Hermit Crabs

Robert has been asking for a hermit crab for around a year. He had birthday money and this is what he wanted to spend it on. Because, if properly cared for, hermit crabs can live for a long time, I would like to be optimistic and think that Robert will be taking his little friends with him to college. OK, I'm not that optimistic, but since little crabs with colored shells seem like a gimmick to me, and our neighbor had one that lasted all of one week, I was hoping he would forget about it.

Forget he did not. We tried, as a matter of fact, a few weeks after his first desire for hermit crabs surfaced, to add one to our family. The kids and I all tromped off to Petsmart in search of just the right hermit crab for Robert. The lady let us stick our hand into the aquarium case to pick them out. In went Raeley's hand, and upon withdrawing it, she set it on her hand to look more closely. Out came the large red claw. Pinch went the large red claw on Raeley's palm. At this point Raeley screamed. She didn't look so well. An employee rushed over and dunked her hand into and aquarium with water. It released it's piercing claw. Raeley looked extremely pale and I was gathering the troops to tell them we needed to go. As Raeley turned to walk to the car, taking two steps and pausing, she fainted. It was like it was in slow motion, the way she crumbled to the floor. I rushed, half-carried her to the car. As we were all loading up, the sales lady rushes out with some dude, the manager, maybe, asking me to fill out an accident report. I still feel bad about what I did next. I told her no. I have a business and I have accident reports on file for people to fill out. I would have been upset had anyone refused my accident report. But my sweet daughter was laying down moaning in the car and I couldn't stay any longer. I tossed a business card at them, told them I wouldn't sue, and pealed out of the parking lot.

So here we find ourselves. At Petsmart. With Raeley, looking at hermit crabs. She didn't put her hand in their cage. The rest of us did and got busted for it. SO don't help yourselves to the hermit crabs at Petsmart. WOW, I never know that hermit crab paraphernalia could be so expensive. At the moment we were standing at the register, I was thinking I wish I had checked eBay. However, it was not my money. So now we are plus two hermit crabs in the family. Robert is so excited. We got them this past weekend and we are in Alabama right now, visiting family, doing school, and working, and yes, the hermit crabs came with us.