I Still Got Crabs

When Lyd was about 3ish, I got her some hermit crabs.

I would snicker under my breath when she would excitedly tell people, "I got crabs!"

We are right now stuck in what can only be an endless hermit crab cycle.

We started 3 years back with Luke and Rainbow.

They lasted pretty long. Not as long as a die hard crab enthusiast will keep their crabs, but 3+ years is not too shabby.

Rainbow was the first to go. She was slightly cannibalized by Luke during a molt. Her big claw was eaten half off.

She didn't last too long after that. Poor Rainbow.

Then Luke would wander around his cage in what I was thinking a rather lonely and dejected manner.

I felt bad for him.

Excuse me for anthropomorphizing.

In came Rose, a much smaller crab, to keep Luke company. (Hermit crabs are social and travel in herds in case you were wondering)

It's funny, you can tell the TV shows that the kids were/are into by the names of the crabs.

I was happy to see that Luke seemed to perk up with Rose around.

This was followed by comments made by me about a new companion really bringing Luke out of his shell.

Followed by pained looks from family members after about the 5th time I said that.

Luke buried himself and molted about a week after we got Rose.

This involves the crab hiding and changing it's exoskeleton. They basically just hide for a long time and do nothing.

Then they eat most of their old exoskeleton.

Sometimes other crabs in the tank will try to eat the molting crab because the new, soft skin smells really good-think soft shell crab.

Luke was successful. He woke up from this and started to act weird.

He squeezed his body into a tiny shell and began the aimless wandering around the tank that had me concerned back when Rainbow died.

And he was pale.

He died a few days later.

Then I had another lonely crab.

Shit..

We now have 3 small hermit crabs. Rose, Donna and Amelia.

Shit.

And now V wants a hedgehog..

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