when they get too hot.

Thank you Sugar. I think that is very important information that crab owners need to be aware of. Not that it is at all common, but these things do happen. As much as they all have their own individual personalities, they too have individual health needs- and it is a relief to hear someone’s hands on experience. I did have a bath ready, room temp and it was dechlor FW, but he didn’t last much longer than a few minutes. It was just too much over load for him.

I'm so sorry to hear about you overheated crab I think this a condition that should have some sort of permanent info on it somewhere on the site, just in case it happens to someone else!

They're here!!!
7 healthy, active, mite-free ruggies!!!

































Everything went great, i received them yesterday morning. I'm a bit upset that they sat in El Paso, TX for an entire day -_- but that's out of LHC's control.
Thanks a lot USPS! (sense the sarcasm?)
I'm extremely satisfied and glad she included the extra crab! There was one I was worried about but he just needed a bath and some tasty honey-glazed shrimp.
They've all soaked, stuffed, and dug under. Can't wait for them to come back up and be moved in with the rest of the colony!

Wow, great coloring! You are all convincing me to order some ruggies. I've been holding out for blues for so long that I'm about to give up. I love the variety!!


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Wow! Absolutely beautiful range of colors on those rugs. I'm so happy for you that they all made the trip in good shape and you won't have to deal with mites. I also had trouble with USPS for my last shipment from LHC. It's so distressing when they mess up on a live animal shipment, but they always make it worse by not really caring about their mistakes. I tried filing a complaint/inquiry with USPS but could never get anywhere with it.

nice!! good news!