I've Got Crabs! Want Some?!

Who's Your Crabby?

There are two main species sold as pets in the United States.

1. Coenobita clypeatus - Commonly known as Caribbean crab because it’s a native of the Carribbean (yeah. so. um. deffo NOT local to your typical beach vacation spot.) Think of the kind with the big purple pincher.  We shall call him PP Crab.
2. Coenobita compressus – Or, Ecuadorian Crab and/or E-Crab.

Same Difference, Right?

WRONG!

1. PP Crabs live on the forest floor and drink from rainwater puddles.
   • They have a brown head with darker purple/red/orange legs. (And big purple claw, of course!)
2. E-Crabs live on the Pacific seashore in tidal pools.  They NEED saltwater to live.
   • They are usually tan in color sometimes with bluish tint on their bodies or the insides of their legs. 

How Low Can You Go?

Can you go to the flo?

72° F is the lowest temperature … so no lower than that.  But don’t allow consistent low temps OR consistent high temps.  (We’re talking a happy medium here, crab-lovers.)

Allowing your crabs to get too hot will cause irreversible damage and eventually a slow, painful death.  sob!

Moisture, Moisture, Moisture.

Your crab, no matter if it’s a PP or an E needs a moist, tropical environment.  That means a level of at LEAST 70% humidity.  He breaths through gills and gills need to be moist.

1. Get a natural sponge.
2. Keep it moist.

1.  Keep the non-metallic, non-pourous dish shallow but large enough for Him to crawl completely into it.
2. Put a small bit of sponge in the dish.
3. Provide an escape route.

Crabby Wants Him Some Entertainment

Crabs will crawl over and hide in almost anything.  So put some fun stuff in his crabitat.  But avoid resinous wood … cedar or pine annoys crabs.

Try …

• Unpainted clay flower pots
• coral/barnacles/sea fans
• Plastic plants
• Hermie huts
• Dried choya (cholla) wood that they actually eat.

Search For the Perfect Shell

Your crab will continue to search for his entire life.  So get a variety of shell in all sizes.  The best and current shell size should have an opening about the size of his big CLAW. 

• PP Crabs prefer a round opening.
• E-Crabs prefer a shell with a slit shaped opening.

Posse

Don’t let your crab be an only child.  He deffo likes to have some friends.  Hey, more crabs means more shells and more shells means a happy crab!

Take into consideration that those E Crabs like to be livin’ with crabs of their own kind.

Nom, Nom, Nom ...

Crabs eat just about anything.  So, there is no need to buy food anywhere but your own grocery store.  They need a diet that includes calcium, carotene, and anti-oxidants.

• Fruit, especially tropical fruit
• Meat, well cooked without sauce or butter.  They’ll even eat any sort of dead crustacean. (Freaking CANNIBALS!!)
• Try nuts, popcorn, washed grass, cooked egg, or raisins for treats!
• Dairy foods. (But only in small amounts.)

Up All Night and Shell Fights

Normal crab behavior …

• Crawling over each other.
• Having “feeler fights”.
• Pushing contests.

Recipe for Crab Food

• 2 large cuttlebones
• 1 cup dried rice (any non-instant type0
• 1 cup unflavored oatmeal
• 1 tsp. salt, uniodized (sea salt or aquarium salt)
• 1/4 cup dried plankton, krill or any other very stinky dried sealife
• 2 tablespoons spriulina powder (found at a health food store)

Crabitat

Remember.  Crabby needs some space.  A 10 gallon aquarium is an ideal location to hold him, his food and water dishes, toys to climb and extra shells.  Also, having some room for him to roam around without obstruction makes a happy crab.

Sand, coconut fiber or a combination of both is the perfect substance to put in the bottom of the cage.   Just make sure it doesn’t contain any chemicals!  Crabby don’t like that!

Handling

• Move slowly.
• Hold crab by the shell.
• Place your hand underneath the crab.  Stretch out your hand (less skin to possibly pinch) and allow the crab to walk along your palm.