Jumbo Crab

[TheCrabbyOne]

Hi, I know I probably should not have done this, but I have a jumbo crab. I felt like I needed to save him from the horrible Pet Smart he was in, since their tank was around 15 gallons and I have a bigger tank, I decided to buy him. I know how to take care of hermit crabs, I just need more info on jumbos. He is currently being kept in a spare 40 gallon I have, however I do not have enough room to fit substrate in it without him being crammed.(The 1 foot of substrate, I currently have 7 inches in) I would like some advice on tank selection from people who own jumbos. I know I will get around 50 posts of people telling me I should never buy a crab if I do not have room for it, however I figured 40 gallons would be enough for him since he is currently a large bordering on jumbo. (Yes, I am weird for bringing a hermit crab sizing chart with me when i go to pet stores) It may be big enough for him now, but I still would like to know what would be a good tank for him after he molts. Below is more info about the jumbo crab.
His name is Jebediah, he is a purple pincher. When he came home he changed out of the painted shell he had and changed into one of the big shells I had. He is currently in a spare tank, he does not have PPS since he hasn't dug and is very active (for a PP). He looks like he molted recently (sharp tips, no molting fat.) He has blur in both eyes and has been running into walls A LOT (makes me think he is blind?)

If you know anything about tanks for jumbos (I mean dimensions, not just gallons), or have a tip about them please reply.

[DragonsFly]

Bad news: Jumbos rarely survive the transition to captivity. They may just be too accustomed to the wild to be able to accept the change. Further, I wouldn't be so quick to assume "he does not have PPS," you are definitely not out of the woods for "PPS" or related death for weeks or months (especially with a jumbo). So, I know, that's cheery.

He's running into walls because glass walls are "not a thing" in his world. And because he feels trapped (because he is trapped). And because he's been used to wandering for miles every night in the wild and now his wandering room is a few inches. So yeah, that's cheery, too. Sorry.

Personally, I would not keep a jumbo in anything less than a 90g; and I look at my 90g with about a foot of substrate (after settling) and know that I need to do something different when our jumbo comes up from his molt (going on a year now for this molt, so it's always a surprise whether they are still alive or not). Our second largest crab is nearly a jumbo now too, so yeah--the mere 12 inches of substrate is looking very inadequate. I'm planning to make the "jungle end" slope up a good deal more, but that will definitely be at a massive cost of climbing room, so I'm not sure how to address that. I wish I could move to the beach, so they could have regular out-of-tank exercise and I could feel less horrible about their being trapped in a tiny, tiny box all the time. . . Anyway.

And yes, I will also add my voice to the "don't buy crabs" votes. Buying a crab is a vote with your dollars for the cruel and ecologically disastrous wild trade to continue. If you buy one to "save" that crab, you have just encouraged the practice of "wild harvesting," where hundreds more crabs will die just for a few to reach the store again. Especially since the crabs we are most likely to feel sorry for are the ones least likely to survive, it really seems not worth it, ultimately (i.e., you buy the crab to save it, but it dies anyway--and in the meantime, you've encouraged many, many more crabs to be abused to death, too). I'm sorry to say that the chances of one "harvested" at a large size living very long are not great. Still, now that you have him, do your best to provide the best possible conditions, and keep a good thought! Maybe he will beat the odds. Best wishes.

[soilentgringa]

With jumbo crabs, some important things to look at are "floor space". Some more info can be found here:

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=92541

I have a large/jumbo in a 55 gallon right now with other crabs and he's doing well. Every colony is different in how they get along or establish pecking order.

I personally prefer to adopt crabs rather than purchase them; however, the crabs still need decent homes and better conditions than most pet stores offer. If you want to get your crabs at a pet shop, that's totally up to you. No judgement.

I've never known it to be harder on jumbos per se to integrate into a captive colony, one of mine came from a kiosk at a mall in a 1.5 inch plus shell opening, and another one came from an adoption; he's been in captivity for about 7 years now. Both of them are doing fine.

[mool]

I too would have given the poor guy a chance. He may or may not make it, but now he has a fighting chance.

I keep two XL's in a 55 gallon and they seem to be doing well.

[CallaLily]

I've never known it to be harder on jumbos per se to integrate into a captive colony

I have heard of this. Many crabbers over the years have seemed to have worse luck with crabs that were purchased as jumbos. I believe it comes down to them having a harder time recovering from and repairing damage. Molts take longer. They go longer between molts .... and injury usually leads to back to back molts which do seem to be a lot tougher on the big guys. I know Wodesorel has posted about her experiences several times but when I try to search for them, I can't find any. So many old threads were lost recently. I'm hoping she and others will see this thread and share those experiences again.

[DragonsFly]

In addition to injury being more strenuous for them to recover from, they are probably also more likely to BE more seriously injured, to begin with, simply because they are larger. I once read something about relative mass that said you could drop a mouse off your roof into your yard and it might just scamper away, but if you dropped a horse off your roof, it would definitely cause mortal injury--because of their difference in relative mass (please do NOT try this at home!!!--it was a thought experiment). The point is, being snatched up and tossed in a bucket and thrown around and roughly shipped and Lord-knows-what-else is probably more physically injurious to a bigger crab than to a smaller one. We usually think of bigger as stronger and tougher, but bigger animals are more vulnerable to some things than smaller ones are.

[DragonsFly]

I personally prefer to adopt crabs rather than purchase them; however, the crabs still need decent homes and better conditions than most pet stores offer. If you want to get your crabs at a pet shop, that's totally up to you. No judgement.

Not to highjack the thread, but I doubt you would say the same about, for example, puppy mill puppies. Yes, they each deserve better, but the way to stop a cruel and inhumane (and in the case of hermit crabs, ecologically disastrous) practice isn't to pay people for one animal that you feel sorry for, and thereby encourage hundreds more to be abused. It seems ironic, in other words, to act out of compassion for one animal in a manner that will directly encourage the same harm to come to many, many more. No "judgement" of any person is intended by this, this is just meant for information for those who may not be aware of the cruelties and damages of the trade in wild animals, or who may not have thought through the consequences of voting for it with their money. Anyone may certainly still choose to do so, but they should make that choice fully informed, that's all.

[wodesorel]

I'm 0-9 with purchased Jumbos. They never fully adapt to life in captivity. Most died before or during their first molt, the others shrunk in size and died within a few years. Compare that with my first hermit who was a large and is still alive today, having molted into a jumbo over the years.

That said, for a jumbo crab the ideal dimensions are at least 18 inches by at least four feet, and deep enough to allow for substrate and climbing - which ends up being a 75 gallon at the minimum. (50 is an odd size at 18x48, but would usually end up being too short.) A 55 can work, but a crab wearing a 4 inch shell in a 12 inch wide tank makes it hard to fit the right size hides and bowls with room for them to move around, too.

I think you're fine with what you have for now. Don't have other crabs in with him when he molts and see what happens over time. Watch your conditions and his diet closely - the will never bounce back from a mistake at that age.

[CallaLily]

which ends up being a 75 gallon at the minimum. (50 is an odd size at 18x48, but would usually end up being too short.) A 55 can work, but a crab wearing a 4 inch shell in a 12 inch wide tank.

I thought a 50 is 36x18x19? A 75 is 48x18x21, a 55 48x12x21. Just curious since I've never actually seen a 50 gallon aquarium.

[wodesorel]

I've never seen a 50 either. I remember wolf advocating that for 50 to be our minimum for ajumbo recommendation since it was an 18 tank. At those dimensions it should work still, for one jumbo and a few other smaller crabs.