PETA's Stance on Hermit Crabs as Pets

[Guest]

I saw the post about the hermit crabs supposedly from Vietnam, and I became interested, so I typed into google.com vietnam hermit crab. The first link happened to be entirely unrelated, and was this. I took it to be rather ignorant on PETA's part, so I wanted to show it to you all. They make it sound like no crab in captivity can live more than 4 years. In my opinion, crabs in the wild also have a large risk of getting eaten, and not that many survive to be very old. Anyway, go to this link, read it, and then check out the video they have at the bottom of them freeing a hermit crab. It was all just kinda silly. www.petakids.com/hermitcrab.asp

[KittyCaller]

PETA would be happy if all the cats and dogs were homeless. They believe pet ownership (or companions) are wrong.

[Bubu]

Oh my goodness, seriously now, they focus on hermits being "upset in aquariums", but they don't give a hoot about dogs, cats, other animals that in my opinion are in dire need of help more then a hermit is. (Please don't take that the wrong way) That was the corniest thing I've ever seen, that video. And was that even an ocean? It looked more like a lake to me. I've never really gotten into the PETA stuff, just cause I don't really understand that their all about, but that little article really made me mad. How dare they say that hermits won't ever be happy unless their out by the ocean, etc etc. All of my hermits seem pretty happy in their pretty little tanks...And I like how their trying to sell things with hermits on them, making money I guess is the only important thing here right? "Never buy a hermit crab or support a store that sells them." Words cannot express how I feel towards that sentence. Is anyone here like in a 'fight' to stop these people from saying or doing such things? I thought Meijer was bad, this is even worse...Edit: I just took the quiz and on like the last question I think, it says "Don't buy live animals"...anyone else find this strange?

[Guest]

I don’t feel PETA has adequately studied the issue of captive hermit crabs. I also feel that they could do a lot more good dedicating their resources towards education on proper crab care as opposed to fighting a losing battle on captivity. Of course, compromise is not one of PETA’s strong points as an organization.Although I obviously disagree with PETA’s stance on hermit crabs in captivity, in addition to several other issues, I feel their positions should be accurately understood. PETA does not oppose keeping domesticated dogs and cats as pets. They encourage responsible pet ownership, including spaying and neutering, and donate large amounts of money to help homeless dogs and cats. I doubt anyone is “happy” about homeless animals and it’s unfair to label a group that way simply because we disagree with some of their positions. Accurate information on what PETA advocates in regards to companion animals can be found here: http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_companion.asp

[Guest]

Does anyone remember PETAs attempt to save white-tailed deer from hunters by spraypainting orange onto their hair? According to most hunters, they never wouldve seen the deer if it hadnt been for the orange markings. I personally think PETA is silly. Their ideas are good, being kind to animals. But theyre WAY too intenseAnyway, I say dont take wild-hermies off the beach yourself but buy hermies and give them the best care that you can. Thats how we can do the most for our little shelled pals.

[Nicole]

I'm sorry, that video was so cheesy it was hysterical. If my kids saw that they would be laughing (I am laughing right now as I type). I actually feel a little sorry for Herman...I think alot of what PETA says is so out of the mainstream that many people won't take it seriously. The problem is that they are marketing this to children, not adults. Fine if it keeps kids from impulsively buying crabs -- I'm all for it. But to turn people off entirely to the idea of having hermies -- they lost me there. Not to mention kids who read this and then think they should set the hermies out in the backyard to "free" them.

[Guest]

i tried to watch the video and couldnt, but it doesnt matter i dont like petas methods. their idea isnt bad , good treatment of animals, and by the response we get on here i would say we all feel that way, not just about crabs but a lot of others animals as well. just read the families post in addicts corner, you wont believe how many different kinds there are, i love mine and i know as long as i have them some creature wont eat them, they will have perfect conditions and ill do everything to take care of them. to release a lot of these crabs now would be very traumatic and difficult on them to get used to fending for themseles again. any thoughts on that ??

[Guest]

I feel bad for Herman too! My crabs love their crabitat... guaranteed food and water and heat and moisture and shells... they're spoiled...Poor little Herman... I couldn't watch that whole video either. Did you guys do the quiz? I got four cause of those last few stupid questions.

[Guest]

We had several animal rights activists including a few self proclaimed PETA members show up at deer hunt that I was participating in on Federal land. This was a quota hunt(your name had to be drawn to participate) and was only for four days. Anyway these activists would follow the hunters into the woods blowing whistles, banging on garbage can lids and anything else they could do to scare the deer away. Several of them where approached by law enforcement agents and where asked to present their permit to hunt and hunting licenses. It seems since they were 'driving' the deer they were technically considered to be hunting and since they didn't have proper permits and licenses they were all quickly arrested and hauled off to jail!

[Guest]

So these PETA guys "saved" 1 hermit crab? BIG DEAL! Frank (Naplesseashell) & Bud are truly saving hermit crabs. By protecting the wild hermies that are still wild and providing decent shells for housing is saving hermit crabs!I would never go pluck a hermie out of the wild, but I also know that once a hermit crab is already in a store, it has a better chance of happiness with me than dying in the pet store/kiosk. My hermies seem to love their life with us. If I truly thought I was making them suffer I wouldn't have them.

[KittyCaller]

I truly mean no offense to any PETA members who may be here, but I do find a lot of the views of PETA to be extreme and hypocritical. (As for deer hunting, I've managed to figure out that population control wouldn't be necessary had the wolves not been killed off, but the easiest remedy for that right now is to keep the populations in check by controlled hunting. Keeps the wild populations healthier also, since they aren't competing for space and food... I'm okay with hunting so long as I don't have to watch or participate and as long as the meat is actually being eaten. Basically I abhor trophy hunting)

[GSnicklegrove]

What is PETA for or against? It seems, people are a little at odds with what they think PETA's goals are. The fact is, they use their money to pay for lobbyists for both PETA, and to pay for lobbyists sponsored by the American Humane Association, to convince Congress to make laws banning all ownership of animals, including, cats and dogs. They start with the smaller, easier animals, such as exotics like hermit crabs and snakes. That is their ultimate goal, which they do not publish widely, because they need money sending members.Forever, PETA would contact me through the mail, asking me to become a member. I kept writing letter to them back, even emails, saying I would be more than happy to VOLUNTEER my time and efforts in their organization. They didn't want that, they wanted only my money.While surely I am for animal rights, I cannot condone or support an organization that is not honest about it's real goals, and furthermore, is extremely aggressive in their tactics. Nothing wrong with standing up for what you believe in. There is something wrong when you militantly spread your ideals, while using the contributions from members reading your publications, first and foremost, to pay for lobbyists. They are not funding the ideas of solving problems, their funding the peddling of their own solution.There's alot of wonderful animal lovers and kind souls who are PETA members, and what I have said is not meant as any attack on anyone of them. Rather, again, whether it be over animals, medicenes, religions, what not, there are always people who start organizations to simply obtain power to spread their own tiny cylinder, dogmatic vision and make everyone else subscribe to it too. There's many ways of doing this, and it doesn't require informing your good money contributing members about your political dealings.Lobbyists, doesn't the public know the vital function they fulfill in our government, and how much truly depends on them being there?PETA doesn't truly address problems at their root, only the superficial aspects that rally the members to donate more money.Again, this is not an attack to any person, but the actually soul, if you can call it that, of this non-profit organization.Gertie

[Guest]

I really think this organization needs to be accurately represented, lest we be the ones who obscure the facts. PETA does not in any way oppose keeping dogs and cats as pets. I cannot find any record of any of the organizations they support opposing keeping dogs and cats as pets. The American Humane Association donates huge amounts of money to find homes for dogs and cats in shelters and runs multiple welfare programs. They also fight child abuse. Anyone who would like can check out their legislative agenda on their website: www.americanhumane.org . I’ve already linked to PETA’s fact sheet on companion animals. PETA opposes the sale of many exotic animals because they note the same problems we do: they are over harvested from the wild, pet stores do not properly care for them and most of the people who purchase them do so without knowing their care needs. We simply disagree on the best solution for that problem, be it education or a ban upon sales.PETA has done plenty of things we can safely oppose. We can easily demonstrate that much of their research on captive hermit crabs is flawed or outdated. Many of their campaigns, like the Holocaust on your Plate campaign, are worthy of condemnation. They often seem to be more interested in media attention than in helping animals. Let’s not undermine our credibility by making unfounded accusations about their positions when they do so much that we can take issue with.

[NewCrabber]

Just some things I found interesting and wanted to share..."I was once a proud PETA supporter. I supported their work to stop the use of companion animals as research tools. Then Ingrid Newkirk turned her fear and dislike for the bulldogs into an active campaign to see dogs discriminated against, banned, and even killed for no reason other than being a bulldog. PETA's goal is now the elimination of all dogs. Dogs are domestic animals, and PETA feels domestic animals should not exist. I find that difficult to reconcile with being "ethical." Pit bulls and related breeds are going through a tough time right now as they take their turn as a "fad breed." They are in need of compassion during this time. PETA, in their quest for media attention - and following Ingrid Newkirk's twisted vision of Nature - is taking the low road where our bulldogs are concerned. And because of it, innocent, friendly dogs are dying."Boldog Training KennelAfter doing some reading of quotes (a few posted below) by Ingrid Newkirk and a few things I read on PeTA's site, I was left with an impression that echoed something I later read on the site the above was taken from..."PeTA dogma is that because some pets are treated cruelly, ALL forms of human/animal coexistence should be banned." ~~~~~"The bottom line is that people don't have the right to manipulate or to breed dogs and cats ... If people want toys they should buy inanimate objects. If they want companionship they should seek it with their own kind." - Ingrid Newkirk, President, PETA, "Animals," May/June 1993"Pet ownership is an absolutely abysmal situation brought about by human manipulation." Ingrid Newkirk, PETA, "Just Like Us? Toward a Notion of Animal Rights" (symposium) Harper's, August 1988, p. 50. "As the surplus of cats and dogs (artifically engineered by centuries forced breeding) declined, eventually companion animals would be phased out, and we would return to a more symbiotic relationship - enjoyment from a distance." Ingrid Newkirk, "Just Like Us? "You don't have to own squirrels and starlings to get enjoyment from them ... One day, we would like an end to pet shops and the breeding of animals. [Dogs] would pursue their natural lives in the wild ... they would have full lives, not wasting at home for someone to come home in the evening and pet them and then sit there and watch TV," -- Ingrid Newkirk, national director, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA), Chicago Daily Herald, March 1, 1990. This is from a PeTA bashing site -- so to speak..."Another thing about PeTA is, they're against the breeding of domestic animals, such as dogs and cats. They consider them a by-product of human manipulation; they should die out."PeTA: The Hidden AgendaI read many such statements, so it seems to me, at the very least, this is the impression, by their own words, they leave with a great many people. Granted, they have done a lot of good deeds, have saved many lives, they do advocate proper and humane care of domestics (and others) as well as urge people to adopt unwanted pets, but for the moment, that's all they can do (aside from lobby for regulation on breeding). From what I understand, they are growing by leaps and bounds. What will it be like in another twenty or so years from now, I wonder. Sounds like they do have an ultimate goal...or perhaps it's only their wish. Just my two cents worth. Oh, one more. Couldn't resist posting this one, too..."Man should not feel so superior to animals.He has not the right to."  Adolph *****, 1939 Last one, I promise...Spring 2002Target Stops Selling "AquaBabies""PETA first contacted Target in 1999 to ask that it remove AquaBabies from its shelves. We sent countless follow-up letters and provided statements from experts describing why the tiny tanks are sorely inadequate for the fish, frogs, and snails imprisoned in them. We also posted action alerts and a feature on our Web site with this information, asking for letters and phone calls to the company. Target finally relented and followed the progressive example set by Walgreens, Eckerd, Rite Aid, Albertson's, Longs Drug Stores, and others by ending its sale of AquaBabies."Think they might like to tackle Walmart this time?

[Guest]

Sorry, LauraB, but the organization's mission—as well-documented in NewCrabber's post above—is to eliminate all animals in domesticated situations, as well as the elimination of all animals from dinner plates.PETA has more than once been condemned for donating funds to groups supporting domestic terrorism, simply for the sole purpose of having their message heard. As you can see from the article linked above, the FBI has tracked their link to the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front, groups which in similar ways of the Irish Republican Army use force and violence to proclaim their wishes.PETA hides their filth under the guise of "cute" little web sites, like PETAkids.org, to teach kids that—for purposes of this group—taking care of hermits is offensive, disgusting and wrong. That site, in my opinion, is no more gross than watching a little boy take a lollipop from a stranger.I respect your individual decision to believe that the respect and nuture of animals in general is a worthy cause, however, I would find another group with which to associate yourself that offers no hidden agenda, including the death and dismemberment of humans to save animals.