I managed to get a hermit crab out of his shell, one time. I had picked him up to look at him, and let him grip my thumbnail. I pulled on his shell with the other hand, and he refused to let go of my thumbnail. The body that came out was very disturbing, somehow, pale and shaped like a grub. When I put the shell down and lowered him next to it, he turned loose and popped back in. Weird.
A cousin of his got revenge on me, for what it’s worth. I had collected some nice seashells off the beach, and left them next to the sink in my hotel room. I was gonna rinse the sand off them, but decided to go eat. When I got back, late and tired, I flipped on the light, and one of the shells went scuttling for cover. I hadn’t had anything to drink, but for a second there, I thought I was staggering. So I caught the hermit crab, and went staggering back to the beach to turn him loose. I suppose I could have kept him in the room overnight, but the thought of that creepy pale body inside the shell was too much for me.
Fsays
It blows me away that I’ve never heard of this before. Looks like fun.
A. Rsays
I am amused. though I can’t imagine buying a pink suit, despite owning a pink-striped Winchester shirt.
Menyambal (et al.) — if you’re interested in hermit crabs, you need to read the back pages of “Wanderin’ Weeta”. The author keeps a saltwater aquarium with organisms of the northwest coast, and has a real gift for observing their behavior, in words and photos. Look for the time she noted how hermits communicate with each other when one outgrows its shell and covets the one another is wearing; later, this observation paid off when she needed to communicate with a hermit.
I managed to get a hermit crab out of his shell, one time. I had picked him up to look at him, and let him grip my thumbnail. I pulled on his shell with the other hand, and he refused to let go of my thumbnail. The body that came out was very disturbing, somehow, pale and shaped like a grub. When I put the shell down and lowered him next to it, he turned loose and popped back in. Weird.
A cousin of his got revenge on me, for what it’s worth. I had collected some nice seashells off the beach, and left them next to the sink in my hotel room. I was gonna rinse the sand off them, but decided to go eat. When I got back, late and tired, I flipped on the light, and one of the shells went scuttling for cover. I hadn’t had anything to drink, but for a second there, I thought I was staggering. So I caught the hermit crab, and went staggering back to the beach to turn him loose. I suppose I could have kept him in the room overnight, but the thought of that creepy pale body inside the shell was too much for me.
It blows me away that I’ve never heard of this before. Looks like fun.
I am amused. though I can’t imagine buying a pink suit, despite owning a pink-striped Winchester shirt.
Just a crustacean’s answer to the parrot on the shoulder. Aaargh, and all that.
Glen Davidson
OK, but you have to get the hat, too.
As a slaphead, I’m more interested in acquiring one of those nice anemones – but of course it would need to be able to survive out of water.
Menyambal (et al.) — if you’re interested in hermit crabs, you need to read the back pages of “Wanderin’ Weeta”. The author keeps a saltwater aquarium with organisms of the northwest coast, and has a real gift for observing their behavior, in words and photos. Look for the time she noted how hermits communicate with each other when one outgrows its shell and covets the one another is wearing; later, this observation paid off when she needed to communicate with a hermit.
Vasha, #7;
Thanks for the good words, and the link. The hermits talking to each other is in this post; Eviction notice, and the second is Tap-talking to Patience.