Should I upgrade or say goodbye?

[Hermione]

Experienced Crabbers, please offer advice. I found my first PP, Hermione, about 2 years ago in the trash at my local park. She was left as garbage in a small plastic terrarium. I kept it and eventually upgraded to a 10 gallon tank as she survived and grew quite quickly. I added a small crab friend (Crookshanks) about a year ago. Crookshanks has grown very rapidly as well. Hermione's current shell is 2.5" overall, opening is about 1-1/8 and Crookshanks is a little smaller about 2" shell and 1" opening. Both crabs have plenty of room to grow in their current shells. At this point I know I need to upgrade the crabitat for them. The largest I can accommodate is a 29 gallon. I am also considering adopting them out. My question is- will a 29 gallon be big enough for these two forever? Will I have to upgrade again (ie. let them go because I can't go bigger) in a couple years? How fast do these things grow into a jumbo size? I love them and I want them to be happy and healthy. Thanks for any input!

[LadyJinglyJones]

[Heya - it's always a tough call in these situations, and only you know what is best for you.

That said, once crabs hit that medium size you're talking about, they begin to moult less frequently - maybe only once or twice a year. And captive crabs tend to take a (really) long time to reach jumbo, and mostly seem not to get as big as their wild counter parts.

They won't attain those sizes as rapidly as they grew from smalls/small mediums to larger mediums/larges. Partly because it takes s lot more energetic reserves to make those bigger sizes happen.... I mean, it's a lot of exo to generate in a jumbo!

If they do reach jumbo, you will need a much larger tank. But that's a big if.

Do what you think is right for you & your crabs...

But I would say that on the strength of your crab-naming skills alone, you should keep them. Those are solid crab monikers.

[Hermione]

Thanks for the encouragement and info. Good to know that the growth slows down. I guess when Crookshanks completes her mount they will be getting a bigger crabitat!!

[ROSIEonFIRE]

Yay! Make sure to show us some pics!

[wodesorel]

While I commend anyone for thinking ahead, life can change a LOT during that time. So long as you keep aware of their needs and the choice isn't because of money, I see no reason not to upgrade now and enjoy the journey with them for at least a while longer.