Howie The Crab's Mom Answers Fans Questions On TikTok Live
By Melanie VanDerveer on December 27, 2022 at 3:30 AM EST
Howie the crab captured many hearts on TikTok over the past few months. During her scary month-long molting process, that gave many the fear that she might not make it to the other side, she's back to her old self in a new shell. Howie's mom took to TikTok live to answer fans' questions about the molting process, how Howie's doing now and general questions about rainbow crabs.
Howie's Mom Answered Questions During A TikTok Live
"Howie's doing great," Howie's mom told people during the live. She then gave Howie the mic so people could hear the sounds the sweet crab makes. "They make little noises cause she's oxygenating her modified gills," she said. "And Howie's very intelligent. She knows faces and people and foods, and she has memories, remembers everything."
During the live, Howie sat on her mom's arm with her festive Santa hat on. When asked how the hat stays on so perfectly, Howie's mom said, "The hat stays on with gentle human medical tape." She then explained that she got Howie from an aquatic pet store in 2016, and that she's not concerned that Howie will pinch her while sitting on her arm.
Since the crab had such a tough molt this time around, Howie's mom explained that she's been feeding her high calorie foods so she can "reach maximum health" before giving her treats or sweets, and her favorite foods are peanut butter sandwiches and cheese.
Many Fans Had Questions About The TikTok Famous Crab
As the questions continued to roll in, Howie's mom answered quickly, "I've lost count of the time that she's molted. Howie's actually reached her species maximum size for her gender," she said.
When asked where the name Howie came from, Howie's mom explains that it was her daughter who named the little crab. "My daughter named Howie when she was in kindergarten because she was watching the show 'Bobby's World.' That was the coolest show at the time, and because I sound like Bobby's mom, like Howie, she just named it Howie, and we kept the name even though we know she's a girl," she explained.
Fans wanted to know when to expect the next molt since it was such a tough time this time around. "They continue to grow so they always need to molt. And now that she's older, she's molting twice a year," she said. "Her last one spanned eight months, and so this one is going to span, I'm assuming about 10, so that puts us somewhere around fall, maybe September, October."
Fans got to learn a lot about the Internet famous pet crab. Howie is approximately 7-and-a-half years old and likes to run, pinch the kitties, and hide when she gets the chance, which is why Howie sat on her arm during the live.
One person wanted to know how Howie was taught to high five. "Teaching her to high five was kind of an interesting thing. I just always go to pet her claws and when I started petting her claws, she would reach out with a leg and want to touch me too, touch me back, and so I started encouraging it," she said. "So I would do this little hand motion, and then she would high five. Or I would tap a leg that she wanted to high five with and she would just do that, and so it was really easy."
Howie's mom explained why the molting process is so important, and why it was so scary for everyone to watch. "They can die from molting. Molting is a very, extremely delicate process where she's regrowing her mandibles, and her intestines and her stomach lining, and if she doesn't properly separate from her molt, she will die," she explained. "The last molt was very successful and I'm so happy."
