Hi All.

[WillCarter]

Hi everyone,

I've signed up today because I think I may have been given some duff advice from my local Garden Centre. I bought a four Red Clawed Crabs for my Mum's birthday (she's a Cancerian and loves Crabs) and after a long chat with the girl bought a setup which is apparently suited to them. The setup is a large bowl with gravel in the bottom, a ceramic log to hide in and a plant for them to climb and eat. We treated the water with what we were told to and then introduced the Crabs to the bowl. After soaking them in the bag for about 15 mins I let them free and all seemed well, they were soon walking around, climbing the plant etc. However, today things have gone downhill, one has died and the others are becoming less and less lively, to the point where I'm now not sure if they're going to make it through the night.

I read up a little on them and it seems the setup that was suggested for them couldn't be much more wrong, I've now drained a lot of the water so that the top of their plant is now sticking out and one has climbed to the top. I'm annoyed with myself for not reading up on them before I bought them now, but I think if we do lose them I shall replace them but this time set up the tank perfectly so that hopefully I have a little more success.

All a bit upsetting really,

-Will

 

[lilfishie]

Hi Will

Sorry to hear this, theres plenty of good people here that will give you the information you need to keep these crabs.

How big is this bowl?

Definately recommend getting them a proper tank with heating/filtration

 

[WillCarter]

Hi Will

Sorry to hear this, theres plenty of good people here that will give you the information you need to keep these crabs.

How big is this bowl?

Definately recommend getting them a proper tank with heating/filtration

The bowl is pretty large, I would guess at about 15 inches high. I definitely think a heat lamp is the most important thing at the moment since I'm sure the water is nowhere near warm enough for them. Looking forward to hearing what people have to say when it comes to looking after these little things.

 

[minnnt]

You could create a lovely tank setting for them which would have proper filtration and heating. This would give you more scope for a natural habitat setting.

Welcome to the forum btw!

 

[WillCarter]

Well, a quick update, we have one surviving Crab who seems to be doing alright. I've cleaned out the bowl and created a beach for him which seems to be better suited. I've also been using a lamp to give him a bit of warmth and so far it seems to be working. If we can get him healthy for a few more days I'll replace the other three and hopefully all will be well. What an ordeal.

 

[colleen0309]

Welcome! Do some research before you replace the crabs. I don't know much about them, but I think they need more of a land area.