Why Bathing and Handling May Be Bad for Our Crabs

[crabbyNJ]

Hi
I've been reading some research on PPs (see pdf at bottom of page at this URL) http://repository.naturalis.nl/record/506107

It seems that in the wild PPs may not ever choose to submerge themselves, either totally or partially, in water. Also, they apparently spend a lot of time and energy working out the particular salinity of the their shell water and when they suddenly contract in fear, they lose a lot or, even, most of their water.

I know some of the owners here chooose not to handle their crabs much or at all. Although hermit crabs seem to be thought of as a good first pet for young kids, I have to wonder. The water issues in combination with their preference for being asleep during the day seem to contradict that.

I would be interested in your thoughts on this. Thanks.

[LadyJinglyJones]

I don't think you'll get much argument from anyone on this forum. Most of the crabbers here don't 'play' with their crabs, and the standard line offered to people who do is that the crabs aren't about that life.

My first crabs were obtained from a child who grew board of them, and I think they are a very poor pet for the vast majority of children.

Incidentally, I've seen two of my five PPs fully submerge in FW - I have built a rocky mound which mimics pebbly pools in their water dish. But that was their choice, I don't bathe them. It seems to happen most within the first day after a shell change, and when they're being fashionistas, it's like a pool party.

And you're certainly correct that many PPs... not to mention Indos, and to some degree, Ruggies (also C. rubescens, which I don't know the colloquial term for... do they have one??? Anybody??) live out of the way of the ocean, and aren't thought to enter it much, if ever. As such, these crabs know best about their own shell-water needs. Straws, Es, and some others are said to need more access to water though, and salt water in particular - but I still wouldn't bathe them.

(The above by the way, comes from 'The Biology of Land Crabs', 1988, pg. 15. by Burggren & McMahon- but seems to be pretty common knowledge from what I've seen in the crabbing community. The care guides in the FAQs say more or less the same.)

Finally, because I hoard documents, would you care to list any of your resources - not because I doubt what you're saying, but because I need to make sure my collection isn't missing anything important, or a gaping hole will open up inside of me, and only science can fill it...

[crabbyNJ]

LadyJinglyJones, thanks for your thoughtful reply.

The research I cited was in a pdf at the bottom of the page my link goes to (see above). The title of the work is "On the ecology of Coenobita clypeatus in Curaçao with reference to reproduction, water economy and osmoregulation in terrestrial hermit crabs" and it was written in 1973 when PPs were presumably more abundant.

I did suspect that this community is more of a rescue group, which I'm proud to be a member of. I bought these three PPs with guilt (to interact with my two nephews 7 and 11 remotely possibly by crab cam), had second thoughts about keeping them and then couldn't imagine returning them to the pet store where they were the largest of 5 in one of those wire cages with a wet coir substrate of probably less than 2 inches.

That's very interesting about your bathing PPs. The more I learn about them the more I am considering keeping them and creating a deluxe environment for them. They are fascinating creatures.

[CrabMater]

Hi CrabbyNJ I came to crabbin because my daughter won the honor of keeping the class pets for the summer. Teach said she could keep them.if she wanted. Long story short Teach started w 5 crabs and 2 came to me.
To date I have rescued 4 PPs. 3 are still with me.
I too am 99% hands off. I will pluck them up to put them in iso as i do a tank clean.

Right now these guys are cramped in a 10g but through the power of positive thinking Ive managed to score a 40 gal breeder. But that's another story.

Most of the people I "follow" here dont bathe crabs or play with them. Nor do I. I would not want to disrupt the microclimate they've created by giving him a bath.

[LadyJinglyJones]

LadyJinglyJones, thanks for your thoughtful reply.

The research I cited was in a pdf at the bottom of the page my link goes to (see above). The title of the work is "On the ecology of Coenobita clypeatus in Curaçao with reference to reproduction, water economy and osmoregulation in terrestrial hermit crabs" and it was written in 1973 when PPs were presumably more abundant.

I did suspect that this community is more of a rescue group, which I'm proud to be a member of. I bought these three PPs with guilt (to interact with my two nephews 7 and 11 remotely possibly by crab cam), had second thoughts about keeping them and then couldn't imagine returning them to the pet store where they were the largest of 5 in one of those wire cages with a wet coir substrate of probably less than 2 inches.

That's very interesting about your bathing PPs. The more I learn about them the more I am considering keeping them and creating a deluxe environment for them. They are fascinating creatures.

OOOOoh. ... DeWilde 1973!
(I'm so spacey, I didn't even notice your link, sorry! :roll: )

That's funny, I just started reading it like, 3 days ago, on account if it being referenced everywhere I turn. Like, seriously, most studies of C clypeatus referrence it. How far in are you? I'm only on pg. 29, reading about sex ratios. It feels like reading a crab-themed travelogue.

On the bathing - I have wondered if it was also a byproduct of boredom. I had two mediums in a ten gal (I certainly never planed on keeping crabs til they materialized in my life one day) and it's safe to assume they were getting pretty stir crazy after more than 4 months in such a confined space. They've been less active, and less in the water, since I moved them to a 29 gal tote. It remains to be seen if they adjust to the space in time & resume their swimming. Animals in captivity do all kinds of things theyd be unlikely to do in the wild.

[crabbyNJ]

Re: how much I read
Let's just say I didn't get a lot of stuff on my To Do list done that day.

I skipped over some of the experiments they did.

[PinchersAndShells]

I'm not too sure on the part that majority of PPs don't like bathing, I think they take time in captivity to (quite literally) "take the plunge." I've had my crab Dusty since August 11th of 2015, and he absolutely loves scaring my mom by walking head first into the SW pool. I actually am looking at deeper pools because he does this so often. I think it may depend on a lot of variables.
Edit - I don't force my crabs to take a dip ever, unless I'm introducing new crabs in.

[soilentgringa]

My PP's love to swim around.

We don't recommend bathing crabs anymore. They should be allowed to submerge and adjust their shell water as they wish.

That's sort of an old and outdated practice that still comes up in some circles.



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