# Moon Crab care



## pdrobber

My dad and I went to the LI expo on 3/27 and he saw some nice moon crabs and we were fascinated by them. We had seen them at petsmart before but the ones at the expo were big and healthy looking. He bought one and has it in a 10 gallon with moistened cypress and a regular bulb over it with a small humid hide as well. Anyone have experience with them? What should it be fed? The vendor said "anything" from cereal to cat and dog food. We've had plenty of hermit crabs before but this is the first moon crab. Online info is limited as I researched them, and I'm not too trusting of it...


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## albert

Moon crabs need to have access to water as they like to keep damp. I have mine in a 5g aquarium with playsand, a water dish and some rocks forming a cave. The crab likes to dig in the wet sand and soak in the water dish. I feed mine fish flakes and have no lights over the tank. My moon crab stays hidden during the day but comes out at night when it is dark (I can hear him moving around in the water dish). I have had him for about a year now and he seems to be healthy. I should, however, vary his diet more and include more calcium. I sometimes put egg shells in for that. Hope this helps.


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## Kristina

In the wild, moon crabs live in holes in river banks. The base of their burrow is below the water line. In order to survive, they must be able to keep their gills wet. A large water bowl is needed.

They are primarily vegetarian, and will collect leaf litter and seedlings and greens and drag them back to their burrow to eat. They will also occasionally accept animal protein. I feed mine spring mix with an occasional serving of krill pellets.

They are also very social, and should be kept in groups of three or more, like hermit crabs.


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## B K

kyryah said:


> In the wild, moon crabs live in holes in river banks. The base of their burrow is below the water line. In order to survive, they must be able to keep their gills wet. A large water bowl is needed.
> 
> They are primarily vegetarian, and will collect leaf litter and seedlings and greens and drag them back to their burrow to eat. They will also occasionally accept animal protein. I feed mine spring mix with an occasional serving of krill pellets.
> 
> They are also very social, and should be kept in groups of three or more, like hermit crabs.



Can you breed them?


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## dmmj

Any pics?


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## Kristina

B K said:


> Can you breed them?



Doubtful. Crabs go through a planktonic stage when they hatch, and most of them start their lives in the ocean. They would need even smaller plankton to feed on, and it would be extremely difficult to replicate that kind of environment in captivity.


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## B K

Are they the same as vampire crabs ?


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## pdrobber

thanks for the info guys! my dad has a water bowl in there for it. He was feeding it the "fruity pebbles" tortoise food that I don't use anymore. I'll let him know to get some spring mix.


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## Laura

Lifespan? 
very cool...


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## terryo

Kristina that's beautiful.


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## Laura

Why do you need to give them a shell to use or climb into if they have shells?? it mentions it below a few times.. like a hermit crab.. 



Origin: 
The Moon Crab can be found mostly in Costa Rica.

Size and Longevity: 

Moon Crabs can grow anywhere from 2 inches to 2.4 inches long and have a lifespan of 8 to 10 years.

General Description:

The Moon Crab does well in captivity and is tame, but it does require constant attention. Like most reptiles, Moon Crabs are Nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day and come out at night. These reptiles require a lot of heat and moisture and several homes(shells) throughout it's lifespan. Crabs are social creatures by nature and live longer, healthier lives when in the company of crabs of the same species.

Habitat and Cage:

Moon Crabs do not need much space when they are young, but they do enjoy climbing, and as they grow their environment must be able to sustain them. The most common size for an enclosure is a 10 or 15 gallon aquarium with at least two water dishes and some things to hide in. The water dishes should be short and wide to allow access and keep the water from running dry. Water should be changed daily to ensure the water is clean and to prevent bacteria from growing.

A moist substrate needs to be provided to create a good humidity level for your pet and provide them a place to dig. The most commonly used substrate is about 4 to 6 inches of sand and then an additional 3 to 6 inches of moist peat moss. Moon crabs need a large amount of water to survive and a constant humidity level right around 70%. The terrarium should be set up so that the temperature is between 80Â° and 85Â°F and should not be allowed to drop below 78Â°F or be raised above 85Â°F at any time. 

A low wattage lightbulb is the most suitable lighting for Moon Crabs because it helps keep the humidity high while keeping the terrarium darker. Less light will make the crab feel more confortable and safe while still providing enough light to see them and enough heat to create evaporation.

Molting:

Molting is the process of the crab losing a layer of skin and growing a new one. This happens approximately once every 18 months and takes several days to complete. The first signs that a crab is multing is when it turns a very dull color and/or turns white around the eyes. During this time, darkness is encouraged and handling should be limited to little or none. Provide food as normal but keep the lights low or off, and do not try to peak or disturb the crab if it is hiding. After the molting process is complete the crab will eat some or most of it's old skin to gain the calcium and other nutrients in it. This is natural and should be allowed to happen. If the exoskeleton is not completely eaten within two days of molting then it is ok to take it out. For a healthier diet, some people recommend grinding up the remainder of the exoskeleton and adding it to the next meal.

There should be several shells of different sizes in the enclosure for the Moon Crab to be able to rehome itself after molting. Not providing an adequate amount of shells can lead to discomfort which can cause health problems and even death. Most baby Moon crabs need an shell with an opening of about 1/4" wide and adults will need an opening of about 1 1/2" wide. All shells should be cleaned thoroughly with water (no soap) prior to being placed with the Moon Crab.

Feeding:

Moon crabs will eat just about anything, but should not be fed everything. Good food sources include fruits such as what they would find in their natural environment like mangoes, papayas, and coconuts. Vegetables of all kinds also provide proper nutrients. They will also eat meats, but the meat must be cooked thoroughly or your Moon crab may be at risk of health problems. Crabs will not eat when they are not hungry, so over feeding will not be a problem. Place a small amount of food in the feeding dish each day and remove any left-overs from the day before. If there is no left over food then try adding a little more each day until there is at least a little left over (under feeding your pet can be deadly).

Handling a Moon Crab can be confusing and somewhat tricky. Each crab has it's own attitude and behavior, which at times can be very frustrating. Handling your crab daily will help it aclimate to human interaction and may change it's disposition to a more human-friendly one. Some may always want to pinch or stay tucked away and then there are others who are always craving attention and are not shy at all. The best advice is to learn your crab's behaviors and deal with them accordingly.


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## Kristina

B K said:


> Are they the same as vampire crabs ?



Nope, Patriot crabs and Vampire crabs are different species. There is also a different species of "Moon crab." What are typically sold as "Moon crabs" are usually Halloween crabs. Shows how confusing common names can be.

They say lifespan is about 10 years, but they haven't been in the pet trade long, and knowing what I know about Hermit crabs I would bet that with really good care they could go 25 years +.


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## Laura

cool tank/set up!
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...CF0919E0D6F569C3490C15CD0&first=1&FORM=IDFRIR


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## Kristina

Laura said:


> Why do you need to give them a shell to use or climb into if they have shells?? it mentions it below a few times.. like a hermit crab..



You don't. Somebody tried to adapt a Hermit crab caresheet into a Halloween crab caresheet. That would be an example of how blatantly WRONG a caresheet can be.


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