Crabs...

dinomom

dinomom

Chameleon Enthusiast
I forgot to add these in "I have too many pets"

144 gallon with 4 Purple Pinchers (couple of rescues of course), 4 rugosa, and 1 strawberry.

These two ARE as big as they look, softball sized.

I am desperately seeking brevimanus, purpurea, and viola as well as more strawberries, so if anyone can hook me up or trade that would be cool! A very stable tank for years. I know all of these would be wild caught and lose their opportunity to breed, but they would have a VERY good, long life with excellent husbandry and no fear of predation 👍
 

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ERKleRose said:
Did you make the terrarium yourself?
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Uh, NO. I designed it on paper and a local reptile store made it. It is such a bitch to get a proper crab tank for 3 reasons:

One is the constant high humidity requirement, so you have to design the top specifically and
Two-if it is tall enough to have sand that is deep enough for big crabs to molt, you have to get on a house ladder to reach in and service it with your 4 foot long arms
three -if the sand gets flooded it can mold etc and it is a nightmare to change it out.

Thus the top with metal mesh and acrylic panels, the sliders on the front, and the 2" false bottom for drainage.

I mean obviously I did all the decorating. Another very challenging aspect is putting in your thermometers and humidity gauges. Because these guys can climb anything, and they LOVE to gradually pinch away anything like electric cords, wood, plastic etc. So I have them suspended in the air through thick hoses. Those exoterra rubber vines have to be replaced every so often as they will literally destroy them down to the wire.
 
  1. Why does their being wild caught lose their opportunity to breed? Different species?

  2. That enclosure is beyond impressive, so I'm beyond impressed. :cool:

  3. DINOMOM'S GOT CRABS! (Somebody had to say it. :rolleyes: )
 
Klyde O'Scope said:
  1. Why does their being wild caught lose their opportunity to breed? Different species?

  2. That enclosure is beyond impressive, so I'm beyond impressed. :cool:

  3. DINOMOM'S GOT CRABS! (Somebody had to say it. :rolleyes: )
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Ha Ha! I have had crabs for YEARS.

That comment is for anyone who wanted to be judg-y about keeping imported animals. While it has been done to breed them in captivity, it's a very few times. The problem is they hatch in the ocean and spend a long time there feeding on plankton before coming onto land, and are unspeakably tiny. Water and environmental conditions must be very precise as they switch from gills to modified gills for air. So while possible it is very difficult in captivity. IF I ever get eggs of course I will give it my best shot. Basically I meant if they were left on the beach they could breed and we sort of take that away from them. But honestly, there are PLENTY of them, the biggest threat they face is a shell shortage.

That means a lot about the enclosure, it is the biggest undertaking I have ever done for an animal and believe me that is saying a lot.

But I think everyone on here loves to create an environment where the creatures thrive, that is the best reward!
 
dinomom said:
The problem is they hatch in the ocean and spend a long time there feeding on plankton before coming onto land, and are unspeakably tiny. Water and environmental conditions must be very precise as they switch from gills to modified gills for air.
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That sounds kinda like an amphibian, but I know crabs are crustaceans. I did not know some make that transition! Cool. :cool:
 
jamest0o0 said:
I love crabs lol. Vampire crabs are on my wishlist haha. You should really go crazy and get a coconut crab... just need a room and a deep sandbox for it... oh and don't let it eat you.
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Yeah...you just need an entire pool filled with sand 🤣 jesus could you imagine getting pinched by one of those??
 
Thought she might mean that, I looked into breeding fiddlers for cuttlefish, but you need a pool for the larvae to circulate through.
 
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