Patrick and Bob

Patrick and Bob are the newest animals to bravely set up house in our home (please refer to previous blogs for the unfortunate bad luck some of our previous pets have endured). Patrick (who in hindsight should have been named Survivor) is a hermit crab Caleb won at the Jessamine Co. Fair (I guess I should consider myself fortunate considering you can now win a "pet" rabbit at your local county fair). What I didn't realize is that hermit crabs actually require a lot of care (at least initially). After researching hermit crabs on the internet, I was horrified to learn they need large enclosed aquariums, several inches of sand, toys, etc. (the man at the fair lied...hermit crabs will DIE if you leave them in the tiny plastic box they send you home with). Mind you, I did not learn this important info until 3 weeks AFTER Patrick had been living with us (hence the nickname "Survivor"). Equipped with my new hermit crab knowledge, I set out for the local PetSmart and bought all of the necessary items (and in the process bought Patrick a friend, Bob, as hermit crabs are very social creatures). Feeling very smug and knowlegable about my hermit crabs I nearly fell over dead when I read a recent newspaper article in the local paper. "Woman's Pet Hermit Crabs Still Alive After 30 years!" Thinking this was an isolated freak incident of nature I scanned the article quickly only to discover that yes, with proper care, hermit crabs can live to be 30-40 years old. All I could think is what the hell have I gotten myself into?