I Think I Have Hermit Crabs January 11, 2008
On any given day I may, or may not, have hermit crabs. I can’t really be sure.
Shortly after acquiring them I took a paper towel roll, wrapped it in a coconut fiber mat, tied it on with an old shoelace; viola! Instant-faux-log with good grippyness for pointy crabby legs, I thought.
It was simultaneously the best and worst thing I could have done. They love it. One crab crawled in each end. They sit there facing each other in the dark, day in, day out. It is possible that, right now, I only have ex-hermit crabs. It’s hard to say. I can see the shell one of them (Jack) carries on his back, but あいた is in the end of the tube pointing away from me. She fell out a couple weeks ago… seemed quite lively at the time. If I sleep on the couch in the living room, and I’m really lucky, I’ll hear one moving in the tube for a few seconds. Sometimes I’ll reach into the tube and pull Jack out, to make sure he isn’t an ex-hermit crab, but he really doesn’t like to be pulled out so I figure it’s not in my best interest to try and hold him because you really don’t want to try and hold an upset hermit crab. They can pinch unbelievably hard. That’s how あいた got her name. She was scared after coming home from the pet store, pinched me in the middle of the palm. It took at least five minutes of continued pain before she let go, and weeks to fully heal.
It’s like a quantum uncertainty paradox. Every day I look over at their aquarium and wonder if they’re alive. It’s really quite sad. I’m always worried about them and I never get to play with them. I know what you’re thinking. “Why not just take out the tube?” But how could I? They love that tube.
I am the proud keeper of two dogs, two cats, and two potential hermit crabs. I’m not sure if I’m “proud” about the crabs though…. “unsure” might be a better word.
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