Oliver The Coconut Crab

[Scolopendra55]

Hey all, time for a much needed update on Oliver!

He had his second successful molt in my care. The molting timeline is as follows:

Went down November 6th
Molted December 9th
33 days to molt
Emerged and fed December 23rd
47 days till emergence

He currently has about a 5” leg span and a weight of 57 grams. This equates to a 35.7% increase in weight from his last molt.

The percentages in weight gain are honestly a bit arbitrary. He eats and drinks consistently, so the longer it takes to get his weight post molt, the heavier he will be, which will directly correlate to a larger percentage of growth. Either way, it at least shows that he is in fact growing!

He continues to be strictly nocturnal. About 30 minutes after lights out he emerges from one of his many burrows and goes on his nightly escapades, I.e. feeding, drinking, destroying cage decor, and generally being a menace!

I was previously using plastic ferns as decor, and to give him more climbing opportunities. However, over the past few months, he must have decided it was fun to pinch it all into obnoxiously small pieces (possibly some kind of tactile stimulus?). This ended up making quite a mess and I was worried he might ingest some of the smallest pieces causing an impaction. I recently swapped over to silk foliage, but he’s currently on a war path to destroy those as well. It is however much easier to pick out a pile of silk threads than a million pieces of microscopic plastic!

He has what would appear to be quite a large enclosure for his current size, but he utilizes every square inch of it. He is remarkably active and is very persistent with exploring every nook and cranny (to the extent of becoming quite destructive!).

All in all, Ollie is doing great, and seems to be adapting to captivity quite smoothly. He is undoubtedly higher maintenance than most of my other animals, but I’m immeasurably grateful to be able to share my life with one of the planets most amazing creatures!

I’m not much of a photographer, but here are a few pics I was able to take. Some with flash and some without. His blues/purples are coming in very nicely. I’m hoping he continues to color up over time and becomes a stunning mature specimen!

 

[Charliemum]

I wonder why he has called war on decor.
I got curious and I went to have a look on Google and it took me to hca, there was a story about their crab destroying everything in the viv including other crabs after a recent moult said there were 2 options, 1 coz your little one grew he needs a bigger area, (said it was to do with becoming dominant,) and the second person suggested trying shrimps because they may be looking for more protein after their moult.
Mind you it is about hermits not coconuts so the shrimp may not apply here but I found it interesting and thought it may help save some of your decor.

Destroying His Tank - Angry Hermie? - HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Here is the link just incase .
Congratulations on the moult btw hopefully Oliver will calm down soon .

 

[Glorfindel]

watch your fingers around Oliver, ouch ouch.

 

[Philth]

Pretty cool to see someone having a bit of success with these. They are not for everyone.
Later, Tom

 

[Scolopendra55]

I wonder why he has called war on decor.
I got curious and I went to have a look on Google and it took me to hca, there was a story about their crab destroying everything in the viv including other crabs after a recent moult said there were 2 options, 1 coz your little one grew he needs a bigger area, (said it was to do with becoming dominant,) and the second person suggested trying shrimps because they may be looking for more protein after their moult.
Mind you it is about hermits not coconuts so the shrimp may not apply here but I found it interesting and thought it may help save some of your decor.

Destroying His Tank - Angry Hermie? - HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Here is the link just incase .
Congratulations on the moult btw hopefully Oliver will calm down soon .

I feel like his “destructive” behavior is likely a totally natural byproduct of his innate curiosity of the world around him. Maybe the tactile sensation of strongly pinching artificial foliage simply feels good. At the very least gives him an opportunity to strengthen his claw muscles, and whatever is good for Ollie, is good for me! It’s certainly obnoxious, but I knew full well heading into this adventure that I’d have to be replacing decor as well as the odd thermometer/hygrometer as he grows!

As far as dominance goes, that certainly makes more sense for hermit crabs (Coenobita sp.) as they’re highly social animals. Coconut crabs on the other hand, tend to lead quite solitary lives with the odd tussle for food, shelter and mates.

The possibility of him already needing a larger enclosure isn’t completely out of the question, though I feel like he’s likely got quite a bit more time in his current setup. I mentioned that he explores every square inch of his environment, and that’s no exaggeration! I closely monitor his behavior for anything that could be construed as stress. If I ever notice anything major, it’ll be time for his new setup!

It’s ironic that you were looking up info on HCA’s website. That’s where I spent the better part of half a decade scouring for information that would (in theory) be applicable to captive Birgus.

While I don’t believe it’s related to his fondness for pinching plastic leaves, you brought up a great point about the need for protein post molt, as well as a varied diet as a whole. I feel fairly confident in saying that the two biggest reasons most coconut crabs fail to thrive in captivity comes down to improper housing, and improper diet. If you get one right but skimp on the other, you’d be hard pressed to have long term success.

I purchase most of his food mixes from well known hermit crab suppliers. They generally consist of 10-15 different ingredients, all of which are tailored to the “hermit crab food pyramid”. Every night he gets a scoop of 2-3 different mixes, as well as a nightly rotation of some kind of fresh veg/fruit and protein. If I were to count out all of the different ingredients in the mixes, and add in my nightly fresh offerings, I’d say he likely gets to choose from roughly 40-50 different food items on a daily basis.

Let me tell you, captive crab nutrition is as much of a wormhole as anything I’ve ever researched…

 

[Scolopendra55]

watch your fingers around Oliver, ouch ouch.

Absolutely! He gets very agitated when taken out of his enclosure. The main reason I avoid physical interaction is to keep his external stressors to a minimum, though avoiding a pinch is certainly an added benefit. He’s very quick to threat posture, and he “swipes” remarkably fast with his claws. At his current size I’m sure a pinch would be quite painful, but I don’t imagine there’s any real danger. However, when he’s close to mature, a well placed squeeze could very well require medical attention.

 

[Scolopendra55]

Pretty cool to see someone having a bit of success with these. They are not for everyone.
Later, Tom

Thank you, Tom!

I couldn’t agree more with your sentiment of them not being for everyone. Not accounting for their precarious conservation status and likely pending CITES changes, maintaining a specimen to adulthood is no small feat. I feel I’m quite prepared for whatever he can throw my way, but I’m sure as he grows it’s going to become a bit of a logistical nightmare!

 

[Charliemum]

I feel like his “destructive” behavior is likely a totally natural byproduct of his innate curiosity of the world around him. Maybe the tactile sensation of strongly pinching artificial foliage simply feels good. At the very least gives him an opportunity to strengthen his claw muscles, and whatever is good for Ollie, is good for me! It’s certainly obnoxious, but I knew full well heading into this adventure that I’d have to be replacing decor as well as the odd thermometer/hygrometer as he grows!

As far as dominance goes, that certainly makes more sense for hermit crabs (Coenobita sp.) as they’re highly social animals. Coconut crabs on the other hand, tend to lead quite solitary lives with the odd tussle for food, shelter and mates.

The possibility of him already needing a larger enclosure isn’t completely out of the question, though I feel like he’s likely got quite a bit more time in his current setup. I mentioned that he explores every square inch of his environment, and that’s no exaggeration! I closely monitor his behavior for anything that could be construed as stress. If I ever notice anything major, it’ll be time for his new setup!

It’s ironic that you were looking up info on HCA’s website. That’s where I spent the better part of half a decade scouring for information that would (in theory) be applicable to captive Birgus.

While I don’t believe it’s related to his fondness for pinching plastic leaves, you brought up a great point about the need for protein post molt, as well as a varied diet as a whole. I feel fairly confident in saying that the two biggest reasons most coconut crabs fail to thrive in captivity comes down to improper housing, and improper diet. If you get one right but skimp on the other, you’d be hard pressed to have long term success.

I purchase most of his food mixes from well known hermit crab suppliers. They generally consist of 10-15 different ingredients, all of which are tailored to the “hermit crab food pyramid”. Every night he gets a scoop of 2-3 different mixes, as well as a nightly rotation of some kind of fresh veg/fruit and protein. If I were to count out all of the different ingredients in the mixes, and add in my nightly fresh offerings, I’d say he likely gets to choose from roughly 40-50 different food items on a daily basis.

Let me tell you, captive crab nutrition is as much of a wormhole as anything I’ve ever researched…

So much to learn about these amazing and strange creatures... and their food lol .
Wow 5 years researching, I must admit I have been sucked down the crab hole with them , I wasn't aware they climb and that as juvies they adorn coconut shells (amongst other things) to protect their self's! I also didn't know they were strong enough as adults to take your hand off at the wrist . Also didn't know they need a full room as adults with 3feet of sub , that's some commitment, kinda like anacondas, pretty sure they need a room as adults too.
You must really really love Oliver to take on such commitments . Its great to see such passion.