Oh wait, I think it has legs....
Well, would you look at that?? It's a hermit crab....oh wait, let me do a proper introduction...it's Spider Crab (who, ironically, looks more like a freakish spider than a hermit crab)! I think it's safe to say that every last ounce of sanity I had left has vanished in a puff of smoke.
And this hermit crab came with friends....certainly SpongeBob Square Crab needs no introduction. Their little buddy Scaredy Crab isn't pictured because he dug himself deep into the sand in their cage....and no way was I going to dig him out. Besides the fact that he's obviously a very intelligent creature, as opposed to the other two crabs who were stupid enough to subject themselves to the dangers that lurk in our home....more specifically, my children.
I took the kids to Petsmart last week just to kill some time and we walked out with 3 hermit crabs and $80 worth of "crap for the crabs".
Let me just say, though, that hermit crabs actually aren't bad pets for young children.
The kids have been very entertained watching these ugly little creatures creep and crawl around. They've enjoyed tossing pineapple, crackers and chicken in the cage for them to eat....yes, these are quite possibly the world's best fed hermit crabs. They've loved misting the hermit crabs with water....and the hermit crabs really seem to like it too, wierdly enough. Lord knows anything that is brave enough to stand still as my kids approach it with a spray bottle has to be deemed a "good pet".....either that or the crabs just have super bad eyesight.
However, I will warn you....never ever watch a hermit crab change shells. It will traumatize you for life.
Oh, and never let your kids call the grandparents and yell into the phone, "Guess what we got today?! CRABS!!!". This will only confuse the grandparents, who will quickly assume the kids are referring to the "genital-friendly crabs". As if they never heard of crabs as pets? Please... come on, now....
51 comments:
Your a great mom!! I have only brought home furry creatures.
ROTFLMBO @ "Guess what we got today?! CRABS!!!"
Hahahahahaha! LOL! Love it. I will have to buy the boys some crabs when they are old enough to not eat them.
Thank you so very much for the laugh tonight! I really needed it after the day I had! Your trip to PetsMart was like my trip today to the kids' consignment stores. I originally went for dancewear and walked out with a Little Mermaid vanity for Nani. In my defense, she was sick today, it was too darn cute AND 25% off! I'm such a sucker! LOL!
~ Jennifer
http://thetoyboxyears.blogspot.com/
Wait, they have little cartoon homes for hermit crabs?!? Weird.
I tried to buy my kids one, and they both said no. Oh well, better for me! They are fun to watch race though!
Hey, good luck on the remodel. It is awesome. really awesome. Super awesome. fabulous awesome.
We went to PetCo today, and I'm even more thankful that I stood firm in the NO.....thanx for the ickies!
LOL! You are so brave! My husband said he had a hermit crab as a kid. They are too bug like to me to allow in my house. Our 2 cats are enough for now.
LOL! This reminds me when we went to the beach and I had a crab and was trying to show my daughter. She screamed at the top of her lungs "Get away mom! You've got crabs!!" Not fun.
LOL, we have crabs!!!!!
The last bit was just TOO funny!! My kids would absolutely love to have a hermit crab as a pet. We've been reading Hermit Crab (Eric Carle) to them and my son said it's his "favoritest story ever!"
Your kids name pets like mine do. We have a tiger-striped cat named Tiger-Bob Sassy-Pants. Yeah, my son is a Spongebob fanatic.
LOL, I love those little guys!
Caleb had some crabs.. and one turned out to be Hannibal Lecter..
Ate his legs..his claws.. we had to put the poor thing out of it's misery.
I may just get Caleb one of those instead of the smelly fish tank and 4 fish!
YOU'RE A GREAT MOM! did you paint his shell? or did it come that way.?
$80 on crab accessories?!?
LOL...Those must be some very tolerant pets! Our niece had some, and they were very durable : )
My daughter has crabs.
(I hope this is the only time in my life that I ever have to say that)
As a matter of fact, we will be cleaning out the hermit crab tank today. Mites. I dread it.
lol. that is tooooo funny!
The mere thought of crabs is making me itch and hop around. Ewwwww - I just can't handle those creatures.
And they lose their shell?
*thud*
oh.dear.god!! this is hilarious!!
reminds me of the simpsons movie when he puts the pig on the ceiling and sings the spider man theme song...yes, i let my children watch very inappropriate stuff...
*singing*
spider crab, spider crab
does whatever a spider crab does
can he swing from a web?
no he can't he's a crab..
funny stuff, helene!
OMG! I'm laughing so hard I'm about to pee in my pants!
Actually, we took A to Pet Smart just this weekend. Her aquarium had a small crack so we had to get another one. OMG!! I could NOT pull her away from the pet grooming area! Wayne warned me before we went in to "go to the left! Go to the left!" I made the mistake and let A wander off while I was texting! Imagine that!!
haha, we used to go to petsmart during the heat waves for the air conditioning. only reason we didn't end up buying a pet was because we already had a crazy dog at home.
I thought for sure that you had gotten a hamster or a rat--but crabs? I guess they are pretty sturdy creatures, and I love that they show no fear of the spray bottle. I'd be too afraid to even pick those things up, I have a sea food/sea creature thing--and crabs look like sea creatures/big spiders to me. I'm a pansy.
Too funny, thanks for the smile this morning :)
At least you don't have to worry about them tearing up the furniture or pooping on the rug, right?
O..M..G..you are such a better mom than I will ever be. I can't stand the thought of any more living creatures in this house.
I don't know what it is about little crabs, but they give me the heebie-jeebies . . . the scuttling, the pinchy claws . . . they are fascinating, though. Not quite as cuddly as a puppy, but none of the dog poop, either!
Wow, so impressive. Not the fact that you have crabs (hehehehehe) but the fact that you actually touch them. ;)
LMAO@calling the grandparents and telling them they got crabs!!! that was hysterical...
I should warn you that 'if' the crabbies die they are the foulest smelling creatures-I know from expierence
My nieces had crabs when they were little (hee hee), and they did make great pets!
Woo Hoo!
I am always afraid I will get talked into a hamster when I go in ther!
You are so brave to buy those! I don't do creepy crawly things LOL
What reasonably sane mother would EVER think of taking the kids to a pet store to waste time???
That's what the library is for. At least at the library, BOOKS follow you home.
My son had "crabs" too. They stink a little in the summer. We had to keep a small fan on Chris thee crab.
We had a similar experience with fish last year. And now one of the fish is dead. Did he not realize we spent 60.00 worth of CRAP to make his miserable little life better? Good luck with your crabs...
At least ya didn't walk away with a cat.
oh that's funny...cuz it didnt happen to me! I won't even consider a fish!
Cool. Freaked me out a bit, though. I didn't think it could possibly be real with the strange shells! And wow, your kids actually all AGREED on the SAME thing? How'd you manage to pull that off?
I knew what it was! I'm sorry you've got crabs! (i couldn't resist!)
We had crabs at the beach, but what happens at the beach, stays at the beach.
Oh man-My hubby came home with one, once, I swore I would never touch it! You are a brave lady. You make me laugh!! Crabs!! ha ha!!
haha this is hilarious and I love the pictures!! How great for your kids!
$80 for various crab accessories?
Yikes! I love the image of the kids coming towards the crabs with a spray bottle. Have fun with your crabs!
Spider-Crab, Spider-Crab, does whatever a Spider-Crab does...
We used to have some hermies but they are so awesome and I was so busy with fostering dogs that we gave them away to someone who could give them the time they deserve. I agree with you - great kid pet!
Yikes... sooo scary looking!!!! I couldn't handle those.
Just think of them as "entertainment". Hopefully they will continue to be fascinated by them for a long, long time. LOL!
I love this post because my nephews love hermit crabs and AIdan is already asking for one!!!
Have worked for 10 years in public health dealing with STD's I love the comment about "crabs"!!
WE have done the hermit crab route. AT one time we had 5 crabs. BE careful when they molt they are vulnerable to other crab attacks. We went from 5 to 1 crab by that mass destruction. Not good, but when they molt leave them alone and they will be fine. Did you know the crab will eat its own shell after it molted for extra calcuim?
ok, i got the heeeebeeegeeeebeees!
Oh gosh I do hope you got them some good substrate, pet stores are so clueless as to how to take care of hermit crabs! They need to be able to dig to molt, and the sand or coconut fiber needs to be at least twice as deep as your biggest crab! Sad to say, painted shells are not good for them as they munch on everything, and the paint chips and they eat it and it can make them sick or die. :( So much to learn about how to care for them, they can live up to 30 years or more in captivity when cared for properly! You can visit Hermit Crab paradise online or Crab Street Journal, they have excellent advice on how to keep your little pets alive. :)
Helene,
That's hilarious! Sounds like us, except it's usually a hamster or a fish! Just dropping by to let you know that I passed along an award to you at My Four Monkeys. You can pick it up here.
~Angie
MyFourMonkeys.com
This is so funny : ) Here in Houston they actually sell these things at the mall so I knew what it was when I saw the picture and laughed!
Somehow I think you're the smart one. You've got 3 crabs as opposed to 2 rowdy herding dogs.
wow you are an amazing mom... I barely let E bring home seashells never mind BUY crabs.. *L*
Good for you. I hope they survive the week! *L*
I never heard of anyone ever having Hermit crabs as pets! So funny you spent $80 on crab stuff! When I go to PetSmart, I like to look at the cats waiting for adoption, never paid any attention to the crabs.
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