Herman, my pet hermit crab, has been absolutely the most boring creature on earth. He does bang around and rearrange the furniture in the middle of the night, but as soon as I turn on the light to see what all the commotion is about, pfffft! he sucks himself back into his shell and holds his breath until I leave.
I have wondered if Herman might be sick. Lately, he isn't climbing the wall of his shack, hardly moving around at all. To tell the truth, I wondered last night if he was dead. :-(
Yesterday I went to Petco for the first time. They built a new store in a nearby town. They had terrific helpers, all dressed in safari-wear and looking very official. As it turns out, they are also knowledgeable and friendly people. The store was lots of fun to visit. There were about a dozen or more darling puppies of all kinds, and play areas for them, and people to play with them, too. They have birds of all kinds. The parrots and cockatiels were perched outside of cages throughout the store. My clerk had a parrot sitting on her shoulder.
I went to the hermit crab section of the store and found all kinds of nice amenities for keeping the crab shack clean. I also picked up a calcium shell, similar to what parakeets have in their cages. I was told that it is imperative for the crabs to have this in their diet, and it also works to smooth the sharpness off their crabby claws to make them easier to handle. (That was rather a moot point - Herman never crawls or shows his claws when he is handled.) I was told that every single night crabs need to be put in a tub with about 1/2 inch of water with a lid (holes in the top for breathing) so they can't get out. And human food should be added. They will eat ANYTHING and need the variety. However, no fresh fruit, only dried fruit. I didn't know that, and had fed him fresh watermelon bits on Friday.
I have to tell you, Herman is happier. This morning when I went to get him out of the water, he was completely out of his shell! Of course, he crawled right back in when he saw me coming.
The other thing I was told is that he definitely needs a friend. G.ma told me that too. He will be more active and much happier with one or two companions.
My husband noticed that I had purchased some new "furniture" or decorations for the crab shack and said I hadn't left enough room for Herman to get exercise. I told him yes, I know that. I am going to buy him a bigger shack. And he said, "What kind of thinking is that? You buy too much furniture so you need to buy a bigger house? Sounds like female logic to me!"
Herman will soon get into his nightly bath and next week he will have a new friend. Life is good, isn't it?
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