Thought I Was Seeing Double

[kidjatt]

I came back from work in the early hours, turned the tank lights on and had a gander, i thought hmm the lobster is out, awfully still but its cool. Then i noticed he looked a bit flimpsy and flat, then another lobster popped out of the log! it had shed its skin, or molted as my tarantula used to. Got rid of the old skin. How often will they do this? also looks abit grey

 

[ox5477]

I don't know if they have a set amount of time between moltings but they will do it whenever they grow too big for their exoskeleton. So if your feeding it good and doing lots of water changes then it will prob do it quite often

 

[raptorrex]

I came back from work in the early hours, turned the tank lights on and had a gander, i thought hmm the lobster is out, awfully still but its cool. Then i noticed he looked a bit flimpsy and flat, then another lobster popped out of the log! it had shed its skin, or molted as my tarantula used to. Got rid of the old skin. How often will they do this? also looks abit grey

the mout interval tends to go with age, though there is no real way of checking the age of any Crayfish. they tend to cast every three weeks when small/young, streching out to every twelve months or so when fully grown. it is also important to leave the moult in the tank till the Cray has eaten what it wants, lol my plecos tend to finish off all except the claws. a week should be enough, the Cray will regain its colour over the next few days.

 

[Lynda B]

I don't have any of these guys but absolutely love them.... but I was wondering, how long does it then take, after molting, for their shell to get hard? Isn't it pretty soft and vulnerable right after the molt?

And, can you only have one in a tank?

*hope I'm not stealing your thread*

 

[raptorrex]

B)-->QUOTE(Lynda B @ Jun 22 2007, 02:53 PM) [snapback]1662872[/snapback]
I don't have any of these guys but absolutely love them.... but I was wondering, how long does it then take, after molting, for their shell to get hard? Isn't it pretty soft and vulnerable right after the molt?

And, can you only have one in a tank?

*hope I'm not stealing your thread* [/quote]

the time it takes to re-harden varies. if the Cray is kept in a low calcium environment, Crayfish absorb the calcium through their shell, and get virtually none from their food, the hardening time can be over a week. two or so days is far more normal. this is why caves, tubes and hides are so important, even if the Cray is kept on its own.

 

[Lynda B]