We have not become god and goddess worshipers.
No, we have instead become owners of violent pets.
Nathan started watching videos of mantis shrimp back in the late summer. These shrimp, that look more like lobsters, have smashers instead of claws. They use them to strike prey, bust open shells to get to food, and defend themselves against predators. They hit extremely hard. Nathan eventually decided he would like to own one as a pet. We are not pet people. I was adamant about not having a slimy sea creature in my home. I ended up coming around to him at least keeping it in the guest room, in a corner where I couldn't see it in passing, on the condition that I would never have to look at it or take care of it in any way.
Nathan bought the tank and all the trappings before he left for his TDY in Vicenza, agreeing to wait to buy the mantis shrimp until after he returned so that I would not have to take care of it in his absence. So, the week he returned, we went to the pet store downtown and bought the mantis shrimp that would soon be named Poseidon. He was a small, dark green thing that busted the bag he was in while we were still at the pet store. And his first night in the tank, he smashed the thermometer, causing its kerosene contents to spew into the water. I discovered I was much less grossed out than I thought I would be, and found Poseidon to be almost as entertaining as Nathan. The "grumpy old man," as we fondly referred to him, would punch anything and everything that came near him. Even though he didn't eat the little feeder shrimp Nathan would dump in the tank, he would punch them when they approached the entrance to his cave and send them flying across the tank. So funny. He had such a violent reputation that my coworker/the Catholic Parish Coordinator jokingly suggested we bring Poseidon to the chapel the day Father Betz was going to be doing pet blessings, in hopes that Poseidon would have a little change of heart. haha. We still laugh about that.
In the early part of November, Nathan had a week-long TDY in Grafenwoehr and I had instructions on how to care for Poseidon. All I had to do was fill the tank with water each day. Unfortunately, Poseidon decided that the day before Nathan was returning home would be a good day to kick the bucket. I was horrified to find him lying outside his little cave that Thursday morning, not moving. I kept hoping I was wrong in my guess that he was no longer alive. Nathan took the news over the phone that night pretty well. He wanted me to scoop out Poseidon's lifeless little body and throw it away, but I didn't feel ok about that. Not since it was his pet and all. He assured me he wouldn't be holding a funeral or anything, but I put the little thing in a Ziploc bag anyway, for Nathan to deal with when he got home. It was sad saying goodbye to Poseidon.
No, we have instead become owners of violent pets.
Nathan started watching videos of mantis shrimp back in the late summer. These shrimp, that look more like lobsters, have smashers instead of claws. They use them to strike prey, bust open shells to get to food, and defend themselves against predators. They hit extremely hard. Nathan eventually decided he would like to own one as a pet. We are not pet people. I was adamant about not having a slimy sea creature in my home. I ended up coming around to him at least keeping it in the guest room, in a corner where I couldn't see it in passing, on the condition that I would never have to look at it or take care of it in any way.
Nathan bought the tank and all the trappings before he left for his TDY in Vicenza, agreeing to wait to buy the mantis shrimp until after he returned so that I would not have to take care of it in his absence. So, the week he returned, we went to the pet store downtown and bought the mantis shrimp that would soon be named Poseidon. He was a small, dark green thing that busted the bag he was in while we were still at the pet store. And his first night in the tank, he smashed the thermometer, causing its kerosene contents to spew into the water. I discovered I was much less grossed out than I thought I would be, and found Poseidon to be almost as entertaining as Nathan. The "grumpy old man," as we fondly referred to him, would punch anything and everything that came near him. Even though he didn't eat the little feeder shrimp Nathan would dump in the tank, he would punch them when they approached the entrance to his cave and send them flying across the tank. So funny. He had such a violent reputation that my coworker/the Catholic Parish Coordinator jokingly suggested we bring Poseidon to the chapel the day Father Betz was going to be doing pet blessings, in hopes that Poseidon would have a little change of heart. haha. We still laugh about that.
Then, the night we returned home from our Thanksgiving trip to Naples & Rome, Nathan went to the pet store and bought a pistol shrimp, similar to the mantis shrimp. Instead of smashing things, they snap their claw shut fast so that it spews water so hard it will stun or kill their prey. He named her Hydra. He was hoping that his next mantis shrimp would have an epic fight with her. Finish reading this post and you will see why that hasn't happened. We don't have any pictures of her because she's remains in her home, inside a big piece of rock. Oh, and we were pretty sure she was pregnant when Nathan brought her home, but is not anymore.
And, the last addition to our slew of vicious little pets, is Vulcan. Nathan ordered him through a pet store in Nuernberg and we picked him up on December 1st, before hitting up their Christmas market. He.is.huge. Especially compared to Poseidon. But much prettier. Nathan took my suggestion to name him Vulcan (god usually pictured with a hammer--like a smasher--and a little reminder of our trip to Pompeii/Herculaneum, where they worshiped Vulcan), but we think he was named a little prematurely. I prefer to call him Mr. Wimpy Pants. Unlike Poseidon, Vulcan has been extremely docile. It's really rather boring. Nathan thinks he might have just been extremely stressed out and therefore just stayed holed up in his abode constructed of PVC pipes. Nathan's been doing little exercises with him, trying to get him to use his smashers more. He puts a little defrosted shrimp in a hollow shell, so Vulcan will smash it open to get to the food. The "training" seems to be helping. Because of this, I have also suggested we change his name to Rocky.
1 comments:
Wow! I've never even heard of mantis shrimp! That is a really cool looking little animal! :)
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