Ghost crabs make excellent pets; it's fun to watch them move and dig their hiding places in the sand. To care for these crustaceans, you need a large, sandy aquarium in which they can dig. You also need to provide them with a varied diet, constant access to water, and make sure their surroundings are stimulating.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Providing Adequate Habitat
Step 1. Get a large aquarium
The first thing to do to provide a good environment for your little friend is to buy a large, pleasant bathtub where he can live. Look for one that has a minimum capacity of 80 liters; if you plan to get more than one, the aquarium must be larger.
- Glass is the ideal material, but you can also opt for cheaper plastic if needed.
- Whichever model you choose, make sure it's sturdy enough to hold wet sand, which can be quite heavy.
- The aquarium must also be equipped with an airtight lid, to prevent the crabs from escaping; however, it should guarantee the passage of air, while keeping the environment humid.
Step 2. Add some sand
Once you have the container, you need to prepare it to house the crustacean. The ghost crab lives on the beaches and you have to create an environment similar to its natural habitat; start by pouring good quality sand into the aquarium to use as a substrate. Create a layer at least a few centimeters deep, ideally you should fill half the aquarium; these animals love to dig, so you have to offer them the space to do it.
- You can buy crab sand from pet stores, but it is usually quite expensive.
- A cheaper solution is to buy plain sand from hardware stores; as long as it's not contaminated with harmful substances, it's fine for your little friend. Check that the contents of the bag are not wet, stained, odorless and that there are no leaks before purchasing the sand.
- Alternatively, you can use pure coir or coir mixed with clean beach sand to use as a substrate.
Step 3. Have a varied environment
After putting the sand in, you need to add other elements to create a more stimulating and diverse environment; put in some clean shells, some plastic plants and some bits of wood. Add items for the crab to hide and climb on.
- Also offer him an area with sloping sand to help him dig.
- Do not insert any type of resinous wood (evergreen) in the aquarium; also remember that those of cedar and pine can irritate the animal.
Step 4. Keep the environment moist
These crabs need to live in a wet habitat. Buy a hygrometer to always know the percentage of humidity in the tub. For crabs such as ghost crabs, a humidity of around 70% is generally required; if you check the hygrometer often, just sprinkle a little untreated water into the tub to increase its rate.
- An adequately humid environment helps the small crustacean to maintain the hydration of the gills, facilitating breathing.
- Dehydration can lead to serious consequences on the health and vitality of the animal.
Part 2 of 2: Caring for the Crabs
Step 1. Provide your shellfish with water
Although ghost crabs live on land and are unable to swim, they constantly need water; they must bathe periodically to moisten the gills and thus be able to breathe. In nature these crustaceans walk on the shore and wait for a wave to arrive to cover them, before quickly returning to the beach; it is therefore essential to guarantee them constant access to water inside the aquarium.
- Make sure you put a dish with salt water in the tub, which you need to change at least every two weeks.
- To make it salty, add two and a half teaspoons of sea or aquarium salt to 4 liters of water to get a specific gravity value of 1.01-1.08.
- Before adding the water, let it settle overnight to dissipate the chlorine and chloramines.
- Make sure the crustacean can easily get in and out of the saucer of water.
- This animal can also hydrate itself with moist sand.
Step 2. Feed him
The ghost crab can be considered a "scavenger" crustacean and also a predator. A varied and diverse diet follows, including decaying plants and parts of animals, such as mole crabs, clams and baby turtles, which it catches on the beach.
- Offer him a variety of vegetables, fruits, fish and meat and see which food he likes the most.
- Ghost crab really likes different types of food, so you can try giving it different natural foods that haven't been treated with pesticides or chemicals.
- Avoid eating too monotonously and pay attention to what they like best.
- An easy and reliable option is to purchase specially prepared crab food at pet stores.
Step 3. Clean the aquarium
This crustacean does not dirty much, is not particularly "messy" and does not require too much care, but you still have to take the time to keep the environment in which it lives clean. You have to pick up dirt on time, get rid of dirty sand and food residues. Use a sieve, fishing net, or colander to scoop up sand, filter it, and remove dirt. Add more new sand every few weeks to keep the aquarium clean and fresh at all times.
- If you have multiple specimens, you need to sift the sand more frequently.
- If you only have one crab, you can clean it every three weeks; if you have four, you must provide every week; with six or more specimens, the ideal is to use the sieve every other day.
Step 4. Alter the environment
It is a good idea to take some time to change and modify the habitat, in order to keep the crab always active and interested. Move the toys and other objects, change the arrangement of the sand or add a new "hill".
