dumbest things people have said about your crabs/other pets?

[gotta-crab-em-all]

"Why would you spend so much on them/have such a big tank for them/put so much effort into decorating the tank when they only live for like, a week?"

:roll:

[hermitcrabdc]

I just want to know why they are so misunderstood!? Yeah they aren't your typical pet, but what makes them so out there!??

[CallaLily]

I just want to know why they are so misunderstood!? Yeah they aren't your typical pet, but what makes them so out there!??

It's just that people look at them like throw away pets for children or just think they're very strange. I get weird looks and comments about my geckos, snake, and mice all the time too. :roll:

[Careyenz]

I get questions all the time about how I make them live so long. The comment usually ends with, "I had them as a kid, and they lived about a week." I don't mind though, it's good to educate the masses!

[wodesorel]

"Why would you spend so much on them/have such a big tank for them/put so much effort into decorating the tank when they only live for like, a week?"

I got that question once from one of my really good friends - about my cats! He just couldn't understand the reasoning behind paying for life-saving surgery, because of the price tag. I slipped once and made reference to how much Clio and Elda set us back when they came done with autoimmune stomatitis, which for them was unfortunately genetic so both sisters broke within two months of each other. Our choice at the time was either put them to sleep because they were literally starving themselves to death due to the pain in their mouths, or shell out for major surgery to have their teeth removed and all tissue surrounding those teeth carved out. We were able to scrape together enough to do the latter, as it wasn't a cheap procedure since it had to be done properly or they would relapse. He could. not. understand. why anyone in their right minds would do that. To him, the only choice was put them to sleep and move on, because no one should spend that much on a pet. It completely floored me that he reacted that way, because he is a very gentle and very kind man. BUT - he never had pets growing up. His family got their first dog after he moved out for college, and I'm not completely sure that he understands why his mother loves the dog so much. He never learned to form an emotional bond with anything other than humans, so to him it would have been a financial decision and not an emotional one.

Caring for and about animals is a learned response. It's something that is not directly taught in most cases, but is picked up through those around us. When people aren't exposed at a young age, or has other family that doesn't care, or are shown that abuse is okay, or that there is no reason or that it's 'weird' to get emotional about pets, that's what they carry around with them for the rest of their lives. Just remember that while your friends may react in way that you can't understand, they honestly can't understand where you're coming from either. If you can show them another way though, it will impact them in an enormous way even if they don't necessarily show it now. Ten or twenty years from now when they have kids who want hermits (or dogs, or cats, or whatever), you can bet on them remembering what you did for yours and it'll influence how they approach the situation.

[gotta-crab-em-all]

These are people who have grown up with pets and adore animals, they just think hermit crabs live for "a week" and therefore aren't worth the effort I put in. :roll: Unfortunately, even some people who love animals think some lives matter more than others, depending on how long they think the lifespan of that animal is. Then there's my father, who goes by how much they cost - so many times I've gotten "I'm NOT doing/getting x-thing for a $7 crab!" from him when I tried explaining things, like they need fresh food and not commercial, or that they need Instant Ocean and not sea salt, etc but eventually he comes around... Even if its only to shut me up so he doesn't have to hear about it anymore. :roll:

[Drakezilla]

People look at me a bit funny when I tell them I've got hermit crabs. Like many people I was under the impression that they did not live very long in the same way that goldfish or a lot of other small animals.

It wasn't until I was about thirteen that I understood there are animals that are "normal" and expected to live a long time and animals that fail to generally because of ignorance. I had NO idea a goldfish my sister brought home from the fair could live almost eight years or that crabs could live for over twenty years!

A lot of other people don't either and in a very roundabout way, that brings me to my favorite people vs. crabs moment:

We had a man over at one point who was installing blinds in the room where I have my tank. My mom was in with him when she moved the table with the tank out of the way and left to allow him to work. He was a big guy, about six feet something-- big frame and in his late thirties.

My mom came back in at one point when he was working and asked if he needed the tank moved further. He said no as he didn't want to disturb whatever was in it. He said he'd been trying to figure out what was inside it since he walked in. My mom decided to oblige his curiosity and removed the towel and books off of the lid so he could see Draco.

Did I mention he's a jumbo and one of his favorite things to do is climb on the screen lid? Hanging upside down?

I'm sure you see where this is going.

She removed everything and there he was, upside down, chilling out, minding his own business...

Cue the man all but screaming profanities and leaping out of his skin about three feet into the air!

I'm still laughing to this day and I'd have paid good money to have had that filmed. Though she warned him it was a hermit crab...I don't think that's what crossed his mind!!

[imallsmiles1431]

I am in an art class at school and my main subject for one of my pieces was my glass-blown hermit crab figurine.

After the whole class was finished, we left comments on our classmate's art. I got a comment saying:
"So I'm guessing you really like bugs."

I had to give them proper education.

[Skymall007]

One girl asked me why I own a snake. She seemed shocked that it was a pet. I mean I knew people owned snakes but she did not seem to know this. Also I have learned to add that my snake lives in an enclosure and 9/10 times people suddenly calm down. Apparently they think before that that my snake just wanders around the house lolz.

I have also been asked if my ball python is venomous. I don't expect everyone to know she is a ball Python but I love how many people assume that out of all the snakes available to purchase snake owners obviously chose venomous ones. Then add that to the same people thinking that these snake(s) wander freely around mg home and it is no wonder they think I am crazy

[KellyCrabbieLove]

"Crabs? Crabs. You know they make medicine for that."

[KellyCrabbieLove]

"Like the ones we eat? Doesn't seem like they would have much meat on them."

[Skymall007]

Lolz I see some other funny typical reptile questions. I forgot the "is it real?" "Can it eat me?" "Is it alive?" "Is it slimy" "can it bite?" I know the last one doesn't seem that dumb but "can" and "will" are very different. I can bite too I just don't unless I am eating lolz

[KellyCrabbieLove]

I have been known to bite. Once my little brother, (he is actually humongous at 6'8 now) had me in a headlock so I bit him. As hard as I could. He had a bruise the size of a grapefruit for about 6 weeks. We still laugh about it today and it has been like 15 years.

[Skymall007]

In the words of George tekkei (spelling?) Oh my!

[TheLilMommaB]

Haha I still bite my brothers when they mess with me...of course they are like twice the size of me so they think it hilarious to pick me up and move me around whenever they feel like it...my kids and nephews think it's the funniest thing in the world when me and my brothers are horsing around

Stay at home mommy to 4 kids (Ana 11, Joseph 9, Alizabeth 6, and Christian 2) 8 cats, 6 purple pincher hermit crabs, 4 little molly fish, 3 ferrets, 2 parrakets, 2 Oscars, 1 red eared slider, 1 cockatiel, 1 goldfish and 1 bone headed pittbull.