Pet Shop Concern Email Template

Writeen by HEATHER T. on the Hermit Crab Owners Facebook page. ·THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

We have all fallen victim to pet shop advice, whether it is toxic pine logs, dangerous calcium sand, or open cages for hermit crabs. Below is a letter that politely asks pet shops to reconsider both how they house hermit crabs on site, and the advice that they give to new pet shop owners.

Please take the letter below, and send these out to pet shops- both local and corporate offices. As we all know, research on the care of hermit crabs has come a long way in just a few short years. Pet shops fall prey to outdated information, and information provided by companies that make bad products for hermit crabs.

This letter is intended to point out things they can change within their shops, to better provide care for these wonderful creatures. While we often feel anger and sadness when we witness the poor conditions first hand, it's better to reply to the situation with calm, and concise thoughts. People rarely reply to angry words with change in mind.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Dear (Pet shop name)

I am a Hermit Crab enthusiast, and a member of a large group of Hermit Crab pet owners who have spent considerable time and effort researching the best care for Hermit Crabs.

A lot of commercially available information is outdated, and often leads to mistreatment of these tiny creatures, and ultimately, illness and death. In the wild, hermit crabs can live up to 30 years or longer. However, most pet shop purchased hermit crabs will die within a year of being adopted. This is usually due in part to the stress of being captured in the wild, stored in poor conditions, and being shipped world wide to pet shops.

I would love to see the following basic changes made to the pet shop set up's, so that it can better mimic the care they need, and give them a stronger chance of survival.

• 80-85F      temperature in their enclosures - this is best achieved with under tank      heaters placed on the back of the tank, covering 90% of the back above the      substrate.
• 80%+      humidity in their enclosures
• Removal      of toxic pine half logs as hiding spots - in enclosed spaces, the oils      from pine are toxic to crabs.  An      inexpensive alternate are the plastic hides made for small animals such as      hamsters.
• Access      to both salt and fresh water

• Fresh       Water should be tap water dechlorinated with Seachem Prime
• Salt       Water should be made with tap water dechlorinated with Seachem Prime, and       Marine Grade aquarium salt, such as Instant Ocean

• Access      to healthy food choices, instead of unhealthy, heavily processed Hermit      Crab Pellets. Good options you already carry include:

• River       Shrimp or Krill
• Millet       Sprays (unflavored)
• Cuttlebone       (undyed, unflavored)
• Zilla       Omnivore Mix (reptile section)
• Dried       Meal Worms
• Dried       Crickets
• Frozen       or Dried Bloodworms

• Removal      of all Calcium Sand for in-store use - this can harden after getting wet,      and get 'cemented' onto the crabs as it dries. If a crab burrows in it, it      will also become cemented into its shell, which results in death.
• Use of      moist Eco Earth for substrate - in home set ups, this should be mixed with      all purpose play sand in a 5:1 ratio, sand:EE. In store, moist EE will      work great at helping humidity in the enclosure, and being soft on the      crabs. Bark substrates are especially damaging, as they can      unintentionally damage the soft abdomens of hermit crabs.
• A lid      that will keep moisture in the tank.

I realize that these changes often go against corporate policy. My goal in sending you this is to help change corporate policy to better the lives of these pets.

In addition to these changes, making revisions to the recommended pet care advice can not only extend their lives dramatically, but also lead to larger sales amounts. Current recommendations top out at around $30 for a "cage", calcium sand, pellet food, and a pine log.

In our group, we recommend the following items for people who are getting started, or who have already purchased the starter set up.

• 29g      tank or larger - we recommend a minimum of 10 gallons of space for each      crab as a general rule of thumb. A 29 gallon gives plenty of space for 3      crabs, while still providing enough tank space for substrate, and      climbing.
• Eco      Earth - we recommend 3/4's of a brick for every 10 gallons of tank space.
• Play      Sand - All purpose play sand should be mixed with Eco Earth in a 5:1      ratio, with 50 pounds of play sand needed for ever 10 gallons of tank.      This will create a lot of depth. Hermit crabs bury themselves to molt, and      often dig to relieve stress, and even to have fun. Giving them a minimum      of 6" is ideal.
• UTH -      Zoo Med and other similar brands are not sized correctly for hermit crabs      to achieve the 80-85F temps they need, especially in cold weather areas in      the winter. We recommend that the entire backside be covered with UTH's      above the substrate. These should not go under the tank, despite the name.
• A      selection of food to include animals with exoskeleton (Dried Meal Worms,      Dried Crickets, Dried Krill, Dried River Shrimp) as these help maintain a      healthy exoskeleton through Chitin. Other good products we often find in      pet shops for our animals include:

• Zilla       Omnivore Mix - a good mix of dried veggies, and crickets
• Millet       Sprays
• Cuttlebone-       An excellent source of calcium

• A tank      lid - Aquarium lids, 'glass' lids, and screen lids are all fine, however      screen lids need to be sealed with plastic to maintain the 80%+ humidity.      With any open air on an aquarium, the humidity will leave the tank quickly
• A      digital hygrometer - We have found in many tests that the analog brands      are unreliable, and give artificially low results. The danger is that      people may overheat the tank unintentionally if they think the temp is      too low when it isn't.

I realize this is a lot to consider, and would like to invite you to join our Facebook group to read up on our research, and ask questions.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/itsacrabthing/

I hope this letter has helped you reconsider your current set up with the health of your pets in mind.

Thank you,

(sign your first and last name)