Land Crabs?

[Viridae]

Poor Pegleg! I dunno what it is but they've never much appealed to me.
Are they messy? Do they smell?
(Bylo, same question to you about your land crabs)

Neither messy nor smelly (as long as you keep the substrate clean - for me that means washing the gravel in a bucket every 3 months or so and removing any poo I see. They don't drag their food around much)

They are seen as a bit of a kids pet - god knows how many kids have killed theirs, they are a little more difficult to look after than the petshops say. However if you can get over that stigma they are a very easy to care for, cheap to run pet and can be very entertaining. I sometimes have mine down to watch tv with me or crawl on my desk while I'm doing work. They love climbing and that is their most endearing quality - its hilarious to watch them lose their footing and somersault into their water dish with a big splash.

 

[bylo]

Neither messy nor smelly (as long as you keep the substrate clean - for me that means washing the gravel in a bucket every 3 months or so and removing any poo I see. They don't drag their food around much)

the same Mate , clean the gravel every few months .

no smell at all

 

[Viridae]

I am honestly very tempted to grab a few of these new crabs. I love crustaceans and these ones sound fascinating.

 

[PhilK]

Mum's paranoid about them stinking the house out haha, dunno why.
This is gonna sound silly.. but do they crap? If so is it like scorp/spider crap?

 

[bylo]

its like fish poop ,
you wouldn't know it was there.
and yes it did sound silly , LOL

 

[PhilK]

I really meant more like how do they crap! If I keep them on sand and that, is it noticeable enough to spot clean? Or will I have to just full-on change the substrate every month or so?

PS that caresheet going up?

 

[cris]

How does a hermit crab take a dump, wouldnt it just go into the shell?

With the freshwater ones it just comes out linda like a thin sausage so spot cleaning wouldnt work very well, just treat them like you would fish.

 

[Viridae]

I really meant more like how do they crap! If I keep them on sand and that, is it noticeable enough to spot clean? Or will I have to just full-on change the substrate every month or so?

PS that caresheet going up?

Dunno about the new guys, but mine seem to (not sure) crap in their shell (a little brown worm less than a centimetere in length) and then fish it out. Or athast what appears to happen - not sure to be honest. And on sand they would be very easy to spot clean - slightly harder on gravel, it blends in a bit. But yeah, anything visible I remove, otherwise wash the gravel every 3 months. They live for a very long time if you take good care of them.

 

[PhilK]

How does a hermit crab take a dump, wouldnt it just go into the shell?

With the freshwater ones it just comes out linda like a thin sausage so spot cleaning wouldnt work very well, just treat them like you would fish.

I don't keep fish! But these guys live on land, not in the water like fish.


Will be keeping them on a coco fibre/sand/pebbles mix... try and simulate a dried out creek bed. Ended up deciding against false bottom, as I figure they'll go into the water if they need moisture.

 

[Viridae]

I don't keep fish! But these guys live on land, not in the water like fish.


Will be keeping them on a coco fibre/sand/pebbles mix... try and simulate a dried out creek bed. Ended up deciding against false bottom, as I figure they'll go into the water if they need moisture.

Sounds promising.

 

[PhilK]

UPDATE: Decided today it'll be easier to get a custom made tank, instead of making one myself (as I'd have to buy the sheets of glass, cut them, silicon them etc etc)
Put my design into the aquarium maker and it should be ready in about 7 - 10 days!

Attached is a design of the tank I made (simply and crappily drawn on paint). Whole thing only cost me $140. Love my tank maker!!

Bet you all can't wait 'til I just get the crabs so I shut up about them

 

[Viridae]

Check out these *******s!

Coconut crabs.

 

[PhilK]

They'd be delicious!

 

[Viridae]

They'd take your leg off. They break coconuts open with those claws! I have to use a damn vice to inflict that kind of pressure.

 

[PhilK]

What do you think of my tank design? If I have plants in there wll the crabs tear them apart? What is crab-proof?

 

[Viridae]

I like the tank design. I had a plant in with the hermies but they sat on it and trashed it. You need something that is mechanically strong and will like the warmth. Perhaps a bromeliad if the tank is llarge enough for it.

 

[PhilK]

Not sure how many bromeliads exist in the arid Qld interior? Hahaha... I'll porbably settle with logs and rocks, and I might put some fake plants in for my benefit.

Do they need hides?

 

[Viridae]

I would say yes. My hermies like to hide in a cave I made for them fro a couple of pieces of driftwood - they lurk there through the day mostly and them come out in the evening.

 

[Australis]

I'm sure some of the members on here have crabs

Like these? a few breeders of them on this site as you suspected.

 

[hornet]

Check out these *******s!

Coconut crabs.

i know a supplier of these in aus. They sell them live for the resturant trade and from what i hear they do actually have a coconut taste to them.