I hope this is the correct forum for this particular thread, it is after all, a product. My apologies, however, if I am posting in the wrong place.
I just made a 500-count purchase of 3/4" size crickets for my T's and Scorps - I decided not to buy from the local pet store anymore as my collection is growing a little faster than expected.
Anyway, here's my reason for the post... considering this is the first time I order crickets off the Internet, anyway, I opened the box, didn't even realize the crickets came in no container whatsoever so it caught me off guard.
As I dumped the egg cartons into a bucket, I felt spider webs and I thought "oh, it must be just one of those wolf spiders that sometimes I encounter with other cricket orders." Well, the shipment came from a supplier here in California, if I wasn't careful and looked around I would have probably ended up in the hospital right now. I turned the egg carton over, and to my surprise a huge fat black widow was certainly what I did not expect. I've handled these before, never been bit but would not want to go through the experience of becoming a victim either... has anyone here ever encountered such possible accident? I'm in a bit of "shock" because I could have been bitten, don't know if I should notify the supplier just in case other orders contain them.
After several members suggested, I followed with warning the company of the possible danger that could be encountered by their staff and their customers. To be fair, I will not disclose the name of the company the feeders were purchased from. I do not believe this is the company's fault, however, and I hope they take the necessary precautions I've advised them in my letter.
Dear Management:
Enclosed is my invoice copy for a recent order placed, however, I am rather concerned for the safety of your staff and future customers after my experience unpacking my order. Overall, the pricing was very competitive, feeders arrived better than expected and they were shipped in a timely manner. A smooth transaction nonetheless!
Upon arrival of my feeders I immediately re-housed them to their designated containers, considering this was my first experience purchasing feeder crickets I was surprised to find the crickets were lose inside the box, without any containers. This was no problem at all, I am now aware this is rather the norm when shipping feeder crickets.
When I removed one of the egg cartons, I wasn’t surprised by the often-encountered harmless wolf spider that are frequently found when purchasing crickets in bulk. However, this was indeed no harmless wolf spider. I came in contact with a spider’s web, not realizing what it was at first, I flipped over the egg carton to find an adult black widow spider underneath!
Honestly, I was startled. It was an unexpected find. I have never come across such spider during any of my previous purchases with other stores and fortunately I suffered no bite. The specimen is now under a safe, captive environment along with various tarantulas and scorpions used for educational purposes through my Beyond the Web program.
I write you this letter in hopes that you become better aware of the dangers of a black widow bite that could possibly be encountered by you, your staff or your thousands of customers. I don’t blame your company at all, I had a very pleasant experience from your website purchase to the delivery of my order. I hope my approach does not offend you, and hope you consider the best approach next time you or your staff handles another egg carton of crickets ready to ship. Be safe.
Sincerely,
Peter A. Perez
(661) 900-2691
www.beyondtheweb.org
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