HCA: Hermit Crab Association

"I will not buy from a store. I will not support the way that those places treat these pets. I will not give in."

I said this to myself... too many times. I completely stand with what I said above, however, today, the worst happened.

I ended up at Uncle Bill's (a pet store chain in my area), and decided to look at how they were taking care of their Hermies... There weren't any in the tank. None were dead, but the conditions were terrible... Only 1 type of water (most likely tap), limbs everywhere, DIRT as substrate (?!), NO way to tell temp (which was too low) or humidity (too high), not enough molting room, and every shell was painted. When I asked about why they had no crabs, they directed me towards the PetSmart only one parking lot down.

I then decided to look at PetSmart, and see how they "cared" for their hermies.

This place, while bad, wasn't as bad. They had climbing toys and hideouts. Also, their temp was better (not perfect, but better), and their humidity seemed like it was pretty good. However, they also used dirt as substrate, and they did not have enough room for molting. When I went, there were only 2 crabs, one of which was dead ( ). The living one, for some reason, was incredibly healthy.

I asked the lady about the crab's care, and she just got annoyed. She then said that it's OK that he/she is alone because they have a shipment coming in soon.

This crab had 2 options: to die very quickly in a bad tank with bad care and terrible caretakers, or to come home with me, to a wonderful tank with a loving father and a living tank buddy. I know it's wrong to buy from these sorts of places, but whether I bought this crab or not, the next shipment of crabs was on its way, so I didn't cause them to do anything extra.

They brought me a clean sour cream container, put the crab in, gave me a lid with holes, and had me sign a 2-week warranty. The poor crab didn't come out until I brought him/her home. Sadly, I live an hour away and had to make a (VERY SHORT AND QUICK) unexpected stop on the way home. It had to spend an hour in a dry sour cream container.

When I brought Razor (his new name [im not sure if he's a boy or not but i dont have a girl name picked out yet{does miracle sound like a pretty name?}]) home, he had a blast. He was a little scared for about two hours, but quickly adjusted. He tried on every single shell I had, ate some food, drank water, and LOVES my moss pits!

Also, Shellby, my other crab, changed out of her painted shell! That gave me the opportunity to clean all of the AWFUL paint from her old shell! (Ironic: when Razor chose a shell, he decided on shellbys old one... After I spent $25 on new shells... ).

I introduced Shellby (a boy) and Razor (sex unknown) through baths; I bathed Shellby first, then bathed Razor in the same water, then bathed Shellby again, then put them in the tank together. They had an antenna war (Shellby won), then a tiny leg fight (Shellby won that, too; he's a bit bigger).

I believe that I got the luck of the draw with Razor; if I didn't think that this situation was an acceptable, ethical situation for a pet store purchase, I wouldn't have done it. Also, if I didn't think that Razor could come home with me and survive, I wouldn't have brought him/her. But, I in no way support this, and just wanted to bring in a crab before the damage was done as badly as it has been for many other crabs I've seen.

(Below is a checklist for the stores I was at)

-----------------
UNCLE BILLS PET CENTER EAST, INDIANAPOLIS, IN
EAST WASHINGTON STREET
NUMBER OF CRABS: 0 alive, 0 dead

Temperature - Too low
Humidity - Too high
Space (enough for amount of crabs) - 0 crabs so I guess?
Enough extra shells? - For 0 crabs, sure.
Were there painted shells? - Sadly, they all were.
Water - Bad, tap, muddy
Salt water - Nobe
Substrate type - DIRT!
Substrate thickness - 1.5-2.0 inches
Fit for molting? - definitely not
Food / Diet - Didn't see any food
Hideouts - none
Climbing toys - none
Did the crabs have buddies? - no crabs
Was there a Gauge? - no
Were there limbs? - lots
Were there dangerous rocks? - no

PETSMART
E WASHINGTON STREET, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
NUMBER OF CRABS: 1 alive, 1+ dead

Temperature - Unknown ( I didn't go in )
Humidity - Looked good, but unsure.
Space (enough for amount of crabs) - Almost, but no.
Enough extra shells? - No, only one after the other died.
Were there painted shells? - No!
Water - didn't see any
Salt water - didn't see any
Substrate type - DIRT!
Substrate thickness - 1 inch
Fit for molting? - definitely not
Food / Diet - Didn't see any food
Hideouts - a coconut hut and log
Climbing toys - Vines and log
Did the crabs have buddies? - it did before it died
Was there a Gauge? - nope
Were there limbs? - I didn't see any
Were there dangerous rocks? - I didn't see any

Both of these stores should be avoided by all central Indiana residents!! I happened to have a happy story, expanding my crabitat, but we are not all that lucky. Don't go there! Please and thank you!!

I'm an employee at a PetSmart (*wince, prepared for shaming*) and I can tell you the company is VERY strict about tank conditions for all of the animals. I've actually been "spoken to" for trying to change that formula in my store. But I've had some success with making the conditions more comfortable and we've had no crab deaths since. I'll try and ease your mind as best I can.

First off, substrate depth. Even though the proper depth is a minimum of 6 inches, we can only put down about 2 at most. No, that is not enough room to molt. But, we don't really want them to for their own safety. Imagine a crab digs down to molt and is vulnerable during the next shipment. Those new crabs are hungry and smell of molting crab is irresistible. You can see where I'm going with this....

The "dirt" is actually EcoEarth coconut fiber substrate, completely crab-safe. The only kind of sand we have available is calcium sand, which is dangerous for crabs (technically we're supposed to put down a calc sand section, but I "forgot" the last time I cleaned the tank ).

Overcrowding is something out of the lowly associates' control....it sucks, but it is only meant to be a temporary situation for the little guys. The most I've seen in our tank at a time is 12. Fortunately several were sold within the week and we won't get more until there's only 2-3 left. I hate it too... :/

Was there a coconut climbing wall in the tank? Because if there was, there may have been several crabs hiding behind it. That's where most of ours like to hang out/dig down during the day.

We do have to offer pellets, but I looked at the ingredients of the brand we use and didn't see any copper sulfate, bht, or ethoxyquin. If the staff doesn't know that hermies need variety, please tell them! Most that I've met (at several pet stores) are happy to learn about their/our animals from the owners who love them!

Since PetSmart is a large, multinational business, there is definitely a large knowledge gap between the employees and the higher ups in terms of proper conditions. And anyone who wants to educate corporate has to jump through A LOT of hoops to be heard. But, education at the store level can make a huge difference too! I've been teaching my coworkers a ton about hermies! And as a result, customers who are interested in purchasing crabs can be more educated too. For a new pet owner, the pet store associate is sometimes the most prominent source of information, especially for misunderstood animals like hermits. So the smarter the associate, the smarter the owner! Education is key! If you encounter these unfortunate situations again, please talk to the store manager or write a letter to corporate. The industry still sees hermit crabs as "throwaway pets" and won't change that point of view unless we make them!

I'm happy to hear that the little guy is doing well. He has one of the best pet parents ever!

Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk

That's very interesting and good to know Fledgling! Thanks!

dstephens- I feel your pain! I said the same thing to myself when I checked out a Petco about a month ago. They had so many crabs in there and the conditions were TERRIBLE. I couldn't leave some behind. I tried to pick out the ones who were worst off, but I still feel bad for supporting the business. On the other hand, my babies are doing so good now, and at least their life was saved.

My first 2 crabbies are actually my daughter's which she got when she went to Florida in June. Then she went off to college so it was up to me to take care of them. I'm surprised they lived in those original conditions. When she came home to visit, we went to Petsmart to get another one. Her insistance. We went to Petsmart and the sales assoc handled them so roughly. He kept quickly turning over shells till he found one, then harshly plunked him down on the metal rim of the tank. I was horrified. We brought him home. A couple of weeks later for some reason unbeknownst to me, I wanted a couple more. I went back to Petsmart and this time it was a more senior assoc that helped me. He was gentler. I know as long as people buy they will sell. And I did feel as though I was rescuing them. It's as bad as a puppy mill. The cashier said she just purchased a couple for her daughter. I gave her some quick advice even though I'm still really new at this. I told her to feed them fresh food, not what they sell. They need 6" of substrate. And I told her about this website. It was a quick share so I don't know how much she took in. I have to remember to ask her next time I'm in there.

Fledgling wrote:I'm an employee at a PetSmart (*wince, prepared for shaming*) and I can tell you the company is VERY strict about tank conditions for all of the animals. I've actually been "spoken to" for trying to change that formula in my store. But I've had some success with making the conditions more comfortable and we've had no crab deaths since. I'll try and ease your mind as best I can.

First off, substrate depth. Even though the proper depth is a minimum of 6 inches, we can only put down about 2 at most. No, that is not enough room to molt. But, we don't really want them to for their own safety. Imagine a crab digs down to molt and is vulnerable during the next shipment. Those new crabs are hungry and smell of molting crab is irresistible. You can see where I'm going with this....

The "dirt" is actually EcoEarth coconut fiber substrate, completely crab-safe. The only kind of sand we have available is calcium sand, which is dangerous for crabs (technically we're supposed to put down a calc sand section, but I "forgot" the last time I cleaned the tank ).

Overcrowding is something out of the lowly associates' control....it sucks, but it is only meant to be a temporary situation for the little guys. The most I've seen in our tank at a time is 12. Fortunately several were sold within the week and we won't get more until there's only 2-3 left. I hate it too... :/

Was there a coconut climbing wall in the tank? Because if there was, there may have been several crabs hiding behind it. That's where most of ours like to hang out/dig down during the day.

We do have to offer pellets, but I looked at the ingredients of the brand we use and didn't see any copper sulfate, bht, or ethoxyquin. If the staff doesn't know that hermies need variety, please tell them! Most that I've met (at several pet stores) are happy to learn about their/our animals from the owners who love them!

Since PetSmart is a large, multinational business, there is definitely a large knowledge gap between the employees and the higher ups in terms of proper conditions. And anyone who wants to educate corporate has to jump through A LOT of hoops to be heard. But, education at the store level can make a huge difference too! I've been teaching my coworkers a ton about hermies! And as a result, customers who are interested in purchasing crabs can be more educated too. For a new pet owner, the pet store associate is sometimes the most prominent source of information, especially for misunderstood animals like hermits. So the smarter the associate, the smarter the owner! Education is key! If you encounter these unfortunate situations again, please talk to the store manager or write a letter to corporate. The industry still sees hermit crabs as "throwaway pets" and won't change that point of view unless we make them!

I'm happy to hear that the little guy is doing well. He has one of the best pet parents ever!

Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk

^^^ re the difference educating store employees can make. I am trying to get on a local tv segment right now so I can talk about proper hermit crab care.

OMG, are you really?! C'est incroyable! You are awesome.

Im still a massive advocate for shallow substrate in stores anyway, there's so many things that can go wrong and a lot of the time, stores are unable to deal with moulters....

If possible, you could put the calcisand section in a shallow water bowl and then mention its for easy cleanup - aka get bowl, dump the bowl through a shifter and then add back to bowl... plus IMO it would look a lot cleaner than mixing it in IMO.

Theres nothing wrong with working at a petstore, i was thinking of getting a second job at one thats looking for people.... just so I can do my small part to help the aquatic animals and discounted animal supplies

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

I definitely feel that I was able to educate a lot of current and future crab owners working there. I've now left the company (HR issues that I didn't have the energy or drive to deal with), but working there inspired me to be a better pet owner and a better advocate for proper pet care. I learned a ton while working there!

Sadly, I went to visit last week and the crab tank is back to being the way utt was before I took it over. I made a point to at least encourage my old co-worker to feed them things other than the pellets, so hopefully they'll have options at least. But there was still cuttlebone in the tank, so that's a plus!

Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk