I came downstairs this morning and checked the Disco, only to find that I’m harboring a cannibal. Hector killed and ate the freshly molted Ulysses.
At first I was all excited, I checked the tank and there was Ulysses’ shell, just outside his molting tunnel! And then I noticed that the water dish had been drained, the substrate around the tunnel was in disarray, and there was Hector . . .
. . . and Ulysses’ shell was empty.
I was already running late for work, but I grabbed Hector and plopped him outside the tank and started looking through the shell patch. Nothing. I started digging, in case Ulysses had changed shells and reburied himself. Still nothing. And then, I found a pretty pastel purple big pincher. I knew that wasn’t a good sign, but I kept digging just in case I’d uncovered U’s exoskeleton BP. Then I found the leg. It was obviously a new-molt leg, all covered with wee little dark hairs. That was definitely NOT exo. That’s all there was to it, Ulysses was gone.
I can imagine only two scenarios. Based on the absence of exoskeleton during my digging, it seems Ulysses was just about ready to emerge from his successful molt. Either he came up on his own and Hector the bully killed him in a fit of whatever crabs have fits about, or drawn by the scent of newly-molted crab, Hector the bully dug down into U’s molting tunnel, dragged him out, and ate him.
Either way, I have one less crab (and if I have to be honest, Ulysses was my favorite). U and Desi –the cat– got along famously and Desi would watch him walk around on the floor and pat at him oh so delicately, and in turn, he’d just keep going wherever it was he was headed, and wasn’t intimidated by the giant furry behemoth who insisted on keeping him company.
It’s stupid to be distressed about losing a tiny little crustacean smaller than a golf ball, but I’m sad and upset and I miss him.
