Purple pincher...

Hola (hello in Spanish),

Seriously, I've never thought I'll put up a blog on the net. Hhhmm... but then again, there are certain things in life that are too interesting or too wonderful to keep to myself. So, here goes!

For my very first blog post, I've decided to write about this new fishy character that I've picked up from the pet shop two days ago.

Meet Hermie (nickname 'Hermes') everyone! This little fella caught my eye because of it's smooth & shiny ivory-coloured shell. Pretty scary to look at or even touch initially... but now I think it's the cutest thing to have as pet!

Hermie Au (29.05.2006)

First name: Hermie

Last name: Au

Nickname: Hermes (I hope I don't get sued!)

Species:
Coenobita clypeatus (Carribean crab or more commonly known as the Purple Pincher)

Mother tongue:
Possibly Spanish, since its a Carribean crab... Haha.

Anyway, some hermit crabs are known to make chirping noises when they feel threatened or when there is a shell fight. Good thing is, Hermie has been calm and quiet for now, so, it's safe to assume that it's feeling pretty comfortable with me (must be because I look so nice and harmless lah)

Size: Unknown
I have yet to get its size measurements. Will probably do it once it's used to me. For rough measurements, look at photo posted. Took that pic last night when trying to bathe it.

Current Crabitat:
A plastic food container which I've moistened with a bit of water. There's also a food plateform similar to a stage. I've also placed an extra shell in the container for it to 'tukar baju' (in Malay, it means change clothes). I'm thinking of getting more 'clothes' for it to entertain itself, just to keep it busy & active.

Diet:
Currently I'm feeding Hermie bananas, I'll switch his/her diet to carrots tomorrow.

Gender: Unknown
Noticed I've been calling Hermie 'it'? Well, I seriously have no idea whether it's a she or he now. The only way I can determine its sex is by looking for the sign of genital openings called 'gonopores' located on the back pair of walking legs. Problem is, Hermie doesn't come out far enough out of its shell for me to see if she's a he or he's a she!

Temperament:
Hermie's quite shy and doesn't come out of its shell often (especially in the presence of others).Oh well, I think it has something to do with the 'shame of nakedness' lah - just like Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden. The only thing is, I can't cover Hermie with fig leaves coz it might eat them up.

However, there is another side of Hermie that I didn't know until last Saturday night. I placed a lid over the container in which it was kept. I didn't seal it tight of course, just merely placing the lid on top of the container so that other creatures of the night like lizards or eww... cockroaches won't go in & share Hermie's banana.

Anyway, I woke up the next morning and discovered Hermie sleeping ON TOP OF THE LID! What a Houdini! This cheeky fella must have been busy all night practising the skills of an escape artist. So now, I've changed Hermie's food container to deeper one. Just in case it tries to climb out again.

A little facts about Land Hermit Crabs
Seriously, hermit crabs are so easy to take care!

First of all, Land Hermit Crabs feed on anything from fruits, veggies, meat and even snacks! Yup, cheese Twisties anyone?

And, if Hermie somehow lost one of its legs, eyes or claws, it is REPLACEABLE! All it has to do is to molt (shed skin in simpler term) and it'll grow back! How cool is that!

If you are interested in getting to know more about pet hermit crabs, try visiting this link: http://www.hermit-crabs.com/index.html

Additional info
Hermie comes with a one-month guarantee... Haha, so I get to have a new one FREE if Hermie decides to go home to be with the Lord. Cool eh?

Hermits?
Well, apparently the name 'hermit crab' is a misconception because they are not used to being alone at all! In fact, in the wild, they travel in packs of up to 100 sometimes.

For this reason, I've decided to pick up a new friend for Hermie later today. Will show you more pics in the next post. I'm quite excited to see how Hermie will respond to its new playmate. Hopefully they're of the opposite sex. Then can produce offsprings! That'll save me money to get more companion for them, right? Woohoo... money-making crabbies.

On a side note, I've decided to blog about food and places that I've eaten before. Somewhat like a review lah. So, look out for drool-icious food pix in the next post!

That's all folks (for today at least). Adios! (bye in Spanish)