Hermit Crabs - Introductions :)

So back in the end of April - I was looking around on Freecycle.  Two things got my attention.  Someone was giving away their 10 gallon aquarium with four hermit crabs that their son had recently gotten for his birthday, but they were moving.  So they wanted the crabs going to a good home and and the supplies.  I thought this was fantastic, it's been something I have been wanting to do with my kids - definitely an interesting project AND great for learning.

The other thing was that same family was getting rid of their pet lizard and all the supplies for him (or her)....  but no terrarium for it.  They wanted to take their tank with them - who can blame them, right?   Well, we happened to have a big tank in our storage, so we got that and took both off their hands.   The kids have been hounding me to get a lizard - mainly Cal and Noah.  Actually, they were trying to talk me into getting a snake but I said if they wanted a snake - they'd have to earn money to get one.

So ....  we've had these guys for a little while.  I got a couple of things to put in the tank but everything else they provided.  The kids love them.  Nathan will park himself infront of the tank and just watch them do nothing.  Ha ha ...  because Hermies are nocturnal animals.

Shortly after getting them, well about three weeks after getting them, and just the other day - one of the crabs changed it's shell.   It was pretty cool to wake up and find that Sansa (yes we named them all) had changed her shell.

We did our homework of course, and now we're starting to teach the kids.  We figured four crabs was perfect, one for each of our boys.  That's the max "they" suggest for a 10 gallon anyway.  Each crab was in a painted shell.  For awhile, we called them by what was on their shells.... Cobra, Firetruck, Ladybug and Watermelon.  But after Dennis and I figured out how to tell their gender, we gave them a little more appropriate names.

Cobra - Calahan's ... Gandalf the Gray (cuz he's more brownish gray)
Ladybug - Nathan's - Paco, cuz Nathan's NOT Paco... but it's something he can say.
Firetruck - Noah picked as his - and seems to be the only girl in the bunch, so Dennis and I started to throw out names, and names from Game of Thrones ... and he liked Sansa.
Then last but not least, Kaedyn got saddles with the Watermelon one... he didn't care.  So he named him Max, cuz then there can be TWO Max's in the house.  (Noah's stuffed dog that he's had since he was a baby is named Max too) ...  

So ....  let me introduce you.