Ok, I admit it. I am disturbingly invested in the lives and times of my hermit crabs. Y’all are just going to have to deal.
I had a great time watching them last night. There was a bit of confusion for a while because one of the newbies, Constantine, changed shells and I didn’t notice. Now I have three crabs in very similar shells, and if Ulysses hadn’t just molted (and is now all fuzzy and hairy and has wee little black toenails) I would have an even harder time telling them apart. But back to topic.
I got to watch U changes shells several times under full lighting –most of the changes have been under the moonglow bulb, and therefore very dim and hard to see– and it never ceases to entertain me. When they finally plop their little pasty crab butts into a new shell… so cool. Think of it like a paraplegic who has built his upper body to compensate for the lack of leg use transferring himself from chair to chair; it’s a similar concept. The crab uses his pincers and walking legs to maneuver the new shell into just the right position, then heaves its lower body and tiny lower legs (the ones that grasp the interior of the shell to keep it on) into the opening of the new shell. For being so commonplace, it’s just amazing.
Since he came up from his molt, Ulysses has been really active and it’s a nice change in the Disco. Last night I found him perched way at the top of the rock hidey, balanced rather precariously right under the night bulb. Hector was trundling about on the ground, and before I got too tired to stay awake any longer, Constantine made an appearance in his second new shell since I bought him on Monday (verifying that yes, he did switch again when I wasn’t looking). Nero, the other newbie, was hiding out and probably destressing. Ajax is still chilling in ISO, and I’m waiting for him to come up at any time. He’ll have been dug under for a month next week, so while that’s about average for a crab his size, I’m impatient. I want him back in the Disco!
I’ve had trouble keeping the tank temperature constant with the cooler weather we’ve been having, so I have two higher-wattage bulbs on order. I also placed an order for some good-quality food and a handful of new shells from The Crabbage Patch. Ulysses isn’t happy with any of the current shell offerings, and his current one may be feeling a little tight after his molt. Hopefully he’ll like one of the new ones, if nothing else so I can tell them all apart easier!
I’m really not this much of a nerd usually, I swear.
ha, if you’re not a nerd then I’m not one either!!!