Preparing for pets

After my last post on pets many gave me helpful advice. Balancing them all up, we've decided to buy three hermit crabs (one for each boy). Yesterday I went and bought them a home, shell grit for a floor covering and a water container. I was particularly pleased that I found them a portable home. It even has handles, so when we're away we can take them with us. The boys were suitably excited. They jostled over who was going to set up the home (with interior decorating, as you can see). They discussed what they could call them and my discerning 10 y.o. wondered why they needed a roof. Told that the crabs can climb, he pondered how. Our 7 y.o. is a little obsessed with names at present. It's been a recent revelation to him - the amazing variation of western names. In the last few weeks he's made a rather long list in a sketch book and is proceeding to name and rename stuffed toys, brothers, himself, toy cars and now, presumably, his pet hermit crab. We're fearing for his poor crab, that it will have itself an identity crisis. Not only will its name change regularly, but probably its sex too. All up, I'm glad that I didn't buy the crabs yesterday. They might have been unwittingly murdered in the frenzied excitment. Tomorrow our 4 y.o. will help me buy them after our dental check-up (which happens to be near the pet store).