Both of my Halloween crabs are male, and I have had to separate them. My newest Halloween crab, Claws, sadly only has one eye, a missing leg, and a broken leg. I suspect that he was bullying Feisty during the night and refusing to let Fesity drink water and eat. When my mom picked Feisty up after she suspected the same thing, he was limp and looked scared.
I do not know if Claws is such a bully because of the obvious abuse he has endured, or because that is simply his personality. But I do suspect that because crabs are so territorial in nature, it makes sense that male crabs would especially hold animosity toward each other. I do not recommend housing two male Halloween crabs together.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Got another Halloween crab!
Hello everyone,
I purchased a companion to my current living Halloween crab at a Reptile Expo! In a few days, I will post pictures and updates about how they are getting along!
Keep watching out for updates!
I purchased a companion to my current living Halloween crab at a Reptile Expo! In a few days, I will post pictures and updates about how they are getting along!
Keep watching out for updates!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Keeping Your Halloween Crab Alive and Crawling: Provide a Soaking Area and a Hiding Spot!
Halloween crabs, from what I have observed, love to hide. They also love to soak in water. By soak, I mean completely submerge their underbelly in a wide dish of water. This is necessary to keep their gills wet so that they can breathe properly.
When I owned my second Halloween crab, I only provided him a small dish of freshwater; this was a mistake. I would notice that he would constantly try to cram himself into his hottub (as I liked to call it), and that he could never manage to submerge his underbelly. Only a couple of weeks after observing him and owning him, he passed on. I now realize that this is because he could not soak his gills. Sadly, I did not realize this fact until two or three Halloween crabs later. When I finally did get a grasp on what the problem was, I set out to fix it.
The first thing that I did was buy a "walk-in" water dish that is commonly marketed as being for reptiles and tortoises. A walk-in water dish is a large, wide dish that stretches out beyond the actual water area and slopes downward so that an animal can easily climb up into it. My current Halloween crab loves this dish because he can easily get into it, it's wide enough and deep enough for him to soak his gills in it, and he can easily hide underneath it. That's right, my walk-in water dish serves two purposes: drinking/soaking water and a hiding spot! When I noticed that Feisty was digging and getting underneath the dish after soaking, I made things easier for him. I placed a seashell under the end of the dish and made it so that the dish became somewhat of a roof for a dark, cozy home. Feisty loves it, and hides under the dish for most of the day until he comes out at night to soak and dig. I know that his hiding spot has helped keep him from stressing out, and therefore it has helped keep him alive and crawling.
When I owned my second Halloween crab, I only provided him a small dish of freshwater; this was a mistake. I would notice that he would constantly try to cram himself into his hottub (as I liked to call it), and that he could never manage to submerge his underbelly. Only a couple of weeks after observing him and owning him, he passed on. I now realize that this is because he could not soak his gills. Sadly, I did not realize this fact until two or three Halloween crabs later. When I finally did get a grasp on what the problem was, I set out to fix it.
The first thing that I did was buy a "walk-in" water dish that is commonly marketed as being for reptiles and tortoises. A walk-in water dish is a large, wide dish that stretches out beyond the actual water area and slopes downward so that an animal can easily climb up into it. My current Halloween crab loves this dish because he can easily get into it, it's wide enough and deep enough for him to soak his gills in it, and he can easily hide underneath it. That's right, my walk-in water dish serves two purposes: drinking/soaking water and a hiding spot! When I noticed that Feisty was digging and getting underneath the dish after soaking, I made things easier for him. I placed a seashell under the end of the dish and made it so that the dish became somewhat of a roof for a dark, cozy home. Feisty loves it, and hides under the dish for most of the day until he comes out at night to soak and dig. I know that his hiding spot has helped keep him from stressing out, and therefore it has helped keep him alive and crawling.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Keeping Your Halloween Crab Alive and Crawling: Get a Crab that is Healthy to Begin With!
First things first: if you buy a Halloween crab that is already sick, you are not going to have much luck in turning it into a long-term pet. Crabs are not like dogs- they are not fully domesticated and used to living in houses and they cannot be taken to a vet when they get sick or stressed. All they can do is simply die. That why it is vitally important that you check for the following symptoms:
1. Missing claws and legs- This is a sign that the crab is either sick or stressed. I once purchased a Halloween crab that was already missing a couple of legs in a pet shop just outside of Dallas, TX. Bad idea- the crab (it was a female) only continued to lose legs, until she only had three (one on one side, and two on the other!) The poor thing could barely walk, and after about a month of trying to keep her alive, she passed on.
2. Lack of energy- A few days after I bought the Halloween crab who lost a bunch of legs (her name was Pumpkin), I found another Halloween crab for sale within the DFW metroplex and bought him (he was a male) on a whim. He was the snappiest little crab I had ever seen; he flipped over on his back every time I tried to pick him up in order to prevent me from getting ahold of him! Every time I touched him or tried to pet him, he dashed around his tank like a crazy crab, while Pumpkin watched from a safe distance (I kept them in the same tank.) One night, however, I approached Feisty (his name) and gently touched him like I always did. He moved a tiny bit, but not much. I instantly sensed that something was wrong; he had to be sick. But there was nothing I could do. I simply poured some more water in his dish, tossed some more hermit crab food into the tank, and went to bed. The next morning, I found him on his back- only this time, it wasn’t because he was scared of being picked up, but because he had died.
I mourned the loss of these two crabs, especially since I had already owned two other Halloween crabs before them that didn’t manage to last very long. Unlike Pumpkin and Feisty, those two crabs appeared to be healthy, but they still passed on very quickly.
So, what’s the key to keeping a healthy Halloween crab alive and crawling, you ask? The answers will be posted very soon!
1. Missing claws and legs- This is a sign that the crab is either sick or stressed. I once purchased a Halloween crab that was already missing a couple of legs in a pet shop just outside of Dallas, TX. Bad idea- the crab (it was a female) only continued to lose legs, until she only had three (one on one side, and two on the other!) The poor thing could barely walk, and after about a month of trying to keep her alive, she passed on.
2. Lack of energy- A few days after I bought the Halloween crab who lost a bunch of legs (her name was Pumpkin), I found another Halloween crab for sale within the DFW metroplex and bought him (he was a male) on a whim. He was the snappiest little crab I had ever seen; he flipped over on his back every time I tried to pick him up in order to prevent me from getting ahold of him! Every time I touched him or tried to pet him, he dashed around his tank like a crazy crab, while Pumpkin watched from a safe distance (I kept them in the same tank.) One night, however, I approached Feisty (his name) and gently touched him like I always did. He moved a tiny bit, but not much. I instantly sensed that something was wrong; he had to be sick. But there was nothing I could do. I simply poured some more water in his dish, tossed some more hermit crab food into the tank, and went to bed. The next morning, I found him on his back- only this time, it wasn’t because he was scared of being picked up, but because he had died.
I mourned the loss of these two crabs, especially since I had already owned two other Halloween crabs before them that didn’t manage to last very long. Unlike Pumpkin and Feisty, those two crabs appeared to be healthy, but they still passed on very quickly.
So, what’s the key to keeping a healthy Halloween crab alive and crawling, you ask? The answers will be posted very soon!
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