Post by Angela on Jan 24, 2010 22:50:21 GMT -5
Many people believe that the situations hermit crabs in pet stores are in are hopeless, thus they "rescue" the hermit crabs and put them in "proper" conditions. However, "rescuing" is not helping the larger picture at all and is actually damaging it overall. When you see a hermit crab in critical danger, you may think, "But if I don't rescue it, it'll just die!" However, by doing this, you are supporting supply and demand for hermit crabs, and even more will be unwillingly forced to face similar situations.
Another person may say, “If I don’t buy the hermit crab, someone else will, anyways.” Yes, someone else will, and by also buying the crab, you are supporting the supply and demand even further. Maybe the pet store will even go as far as scheduling another shipping day if they see that the hermit crabs are being bought out like bread. The store may also decide to purchase even more hermit crabs from the supplier, most of which die before they’re even shipped to the store.
When demand for the hermit crabs is increased by people buying more of them, the pet store will increase the supply of hermit crabs it stocks. Thus, more hermit crabs will be shipped to the store and will have to endure the awful, unnatural conditions of the pet store.
This also means that more hermit crabs will have to be ripped from the wild. When the pet store purchases more hermit crabs, it also increases the supply and demand at suppliers.
Don’t forget that you’re also giving them more money to buy more. One dollar may be able to purchase fifty hermit crabs through wholesale. Your money also keeps the store in business, and the stores that support the supplier keep it in business.
Of course, if the store is going out of business, that is completely different, since they most likely will not purchase anymore hermit crabs. This is when it is best to save all of the hermit crabs you could from those who will stuff the poor things in tiny, plastic containers that aren't even two gallons large.
Another person may say, “If I don’t buy the hermit crab, someone else will, anyways.” Yes, someone else will, and by also buying the crab, you are supporting the supply and demand even further. Maybe the pet store will even go as far as scheduling another shipping day if they see that the hermit crabs are being bought out like bread. The store may also decide to purchase even more hermit crabs from the supplier, most of which die before they’re even shipped to the store.
When demand for the hermit crabs is increased by people buying more of them, the pet store will increase the supply of hermit crabs it stocks. Thus, more hermit crabs will be shipped to the store and will have to endure the awful, unnatural conditions of the pet store.
This also means that more hermit crabs will have to be ripped from the wild. When the pet store purchases more hermit crabs, it also increases the supply and demand at suppliers.
Don’t forget that you’re also giving them more money to buy more. One dollar may be able to purchase fifty hermit crabs through wholesale. Your money also keeps the store in business, and the stores that support the supplier keep it in business.
Of course, if the store is going out of business, that is completely different, since they most likely will not purchase anymore hermit crabs. This is when it is best to save all of the hermit crabs you could from those who will stuff the poor things in tiny, plastic containers that aren't even two gallons large.