# Moon/halloween crabs



## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Hello!!

Just wanted to share these guys with you. The tank is still very bare as they like to move stuff around to burrow and just love to snip any plastic plants apart. 

They do have Some pot halves till i can get a good burrowing sand mix.

I dont....recomend handling these guys without some thick gloves or if you are skilled at doging claws.. The boy isnt so bad but the female will give you a run for your money.

I just adore these guys.


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## jrs (Mar 18, 2006)

Ciddian

Could you let me know how to care for these. I am interested in them but have no idea about food, compatability, filtration etc.

jrs


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Sure thing Jrs... 

These crabs are mostly land, they only need a small section of water but deep enough to submurge in once and a while. 
They do need a deep sand base so they can tunnel and make a burrow into. They need the burrows for molting.

I currently have a small internal filter in the tank with lots and lots of guppies. I wanted to test to see if they would harm fish and they really dont bother, because they usually scavange thier little section of beach for dead fish, vegitation....basically anything that has washed up. So you could even keep somthing nicer in the tank as far as fish.
They like to search through leaf litter and will pick at the ground for bugs, slugs...anything edible.

A heater is needed but i havent installed one. Its recomended to go under the sand section...i think you can do this two ways. Either use a reptile UHT heater or one of those new heater pads that can go under the sand. 
But! these guys love to check out everything...so the less cords in the tank the better 

They do get fairly large, mine at the moment are maybe 3-4 inches...I've seen some at 5 1/2
I am keeping a male and female together fairly well in a 30 gallon. They only push each other around for the best corner, its not recomended to keep two males together.

I'll post if i can think of anything else. Please ask any other questions if you have them. Not much is out there on these guys but they are quite neat to observe.


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## jrs (Mar 18, 2006)

What do you feed them? The only tank I have open is a snail tank, I take it they would invite all of the snails to dinner.

jrs


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

I cant be 100% sure on that one.....only because i have never seen them actually hunt in the water, or scavange in the water for that matter.

I feed mine greens, such as leafy lettus, carrot tops... They dont seem to like greens till the wither and rot a bit. But they'll take dead fish, dead bugs.. some meats...Turtle pellets and frozen krill seem to be faves


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## ontariobetta (Mar 13, 2006)

My brother had some of these...they kinda creeped me out, look too much like giant spiders!


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

They do too! lol

it was hilarious when we first got them from the reptile show. Meow was with me in the car and i cracked the container to have a peek at them. They seemed so calm and i wasnt used to thier size...

I touched one and suddenly both went running from the container, which caused me to scream and then the kids screamed along with Jay LOL
People were walking by our car wondering what the hell was going on....
Ever since then i have been slightly itimidated by them..


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## meow_mix450 (Mar 22, 2006)

haha it was scary while it happened, but we pretty much died laughing! haha. All I can say is there fast!

Meow


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## Grey Legion (Mar 20, 2006)

Very cool crab's !!

thanks for the info and of course posting your findings, I have been think of doing a semi aqautic crab tank for sometime so any info I get my hands on is very valued, as it seems hard to find much on the internet.

Thanks


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

very wecome Grey 

They are still doing quite well, I am hoping to see them molt sometime soon and i am still trying to find a perfect grain sand so that it sticks together well for a burrow.. right now they can only seem to dig holes. 
I did add some clay pot halves and they do enjoy them, they'll push sand up against the opening and close themselves up inside 

A good crab to choose if you want fish in the aquatic section of the tank, i've been breeding my guppies and noones being snacked on ^^

New food favs.. KFC leftovers (chicken bones) and Bok choi (the white parts)


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## Grey Legion (Mar 20, 2006)

Try Play sand, you can find it at any Home Dpot for 4-6 bucks I find when moist it sticks very well, may be perfect for your crabbies..


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Yes actually i did! 

They havent borrowed down, they onlt seem to dig into the corners... So i helped them out. I placed two clay pot halfs in there and covered them up with sand.. 
They seem much more happier...and now i never see them.. lol


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## Grey Legion (Mar 20, 2006)

That seems to be a common problem with any animal that burrows..

To bad they look cool..but as long as they are happy that is all that counts.


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