Newer Crab Dad - Kinda

[Crabitatdad]

So about a year ago I decided I wanted to start teaching my two young boys about life and responsibility, they’re seven and five, and so me and their mom decided that Hermit Crabs would be a good starter pet. I didn’t really know much about crabs, I’ve had cats and dogs and reptiles over the years, and one of the things that I can distinctly remember surprising me was the sophistication of the relationship I wound up developing with my reptiles.
Anyway, the hermit crabs seemed like a low investment way to start teaching the boys something about how living things work. We got a starter kit which was a tiny little critter keeper, two hermit crabs, which the boys name Barry and Hermie (super original I know) a sponge, and a little coconut half hut on about half inch bedding of wood chips, and a sponge with some little food pellets. Super cheap, and then we brought it home and had hermit crabs.
Well then I started reading about hermit crabs and learned within hours that basically everything they told me at the pet shop was wrong and almost everything they gave me for the hermit crabs was probably going to kill them.
So before much time had passed I put them in a twenty gallon tank with about a ten inch mix of playsand and coconut eco-earth, removed the sponge, gave them one of our old reptiles rock house, made a couple salt and freshwater bubbler baths for them as well as gave them a separate fresh water source which is where they tend to drink. And I feed them mostly the same kinds of foods I feed my kids- organic fruits, peanut butters, things no a like that.
So that what’s actually happened is that now I am the hermit crab caretaker. Which is fine, I’ve always been an animal lover.
Barry seems completely content, but it’s been a year now and Hermie still spends most of her time buried. I really only see her about once a month or so and she starts hiding as soon as she catches sight of a human. Barry doesn’t seem to mind people at all in fact the last time I cleaned their tank I moved them to the little critter keeper and I swear that it seemed like Barry went over and told Hermie everything was fine. He tapped at “her” shell a few times and then they were both looking around and checking things out while I cleaned.
So now I have affection for these little hermit crab alien critters that were supposed to belong to my children. In typical fashion, I think I’m going to teach them something and then I’m the one who ends up getting educated. Now I’m a crab dad.

[curlysister]

Excellent story! Welcome to the forum!