Re: unknown crab 4/19/09
Neale,
Thank you so much for the super fast reply.
<Happy to help.>
Beautiful isn't she?
<And how!>
We are just amazed at her colors. I am real concerned about taking care of this crab. Ok, just a couple more questions. Is the 20 tall big enough?
<Should be ample, especially if you use lots of bogwood or whatever to create places to climb.>
I have a 55g that has a crack in the bottom that is not being used. Or is that overkill?
<I'm sure the crab would love that tank, but why not keep things simple and inexpensive for now?>
Is the gravel and crushed coral ok or should I get a bunch of moss instead?
Or both?
<Either. These animals aren't at all fussy. Wild animals burrow into mud.
They burrow into the mud along river banks a lot, so if they can dig, that's great. Here are the things that matter: Firstly, that you can clean the tank out easily. Some folks find "disposable" media like coconut fibre
the ideal in this regard, simply cleaning it all out before it gets smelly.
Other folks prefer substrates they can clean every couple of weeks. Either is fine. What matters more are [a] a hiding place; and [b] humidity. Provided they have these things, they really aren't fussed. So a cave or hollow ornament or whatever where they can hunker down periodically is useful, and as for humidity, a plastic drip tray or even a regular hood should take care of that. Within these restrictions, be creative!>
I have made her a larger land area by making a plateau out of the gravel and siphoning out some of the water out. Seems to work ok with the filter still circulating all the water through the raised gravel area. She wants nothing to do with the "land" area and dives right back into the water.
<Really? That's odd. Well, since I don't recognise the crab to species level, let your observations be your guide. She certainly should have land, but if she's nervous or otherwise fussed about something, she will feel more secure under water. Start off with a 50/50 mix of land and water, and see how you go.>
Maybe that's just what she is used to. I hollowed out a spot in the gravel so there is just a shallow pool. She is staying there for the moment. As far as heat, get a heat rock?
<I'd recommend an undertank heating mat as being a lot easier to use in this context.>
Of course that would require a real land area wouldn't it.
<Indeed. You may find that if the water area is big enough, heating the water, and allowing the warmed air to circulate, will do the trick. Really depends on how cold the air is in your part of the world. If you're in
Southern California or somewhere with a subtropical climate, merely warming the water would be adequate. Elsewhere, you really want to heat up the whole enclosure.>
Again, I really appreciate your input.
Quick
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: unknown crab 4/20/09
Neale,
You are awesome.
<Modesty forbids...>
We live in Texas, usually around 74, 75 in the house all year round. Should be warm enough I'd think. She ate a nice piece of cantaloupe while we were making breakfast. I feel much better now that she has eaten something.
Here's a link to a site I found helpful as well.
http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Bugs,%20Patriot%20Crab.htm
<Have to confess that this isn't one of my favourite sites; while it has a page on just about everything, it also contains myriad errors and the writers seem to have a slap-dash approach to healthcare and animal welfare.
They seem to offer feeder fish to just about everything, which to me is a massive alarm bell that rings "bad fishkeeping".>
We will stick to the 20t for now as I am going to "give" the crab to one of our 12 year old twins. You are of course correct concerning manageability compared to the 55g. The other twin is getting a hand tame pair of
Fischer's lovebirds to "take care of". We all know how that works don't we?
<Indeed... an issue I've commented on here before; by all means share animals with children, but if any parent believes their child will genuinely shoulder all the work (and expense) they're likely to be in for a
surprise.>
Should be fair, we hope...
Again, thank you. We will let ya know how we progress. Have a blessed day.
<I do hope so! And to you, too.>
Quick
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: unknown crab, fdg., sys., beh.   4/22/09
Neale,
I was mistaken when I said that the crab had eaten a nice piece of cantaloupe.
<Banana! Land crabs seem to love banana, the softer the better! Also try small pieces of white fish, ideally lancefish, which you can buy in pet shops. These have bones in them, and the calcium there is excellent for the crabs. Unshelled prawns, perhaps sliced along the middle to make things easier, are also a good source of calcium. Crabs are scavengers, and generally eat anything that's soft or meaty.>
My wife had removed it as it was getting a bit smelly. The crab has not eaten anything since we got her and has seemingly become very weak.
<Review air temperature and humidity; these are essentially like frogs in terms of care, and cold, dry air does them no good at all. Turning the heater up in the water side of the tank can create more warm, humid
conditions in the land side of the tank. Likewise, keeping the lid more firmly secured will help, too.>
She has not moved much in the past 2 days. Maybe she's getting ready to molt.
<You can actually check this: before they moult, crustaceans absorb extra water. When picked up, you may notice they've both bulked up and yet the shell is softer than normal, and may even yield a bit to the touch. They feel less heavy for their size that you'd expect (a tip you using when buying edible crabs, by the way). While the following link refers to Land Hermits, in terms of generalities, it would hold true for Land Crabs too:
http://hermit-crabs.com/molting.html
So, prior to moulting, the crab will puff up, become softer, tend to hide away from light, and generally become inactive. Moulting starts with the exoskeleton unzipping, and the crab sort of backs out of its shell,
tail-end first.>
I hope so. We would not feel like very good stewards if she dies.
<I understand!>
Already lost one pet this week :-( One of our Fischer's lovebirds had a seizure and died in my hands.
<Oh, sorry to hear that.>
Of course, I have zero history on the crab. Have tried feeding her a variety of foods to no avail. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Quick
<Cheers, Neale.>