Technically an invert

[SPJ]

like spiders and scorpions so I figured I post it here. :reddevil:


New pics from tonight. Eats anything and not agressive at all.
Spooky the halloween crab (original huh :rofl: ).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v440/SPJ01/other%20animals/e4c01c0d.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v440/SPJ01/other%20animals/21e086de.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v440/SPJ01/other%20animals/249704cc.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v440/SPJ01/other%20animals/1651358c.jpg

[techgirl]

I still think he's adorable!! Would love to get one but they just don't have them around here. Otherwise there would be one sitting here in my house now.

[John Apple]

Man that thing is too cool, perhaps you could post a bit on the care of it .
such as
Diet
shedding requirements
humidity
lighting
temperature

Really a neet invert, I would like some more info on it.
peace

[The BoidSmith]

Very interesting. Where are they from originally?

[SPJ]

Here's what I know. So far it seems to be working pretty well. The setup is a bit different than what you would see a hermit crab in but not all that difficult to maintain except for the water part of it.

These come from Costa Rica and live between 3 and 5 years and need a constant supply of clean fresh water. If they cannot get into the water and drink, their lungs will dry out and they will die.
I use a 90 gallon rubbermaid container for it. Deep sand for substrate since they like to burrow. It is sloped and I used rocks hidden under the sand to allow it to angle down to the water part. The water is kept at 78 degrees with a simple aquarium heater. The rest is at room temps just like if you were keeping a hermit crab. I am going to be changing the setup soon since the way it works now, sand gets everywhere in the water and makes cleaning a PITA.
I don't have any special lighting and I'm not sure if it is needed or not since there really isn't much on the net regarding that.
They are scavengers and will eat just about anything. I keep 2 bowls in there for food. One always has fish flakes and hermit crab pellets and the other is used for grapes, apple pieces, romaine lettuce, brocolli pieces, cooked chicken, cut up scallop, earthworms, even tried a hot dog once and it ate it.
I have read that they will eat feeder fish but I haven't tried that yet.
He has only molted once for me since getting him a few months ago so I am not sure how many times a year they usually do that yet.
I never checked the humidity but it is probably pretty good since the sand is damp and there is a lot of water so when molting, he can just take a swim to help it along.
I have read that these things can pinch hard enough to draw blood but this one is very docile. Never made any attempt to pinch me or anyone else so far. They are a bit squirmy and a little faster that you would expect when first taking them out of the cage but after the first few seconds they will chill out and just explore to see what is going on. They use their claws while they walk on uneven surfaces to help maintain balance.
Hope this helped. There really isn't too much info out there regarding these things so I hope I am doing everything right. It seems that way so far but I still worry. I don't like having to guess at animals husbandry requirements.

[The BoidSmith]

Is it brackish water or plain tap water?

Regards

[SPJ]

plain freshwater