Handling and temperament changes

tnt4eva · Post by **tnt4eva** » Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:31 pm

Do you find your crabs temperament changes a lot with handling?

I've always been worried that handling skittish crabs would stress them but I've had a few interesting experiences with it that are starting to make me wonder.

Envy (RIP) was quite timid. He never hung around if we were near the tank and was very skittish. One day I took him out to try hand feeding him and he refused to come out of his shell. I waited about 20 minutes before he came out. I was ticking his pincher, which of course made him pinch at me and when he pinched, I put some peanut butter in his pincher. I've never seen a crab come out of it's shell so fast!! He sat there and ate for ages

From that day forth, he never ran away when we went up to the tank, he never pinched me, he changed shells in front of me frequently and he started sleeping in the open.

It was a very rapid change.

And now the same thing has happened with Ghost. He was very angry with me when I took him out about a week ago and only ate a little peanut butter. He was so mad that he held on to my finger nail with his BP and snapped at me with his LP. I narrowly escaped feeding him a chunk of my finger

But despite him not seeming to like me handling him, he's now stopped running away when we go up to the tank, and like Envy, is now sleeping out in the open. I can pick him up without him retreating into his shell and he's suddenly become very placid.

It's like they very quickly figured out we weren't going to hurt them, which really astonishes and humbles me because most animals take much more than one handling experience to become tame.

I'd be really interested in hearing what other people have experienced with this sort of thing.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:40 pm

Norbert used to never come out for me, so I held him and just blew softly and he came right on out. Now he doesn't hide in his shell when he sees me walk to the tank or past it. He just kind of watches me. I think he realized I have no interest in eating him when I got him to come out.

lrooney · Post by **lrooney** » Sun Nov 14, 2010 6:16 pm

I've had the same experience with Lola. She would never come out for me, hid when I walked by, etc. But I got her to come out one night and that changed. She hardly ever hides from me now - even during the day. Now I need to get Hermie to understand the same thing. But he won't even come up from his hidey hole until I'm in bed.

Post by **wodesorel** » Sun Nov 14, 2010 6:28 pm

I've got two that I have never been able to get to come out when I'm around. I don't even know their gender yet! I've tried everything, even being patient with them when it was warm and humid in the summer and they could safely be out with me for over an hour - still absolutely no response. I think it may work for some crabs, but there are others who are just to timid or stubborn to play along.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 20, 2010 10:35 pm

I have one that takes patience to get him out, but my other one will come out if I rock her shell, or tickle her pincher. I'm going to try the peanut butter for the other one.

scyllarus · Post by **scyllarus** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:28 am

most of my crabs will come out pretty quickly, but baird...baird is impossible. i've left him out for half an hour without a single twitch. he doesn't snap into his shell until i open the tank, but when he does, he refuses to come out...actually, i don't really know what gender "he" is...

DustAndEchoes · Post by **DustAndEchoes** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:45 am

When I first got Zoidberg, he's was incredibly skittish. It was a good 6 months later (give or take) before he would come out of his shell when I held him.