Crab eating plastic!

hprmom · Post by **hprmom** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 5:23 pm

Caught this guy apparently chowing down on a plastic leaf! These plants and crabs have been in the tank together over two years without an issue. I used my skinny tongs to take the leaf from him and determine whether it was plastic or real, and he immediately started picking on another plastic leaf! I know they will pick and tear decor, but he really appears to be eating. We put some real greens (kale, beet and an oak branch) in the tank in case he’s craving something. What else could this behavior indicate? Or if he’s craving/deficient, what could meet that need? (Not sure if this is a behavior or diet question so posted here!). At the rate he was going, I’m worried he’ll ingest an unhealthy amount when I’m not here to catch it.

[video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwrPyNb ... ture=share[/video]

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CrabHappens · Post by **CrabHappens** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 5:36 pm

May be that the safest thing to do is remove the plant. Crabs are weird so I can't say I know why he is doing it, but I have had the same things happen and my crabs diet definitely meets the nutritional requirements lol.

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hprmom · Post by **hprmom** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 5:50 pm

Goodness, that would be a project—it’s one whole corner of the ‘tat, zip tied all over the moss pit which is hang-out central! If it comes down to it, of course I’d do it for their safety... but if they’ll eat plastic, what’s to say they won’t go after any of the other plastic plants? I did a quick forum search before I posted and plastic snacking doesn’t seem to be a common issue.

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RiNiKy506 · Post by **RiNiKy506** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 5:59 pm

I hope this doesn’t sound stupid. Maybe he likes the way it feels, kind of like a puppy chewing on stuff. It looks really pretty, it would be sad to see you have to take it all down.

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CrabHappens · Post by **CrabHappens** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 6:05 pm

Oh no, I had it happen once three years ago and removed all of the plastic immediately, and just a few months ago I put in some plastic plants, all hard plastic so it would be harder for them to eat. I have not had an problems this time, yet. Do they get leaf litter? And yes, that little corner of your tank looks very nice!

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Post by **wodesorel** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 6:13 pm

Check underneath for tiny pieces of plastic the same color as the plant. I have had bored crabs do this, but they would slyly spit it back out and not actually swallow it. Moya destroyed three plants like this and left little piles under where she sat. Once I upgraded her to a bigger tank she stopped.

CrabHappens · Post by **CrabHappens** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 6:19 pm

@Wodesorel- is Moya your Ruggie?

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Post by **wodesorel** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 8:18 pm

She was a jumbo PP I had my first year of crabbing. She lasted a few years, but crabs that come into captivity already jumbo sized have a hard time adjusting. She kept shrinking dramatically for two molts before finally succumbing.

CrabHappens · Post by **CrabHappens** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 8:25 pm

@Wode.. I am sorry. Poor baby. They deserve so much better, but you were probably one of the best people she could have gone to. Thank you for being so caring.

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hprmom · Post by **hprmom** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 9:15 pm

CrabHappens wrote:Oh no, I had it happen once three years ago and removed all of the plastic immediately, and just a few months ago I put in some plastic plants, all hard plastic so it would be harder for them to eat. I have not had an problems this time, yet. Do they get leaf litter? And yes, that little corner of your tank looks very nice!

Thanks! Yes, that whole corner where the bunch of white flowers is with the greenery draping down is actually a big shower caddy full of dried leaves, twigs, acorns, timothy hay and millet sprays. It used to be the moss pit but they just threw all the moss out every time I filled it, lol. I kidded myself thinking I'd redo the decor every few months, but I'm too lazy for that so it hasn't changed in two years! I noticed wear and tear on the edges of some decor when we refreshed the sub last month, but have never seen them tearing it up.

hprmom · Post by **hprmom** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 9:23 pm

wodesorel wrote:Check underneath for tiny pieces of plastic the same color as the plant. I have had bored crabs do this, but they would slyly spit it back out and not actually swallow it. Moya destroyed three plants like this and left little piles under where she sat. Once I upgraded her to a bigger tank she stopped.

Thanks, @wode. So it's unlikely a crab would actually ingest plastic on purpose? We were thinking they must be smart enough to realize when something isn't food! The shredded pieces would be tiny and whitish, so I might have trouble seeing them on the sub. He was shredding it over a cork ledge, though, so I'll look there. Was going to do it tonight but big Junior has parked himself on that ledge and not budged! The other (same) crab started shredding plastic again, but then moved on to the food dish and tore into a grape and some dried peach instead. I'll check the ledge tomorrow, and the plants for further shredding.

hprmom · Post by **hprmom** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 9:25 pm

RiNiKy506 wrote:I hope this doesn’t sound stupid. Maybe he likes the way it feels, kind of like a puppy chewing on stuff. It looks really pretty, it would be sad to see you have to take it all down.

That actually doesn't sound stupid, and wodesorel said her crab would spit it back out. I mean, if you're bored enough, right?

Makes me wish I could double their space, though, especially since all seven have been on the surface for weeks (unbelievable!) and we can see how active they are!

fandt94 · Post by **fandt94** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 10:09 pm

hprmom wrote:
CrabHappens wrote:Oh no, I had it happen once three years ago and removed all of the plastic immediately, and just a few months ago I put in some plastic plants, all hard plastic so it would be harder for them to eat. I have not had an problems this time, yet. Do they get leaf litter? And yes, that little corner of your tank looks very nice!
Thanks! Yes, that whole corner where the bunch of white flowers is with the greenery draping down is actually a big shower caddy full of dried leaves, twigs, acorns, timothy hay and millet sprays. It used to be the moss pit but they just threw all the moss out every time I filled it, lol. I kidded myself thinking I'd redo the decor every few months, but I'm too lazy for that so it hasn't changed in two years! I noticed wear and tear on the edges of some decor when we refreshed the sub last month, but have never seen them tearing it up.

Love your tank! May I ask what you have the cuttle bone zipped to? I am really liking that idea!

PinchersAndShells · Post by **PinchersAndShells** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 1:11 am

wodesorel wrote:Check underneath for tiny pieces of plastic the same color as the plant. I have had bored crabs do this, but they would slyly spit it back out and not actually swallow it. Moya destroyed three plants like this and left little piles under where she sat. Once I upgraded her to a bigger tank she stopped.

My crabs also did this with one of their old plants when I first started out and had a 10 gallon.

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hprmom · Post by **hprmom** » Mon Oct 08, 2018 7:47 am

fandt94 wrote:Love your tank! May I ask what you have the cuttle bone zipped to? I am really liking that idea!

Thanks! We drilled a hole in one end of the cuttlebone and zip tied it to the corner guard (on which Fezzik is napping). They climb on it as well as pick at it. The last one they whittled down to a nub so i know they’re getting calcium!

Plastic corner guard, in case you haven’t encountered yet, bought at home improvement store, drilled holes in it, and siliconed to the glass all around the tank. All our big pieces of decor (cork tree, cholla, bamboo, etc) are anchored to it with zip ties. I figure if it’s tied from above, it won’t sink into the sand when they tunnel under!

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HCA: Hermit Crab Association