PetSmart DM Answer to Hermit crab care

Barbydoll · Post by **Barbydoll** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 1:00 am

Barbara, Thank you for contacting us in regards to the concerns about our Hermit Crabs at the Broken Arrow store. It happened that I was at this store today doing a store visit and inspected the entire department including the Hermit Crabs. I understand your concerns and apologize that you found the Crabs to be lacking on your visit. Today the crabs had plenty of water and the humidity was in line to our company standards. The bedding issue is a very good observation and I own these little guys myself and have a sand and coconut bedding to help both of your concerns, however this store is following company policy by using the coconut bedding per our pet care guidelines. I did suggest to use the crushed coconut bedding and will ensure they always have plenty of water. I will monitor this situation as will the Store Manager. I am sorry that management did not listen to your concerns, however because of your report we are now aware of the need to be on top of this daily.Sincerely,Jamie SchroederDistrict ManagerTulsa/Arkansas, The A.T.M.

Barbydoll · Post by **Barbydoll** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 1:01 am

I will go there again next weekend and see if he was blowing smoke. I hope they will do better.

rototee · Post by **rototee** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 1:57 am

What it sounds like to me is that he is saying that he knows what proper conditions should be, but that the stores are following company pet care guidelines and he can't do anything about it. Maybe just bringing to his attention, something good will come out of it. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Laurie LeAnn · Post by **Laurie LeAnn** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 6:13 am

yep to big wig companies it's all abut the money, not the care of the animals. At least you got a response, even if it's one that might be a just to shut you up letter.

KittyCaller · Post by **KittyCaller** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 6:45 am

I think that was a sincere response, actually. The thing is that store managers go NUTS when the district managers come through and try to make everything perfect and up to how corporate wants them. But the problem is that it doesn't last. When I was working at one, part of the problem was really stupid scheduling. The pet care associates take care of the animals as well as help the customers. A lot of the time I was working, they wouldn't schedule enough people, particularly in the evenings. There is a 2 page list of things that need to be done for the animals before closing. If you're lucky, and there aren't too many customers, it's a 1-2 hour process. That's with two people working a shift. If there are a lot of customers it can very easily become an interrupted 4 hour process. Now imagine you're working alone over there. That happened WAY too many times when I was working there. So things slip behind, unfortunately. When a district manager is scheduled to come in, then suddenly more people are scheduled and the managers have lists of things that are to be done. So things will be nice for a day or two, and then the bad scheduling starts up again, and things fall behind. Disgusting, eh? This is in no way to defend the employee you dealt with. She sounds like a pretty awful person. Just explaining why this particular letter may be sincere.

Barbydoll · Post by **Barbydoll** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:32 am

KittyCaller, that makes sense. i worked retail for years- tho not with Live merchandise- so i see your side and understand. I believe the DM was sincere but I dont see any long term change. I just needed it to be told. Anyone who works at such a store better have a love for animals- and not just the fluffy furry kind. I try to catch my PetStop when they first get in crabs- they have no place to hide- but they get plenty of water. It just bothers me that these amazing creatures are either neglected or avoided.

Shelly · Post by **Shelly** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 6:51 am

Barbydoll,does the BA PetStop not have hideouts for the crabs?? The one in Owasso does,if thats true I'll comment it to the owner in Owasso...they take decent care of the hermies ...

DiscoDigi786 · Post by **DiscoDigi786** » Tue Apr 13, 2010 1:47 pm

Goodness, any ideas on who you contact about what the company guidelines are? I have to believe if someone presented some basic changes to them (deeper substrate, varied diet, water, humidity, etc) then they would understand that they could make money off of less stock. If you are taking better care of your hermies you're losing fewer and selling more. It seems like a no brainer to me but there must be some sort of snag I do not see.

breezeetew · Post by **breezeetew** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 2:30 am

Not that it matters to the crabs (it does but not in any good ways) but if you look at the company view:They are selling a product to make a profit.Customers don't buy what they can't see= no deep substrate or hiding places for the crabs because they need to be seen.Water dishes that get spilled make a mess= shallow water dishes.Fresh food draws flies and may mold/rot + they sell pelleted foods = they use what they sellCorporate policy= do what they are required to do even if they know better personally.

Barbydoll · Post by **Barbydoll** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 2:48 am

Shelly- yes they switch off between one of those big plactic huts and a curved half log type thing. So they do get to hide. When i first started going there- you should have seen how awesome the habitat was. Plenty of water in dish, moist soil, plastic vines... it was great. Humidity was good and temp was good. But it so sucks now. Every time I went there the dish was bone dry with a single wet sponge. With all those crabs- i am sorry, but that is inhumane. And they were using a hard bark substrate that was square pieces instead of the cocnut soil they used to use. They also quit putting in those plastic vines for them to climb and hide under. When I went there- that bark was bone dry. And the dish of water was too. I was very upset. But 2 different employees blew me off. One stated it was policy to not fill the shallow dish with water. Another didnt care. They said that once a week they bathe them- meaning dump them in a tub of salt water. More stress. UGH. You cant sell what aint alive. It makes me sad for the crabs but until I get a larger tank I cannot rescue any more from that aweful place.

breezeetew · Post by **breezeetew** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 3:33 am

Oh I fully agree it's bad but hoping to convince them to change is sometimes a futile effort.My local store has bad conditions too, and one of the employees had it fixed nicely and was told by the 'district' manager that it was to be changed back immediately.The other workers complained because when they opened in the morning the tank was 'fogged up' and somehow no one was bright enough to open the lid a tiny amount to vent it out and clear the glass.They were also somehow unable to lift a hiding place to find a crab or to accept that buried crabs will eventually surface.The 'district' lady also announced that wet sand molds (he had used playsand but oh well she assumed all sand is like the calcisand). And the water dishes were immediately banned because apparently crabs are not smart enough not to drown and get all they need from a mostly dry sponge in a shallow dish meant for food... It was a lost cause and although he kept making small changes, he has been thwarted at every turn by this 'manager' who visits every few months for apparently the express purpose of upturning any decent pet setup and making them suit her wishes. The same employee has been suggesting for years that if they can't change a setup they stop having hermit crabs because they are doomed to death at that store. Again, he is ignored by the 'manager' lady.This is what I mean by policy having to be followed even if you know better. There are just people out there who think they know everything and if they are in charge it doesn't matter that they are wrong.What really irks me most is that by saving the crabs doomed to die in a store like that, we are encouraging them to replace those crabs and continue the cycle. Our purchases save those crabs, but also encourage the store to continue selling crabs in those conditions.