Back in January I introduced Rouge — one of two odd little critters Santa decided we needed this year.
You might not recognize him anymore from that picture, because he changed shells a couple of months ago. His new one’s a lot less interesting (imho), but they go where they will, and he’s still cute.
I’ve only gotten one or two good shots of Moulin though.
Not only is she much shyer, she came from the store missing one of her walking legs and wearing a ridiculously elongated shell that she had trouble maneuvering. (Come to think of it, the “shyness” probably stemmed from the physical limitations.)
About 5 weeks ago, though, Moulin and Rouge both burrowed to the bottom of their tank and disappeared for awhile. Rouge came back up from his molt about 10 days ago, but we didn’t see Moulin again until this morning.
The second thing she did was climb to the very top of a plant growing in the tank.
Clearly, having all one’s legs makes for a more nimble crab. Molting’s a good thing.
Oh… and the first thing she did? She changed shells. She’s now wearing Rouge’s old one.
This is going to get confusing, I think. LOL!
I am absolutely positively in love with both Moulin and Rouge, and you know what? I learned something with this post! I learned that hermit crabs grow new appendages during their molt. Interesting! Too bad, tho, that Moulin has to wear one of Rouge’s old hand-me-downs. Isn’t there any way Santa could have allowed for a new house in her budget? 🙂
Hi Goldenrod — they sure are fun and interesting little critters! When Santa first brought them here, I had no idea they molted either — much less regenerated limbs. (For that matter, I didn’t realize initially that Moulin was missing a leg, either!)
But don’t feel sorry for her about wearing Rouge’s former house. She had 5 shells to choose from in the tank when she came up. She just preferred this one.
:>
We had a hermit crab several years ago. I didn’t realize they molted and figured it must have died after several days of no movement. It probably woke up weeks later and wondered why it now lived at the dump…. 🙁
You are an amazing photographer.
Hi Tammy — that’s so sad! LOL!!! If it makes you feel better, I’ve talked to a whole bunch of folks recently about Moulin and Rouge — and I’ve heard your same story many times.
:>
And thank you! Though I think I’m probably more patient (stubborn?) than good a lot of the time.