How to Keep Pet Crabs? Care Methods and Precautions

Crabs were originally a kind of food, but in recent years some people have also kept pet crabs, so how do you keep pet crabs?

1. Introduction to Crabs

Crabs are crustaceans of the class Malacostraca and order Decapoda, with their bodies protected by a hard shell and breathing through gills. In biological taxonomy, they are the same kind of animal as shrimp, lobsters and hermit crabs.

The vast majority of crab species live in the sea or in coastal waters, while some inhabit freshwater or land. Common crabs include swimming crabs, blue swimming crabs, mud crabs and Chinese mitten crabs (river crab, hairy crab, clear-water crab), among others.

A small number of crab species grow and reproduce entirely in freshwater, and they mostly live under stones in mountain streams. A few crab species, such as land crabs, can adapt to life on land, burrowing in damp mud holes, and migrating down to the sea during the breeding season. The vast majority of crabs are omnivorous. Some crabs are carnivorous, such as swimming crabs, which can prey on fish, shrimp and molluscs. A few crabs, such as the soldier crab, scrape or filter-feed on algae and organic debris.

2. How Do You Keep Pet Crabs?

1. You need to prepare a small environment suitable for pet crabs to live in, which needs a water area, a dry area and a hiding area;

2. Most crabs are carnivorous, so you can feed them some fish, chicken, beef or mutton, but the leftovers must be cleaned up promptly;

3. During keeping, you should also pay attention to temperature and hygiene; the temperature should not be too cold or too hot.

Among these, if the prepared crab shelter uses a sand-and-stone type substrate, a hiding place must be added, which can be bought or made yourself. If you make it yourself, for large crabs you can consider using half of a flower pot cut lengthwise as a hiding place, while for small crabs a drink bottle cut crosswise is generally used as a hiding place.

To prevent escape, the container may be left open only when the distance from the highest point of the substrate edge inside the container to the container opening exceeds 1.5 times the crab's leg span; otherwise a lid must be used.