Hermit Crabs are still toys..

[Salt and Pepper]

I'm not really trying to tattle or brag, but today was blessing of the pets. My pets could not come because my parents weren't off- neither my mom or dad! And anyway, there were lots of dogs, a few cats, 1 mouse, 1 hamster, 2 rabbits, the poilce department's 2 horses, a farming student's goat and LOTS of hermit crabs. All the people with hermit crabs were YOUNGER kids. 1 from 3rd, 1 from 4th, and a few from 3rd and 4th. Each one had gravel a micro kritter keeper (less than 1 gallon!) Gravel or NO bedding, no heating, no saltwater, and majority with toxic painted shells (even one with googley eyes!). All of them were pps. I saw a parent holding a micro kritter keeper with 2 painted shells, gravel, tap water and FMR food and I said "Oh! A hermit crab! That's cool, I have 5 (Luna sadly passed)." Her response was "Yeah. We got 2 boys for our boys *laugh*." I stared at one with a orange lion shell with cement looking ears and googly eyes glued on it. Both crabs looked at me and scraped on the cage with their purple claws. "We bought these on vacation. Where did you get yours?" She asked. "Petco, the pet store." *nods and smiles* I walked away and found another parent with an empty kritter keeper with a micro shell water dish that was a little bigger than a button, but smaller than a bottle cap with tap water and sponge, gravel, FMR food in another micro dish, but still no crab. I looked on the side of me to find a girl who was holding a hermie laying flat on it's back trying to come out sticking each leg out slowly. I found a lot more hermit crabs. Then I merely passed by one with the same as the top with NO bedding. A boy showed me his PP with the same conditions, but with a plastic igloo and in a cardboard shoe box. (The woman with the lion said to the woman on the side of her with the girl "How long have you had yours?" "These a few months, but we had some previously who lived to 2 years." "WOW! That's a long time!" This goes to show you, people need to research proper care and will have healthier pets!) So my point is, people are still making the same mistakes. Either it be the pet store, or not being responsible by reading or researching, hermit crabs are still obviously viewed as toys. I am so glad I found this site, or else I or anyone else would have done the same thing.

I'm not trying to fuss and say they don't know anything- infact I'm glad they're intrested! But please, learn about your pets before you're getting them and you'll have a better time enjoying the experiences of pet and the hermit crab world!

Christine

[CrabbyJo]

Christine,
Great story. I know you probably did not try to explain to too many of them how what they really need is (long list of supplies here) to keep their crabs alive, as you know how difficult it is to get people to listen and care.
I am sorry that you weren't able to have your hermit crabs there, as they would have been a great example and maybe even an inspiration to some of the other hermit crab owners out there.
Did you perhaps think to ask some of them if they had a bigger habitat at home? After all, if they have a decent one at home, they might have just brought them in a small Critter Carrier for ease of transportation. If nothing else, hey, it might have opened up a conversation about what they really do need!
But like me, I always think of these things after the fact, you probably did the same. I'm sure it shocked you and made you sad to see all of these little guys in these little containers with gravel.
Thanks for sharing with us.
It always is nice to have shown to us that we really are making a difference with our own choices, and how they can impact other lives in the process, sometimes far more than we will ever know.

[ladybug15057]

After all, if they have a decent one at home, they might have just brought them in a small Critter Carrier for ease of transportation.

Good point CrabbyJo and hopefully this was the case. It would be almost impossible to take along even a 10 gal glass tank properly set up, a travel cage would be safer and easier to take along.

[Salt and Pepper]

Christine,
Great story. I know you probably did not try to explain to too many of them how what they really need is (long list of supplies here) to keep their crabs alive, as you know how difficult it is to get people to listen and care.
I am sorry that you weren't able to have your hermit crabs there, as they would have been a great example and maybe even an inspiration to some of the other hermit crab owners out there.
Did you perhaps think to ask some of them if they had a bigger habitat at home? After all, if they have a decent one at home, they might have just brought them in a small Critter Carrier for ease of transportation. If nothing else, hey, it might have opened up a conversation about what they really do need!
But like me, I always think of these things after the fact, you probably did the same. I'm sure it shocked you and made you sad to see all of these little guys in these little containers with gravel.
Thanks for sharing with us.
It always is nice to have shown to us that we really are making a difference with our own choices, and how they can impact other lives in the process, sometimes far more than we will ever know.

I didn't bother starting to explain. It's a long list and a lot of information and some were younger kids. And I think the houses were permanent! They had a lot of gravel, food and water, and a few climbing toys and extra shells.

[vckums]

Bummer about the KK's. Maybe next time this event comes around, you could be prepared to hand out some caresheets from HCP.

[Wai]

Yeah, you lost a great opportunity to spread the word about correct hermit crab care. I'm guessing that those people don't research online.

[Hermie's rule]

I remember when I sold all of my hermit crab supplies, they went to a lady and her son who didn't know a thing about crabs. I handed out all of the care sheets that I had kept and had, but unfortuneatley, they were all about what foods the crabs could eat and all about how to prevent mites in the crabitat.

[Sterwick]

Hello everyone, I have read through the posts and have got quite sad. It is not easy trying to spread the word, most people I speak to simply say 'They're only crabs'. The PP's are few in number in Florida and they are of course, very hard to breed. Us informed crabbers have a big task on our hands. I would like to say thankyou for all the people, books and sites for their information, for not too long ago, i was very much like the little kids with their kritter keepers.



I'm guessing that's the sort of thing you saw Christine.

Stevo.