ANIMALIA ANTHROPODA CRUSTACEA MALACOSTRACA DECOPODA PLEOCYEMATA ASTASIDIA ASTACOIDA/ PARASTACOIDA
Okay, so this one is a little complicated. (As you can tell from the title.) I guess I should just start at the beginning with this one too.
Yesterday, I awoke much like any other morning. Madison, our dog, was barking outside and Theresa, the mama of the house, was painting. I got up and simultaneously got lost in a book I've been hooked on for the last few days. I can't quite recall when it happened, but Theresa came to me with a cup covered with a paper plate and asked: "Do you know what this is? I don't think it's a bug." Maddy had been barking up until this point at something in the grass of the yard and Theresa finally went to investigate, discovering something... strange.
She lifted the plate and I peered inside, my eyes widening with recognition, "That's a crawfish!"
But how, do you say, did an animal that lives in rivers and ponds get into our yard, so far from home? We have our hunches. One involving a cat that recently had a paw injury. We figure the kitty found him by a pond and, being a natural hunter, decided it looked yummy. But then discovered that the pincers on a crawfish mean business.
So there we were, crawfish in a cup. Thankfully, my sister had owned a crawfish when we were little, so I remembered what to do with him. I filled a bucket with some water and moved it inside until I could decide what to do. It was kind of an unsaid truth that I would be the one to take care of it, whether I brought him to an animal shelter or what. But I also recalled that Theresa once owned fish and had an empty tank downstairs. I got her permission and proceeded to prepare it for it's new tenant.
It had everything a crawfish needed, according to my research. It had light rocks that it could move and rearrange. A cave and hollowed fake log for it to hide inside. And enough space recommended for the amount of water it should have (about ten gallons). I cleaned the stones and dusted off the top, washing out the tank and setting it all up. Once it was filled about halfway, I stood over the bucket with trepidation.
This was the part where I was supposed to approach from behind and grab it from the sides to pick it up. I lowered my hand underneath the water and spoke softly, probably more to myself than it, "Okay, time to move you. It'll be okay. Just gotta pick you up...." However, what I hadn't read on the internet yet was that crawfish have two speeds: really slow and really fast; a "turbo" that comes from the fins. And as soon as the tips of my fingers brushed its shell, this "turbo" was activated. He flew out from under my hand and hit the side of the bucket, causing me to recoil in surprise with a scream that probably scared it even more. Water got everywhere and I sat next to the bucket, breathing fast and chuckling a little from shock.
Okay, so new plan. I grabbed a fish scooper net and I lifted him from the back, quickly transferring it over to the tank. It hid under the cave while I finished filling it. And now here we are. Well, sort of. Here we are after I purchased an under water filter and some shrimp pellets.
I'm not sure what gender it is because I haven't gotten a chance to look underneath it. I researched how to tell, but I'm not about to try and lift it again. It's explored and moved the rocks and eaten the pellets and seems to have gotten used to the tank. Unfortunately, it doesn't like me very much. It doesn't like anyone very much really. Crawfish are very territorial and like to rear up and point it's pincers at you should you get too close. So my face at the glass, watching it, apparently intruded into its personal bubble.
It's strange, having a pet that doesn't really like you. Although, I'm not always Sapphire's favorite person either. But it's kind of cool to have such a creepy looking pet. And it is very interesting to watch.
ザリガニ
So here it is. A new pet I thought I'd never have. ZARIGANI THE CRAWFISH. (Zarigani is the Japanese word for crawfish, so I basically just typed 'crawfish the crawfish' lol.) The name makes me think of a cranky samurai. It seems to fit its personality and it's gender nuetral, so yay. I'd post a picture but Zari is hiding right now... maybe I'll catch a picture of it soon. Until then.
Read me in my next post!!!
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