She didn’t know anything about crustacean biology. She didn’t know that crawdads can regrow claws. What she knew was that when she felt broken—when her bike chain came off, or her doll’s arm popped out—her dad fixed it with tools.

“Fixing him,” Ellie said, with a confidence that should have alarmed any adult in the room.

Now, to be clear: She is seven, not a veterinary surgeon. Instead, her logic was more ingenious. She observed that Pinchy’s remaining claw was weak but functional. The problem wasn’t the missing claw—it was that the food floated away or got stolen.

And that, somehow, fixed more than just a crawdad. Have you or your child ever “fixed” an animal in an unexpected way? Share your story in the comments. And if you want to learn more about crayfish care and limb regeneration, check out our guide to classroom aquariums.

“He’s not fixed,” Leo told his mom that night at dinner. “He’s broken.”

By the end of the school year, Pinchy had regrown a small but fully functional replacement claw. He no longer needed the bottle-cap cafeteria. He could defend his food against the minnows.