# Suggest me a (non-hermit) land crab?



## Scythemantis (Dec 9, 2005)

I was wondering if someone could help me out here...I'd really like to get a land crab, but not a hermit, a "traditional" crab. I know how to care for some species, but all of them need to be able to regularly submerge themselves or burrow in mud, and most of them like brackish or salt water which I especially don't want to mess with right now.

Aren't there any true crabs in the pet trade that can live happily without an amphibious enclosure? If not, I'd still like to know what comes the closest, and like I said, preferably fresh-water.

I believe there are a few crabs commonly kept in a fully terrestrial environment when it isn't actually appropriate for them. I definately don't want to do this.


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## Snailracer (Dec 31, 2005)

Hi there !
I am not keeping Spineless wonders myself (yet...) but I thought maybe I try to help anyways 

I just browsed through what's available for me and found that Reptilica had these for sale...  
http://www.reptilica.de/shop/product_info.php/products_id/6980/lang/english/index.htm

Some keeping information are here ... http://www.easyinsects.co.uk/site/content/view/22/29/

I hope this helps.


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## roach dude (Dec 31, 2005)

there are rainbow crabs which are amphibiouse land crabs nice coulars and i dont think there to hard to care for.quite commmon in store and garden centers ive seen them. i think there must be alot of dealers online.....just look around

heres a online website i ofund selling lots of nonn hermit crabs
http://www.shrimpcrabsandcrayfish.co.uk/Shrimp.htm?landcrabs.htm~mainFrame
http://www.shrimpcrabsandcrayfish.co.uk/Shrimp.htm?landcrabs.htm~mainFrame


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## Wade (Jan 3, 2006)

I don't know of any crabs that are totally independent of salt (or at least brackish) water, as they all require salt water to reproduce (including hermit crabs). However, there are many forest-dwelling land crabs that only visit the salt water once a year for breeding. The popular "moon crabs" of the pet trade are supposed to live this way. If I were to keep them, I would probably offer a dish of fresh water as well as a dish of brackish water. This is also a good policy for hermit crabs, btw. I've kept a few land crabs in the past, but now only have hermits.

Things to remember about any land crab:

Gills must be kept moist to fuction. Water must ALWAYS be available, and a high-humidity environment is best. Dry cage=dead crab.

Deaths often occur due to bad molts. Providing a deep moist substrate that allows for burrow construction will help, as they will molt in sealed chambers underground.

Heat may be benneficial. Land crabs IME tend to langusish at lower room temps the tarantulas and scorpions thrive at. I'd suggest around 85 degrees for most.

Wade


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## Scythemantis (Jan 3, 2006)

I've never kept anything that required heating...kinda a foreign concept to me. Simple to do, sure, but I don't know much about what equipment or brands to look for. What's the safest as far as fire is concerned (old, wooden furniture in an old, wooden house here) and cheapest to leave on as far as the electric bill is concerned?

Would also need to know this for the pede I'm getting soon.


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## dangerprone69 (Jan 3, 2006)

Anyone know of any stateside sources for these crabs? Those Halloween Crabs have struck my eye, and I'd love to add them to my collection.


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## RVS (Jan 6, 2006)

dangerprone69 said:
			
		

> Anyone know of any stateside sources for these crabs? Those Halloween Crabs have struck my eye, and I'd love to add them to my collection.



I do not know of any online dealers who carry them, but a local petstore where I normally buy crickets gets them in from time to time.

I would like to find one of these:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&q=Birgus latro&btnG=Search&sa=N&tab=wi

I remember seeing one of these offered for sale many years ago at a petstore in North Carolina. I'm sure they're quite hard to find now.


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## Empi (Jan 7, 2006)

I don't know of any crabs that don't need water at all. I have a red claw crab that I have had for about a year. The pet store told me he was a fresh water crab so I put him in my fish tank. Well I read on the internet later that they are supposed to be a brackish species. Well I can't catch the little fella because he is way to fast and he is in with my piranhas so I have just let him be. Well it has been a year and I can't see any reason why he needs brackish water because he is thriving. He has molted twice and is about two and a half inches now which is bigger than they are supposed to get. Although they do benefit from the salt they do not really need it. They can be kept in a fresh water tank with half water half sand no problem.
Here is a pic of rocky hangin out wit da fishes


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## AudreyElizabeth (Jan 7, 2006)

The only crabs I have tried to keep are the halloween/moon/soap dish crabs. The scientific name escapes me (garcinsomething :8o ) but they have a purple carapace and an orange underside. The last one I kept was in a half terrestrial, half aquatic enclosure which was a bit of an experiment in itself. I couldn't find a way to keep the sand from clogging up the filter. As Wade mentioned earlier it died from a bad molt, poor little bugger, in which it lost half of it legs!  But it ate and burrowed, even after the fatal molt. The tunnels they make in the wet sand are really amazing! I always had a cuttlefish bone and left a good chunk of the molt in the tank as a calcium supplement. The sand half of the set-up was heated with an under-tank heater as well.


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