De-clawing Crays: Tank Management or Plain Ole' Torture?
- Thread starter Manny Stiles
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duke33;1982876; said:Feed him to that bass in your avatar. Mine loves them.
That bass is long gone. He was about 8 inches before I put him in my buddy's pond. Accidentally caught 4 of them while netting minnows one day and tried to keep them hoping my big Texas wouldn't eat them - she didn't... but after "he" grew the fastest, he ate the other three before he grew as big as the Texas and started eating more than my cats did...
Besides, I don't want to get rid of the crayfish or I'd just eat it myself!!!
That's what I said... I want to know what kind of stress it will bring a solitary cray in a large tank. An experiment of sorts...
I went to do the deed this evening. Caught the cray and was about to de-claw and was explaining it to wifey and she got sappy and worried that it might "hurt" our "pet"... I explained that it would "stress him" but he'd grow them back in the next molt... She didn't want the family pet to get hurt (my kids were ALL for it and my 3 year old son even whined "I want a claw, Dad")
So I didn't do it. (Even though this will spare our other "pets" some grief and pain of their own)
Keep in mind, this is a woman that gets excited by the words "Crawdad Boil"...
On top of that, we're moving in two months and none of the aquaria inhabitants are making the move - and "technically speaking" live crayfish are illegal for sale or trade in my current state of residence... I was planning on "eliminating" the little guy before September one way or another anyway (the other fish are going to my buddy's tank)
Anyway, after some explanations about the "experiment" - I see this as a chance to learn more about the species - she only wants me to do it when she's not around.
I have decided it will be les stressful to trim only the pincher (thumb) part of the claw - enough to keep him from squeezing to see what happens under less invasive circumstances.
Will update to inform what the results are....
I went to do the deed this evening. Caught the cray and was about to de-claw and was explaining it to wifey and she got sappy and worried that it might "hurt" our "pet"... I explained that it would "stress him" but he'd grow them back in the next molt... She didn't want the family pet to get hurt (my kids were ALL for it and my 3 year old son even whined "I want a claw, Dad")
So I didn't do it. (Even though this will spare our other "pets" some grief and pain of their own)
Keep in mind, this is a woman that gets excited by the words "Crawdad Boil"...
On top of that, we're moving in two months and none of the aquaria inhabitants are making the move - and "technically speaking" live crayfish are illegal for sale or trade in my current state of residence... I was planning on "eliminating" the little guy before September one way or another anyway (the other fish are going to my buddy's tank)
Anyway, after some explanations about the "experiment" - I see this as a chance to learn more about the species - she only wants me to do it when she's not around.
I have decided it will be les stressful to trim only the pincher (thumb) part of the claw - enough to keep him from squeezing to see what happens under less invasive circumstances.
Will update to inform what the results are....
is your cray male or female as for some reason ive always been able to keep females in a tank with fish, they show agression but very rarely physicaly touch the fish as oppose to the males which just go in claws flailing and crush all in their wake
I've always had the same luck with females, but this one is a male. Obviously a very effeminate male. He is quite slow and has very thin and weak claws anyway which is why he probably doesn't grab many fins.
I think the thing that has helped me with crays is that I don't put live plants in the tank. I have all fake plants. I do put old cholla cactus skeletons - which are lattice-like and pretty fragile in form - in as driftwood (I live in Arizona, so these are easy to procure - in my yard). I put a rock on them and once the cactus wood soaks up some water it stays sunk easily. Then the crays spend their day nibbling on the wood pieces instead of destroying the rest of the tank...
I think the thing that has helped me with crays is that I don't put live plants in the tank. I have all fake plants. I do put old cholla cactus skeletons - which are lattice-like and pretty fragile in form - in as driftwood (I live in Arizona, so these are easy to procure - in my yard). I put a rock on them and once the cactus wood soaks up some water it stays sunk easily. Then the crays spend their day nibbling on the wood pieces instead of destroying the rest of the tank...
I lost a NICE Apricot Cherax because she flipped out when she was molting and couldn't get a claw free from her molt.She started paddling backwards all crazy, and rips her own claw off.She died soon after.
DO NOT rip off ANYTHING from your cray.Ten gallon tanks are less than ten dollars, add a sponge filter and voila!
Again, DO NOT rip off any appendage from the cray.
DO NOT rip off ANYTHING from your cray.Ten gallon tanks are less than ten dollars, add a sponge filter and voila!
Again, DO NOT rip off any appendage from the cray.
Let me make this clear... this specimin is going to be 'put down' soon anyway.
I am moving to Michigan soon and he won't be making the trip with me as my tanks are going into storage for a while. In Arizona, he is illegal for sale or trade and none of my friends with tanks have room for him. I have already shut my other tanks down so I'm not moving him at this point. All of my other aquarian pets have been sold, traded for gear or are getting adopted by friends. I can't do anything with this particular beast. I might even boil and eat him just for the hell of it!
I've kept many crays with varied results over the past 4 years. And I plan on mini-farming crays in the future for food purposes and as pets (depending on the species I collect)
I WON'T put him into the local ecosystem and am planning on "offing" him within the next two months anyway. At least I can LEARN something by experimenting on him - as I will keep crays exclusively once settled in Michigan - rather than be a bleeding heart and spare the pain of one cray while the rest of my tank's residents are getting suddenly terrorized.
Again, I've had this particular creature for nearly two years without incident until the last two weeks...
I am clipping the "thumb" of his claw tonight. I will use a scalpel as to not butcher them up. I will not "rip" off the entire appendage, I am only rendering it non-functional.
Call me "cruel" if you must, but I think the knowledge gained will help the hundreds of other crays I plan on keeping in the future.
I am moving to Michigan soon and he won't be making the trip with me as my tanks are going into storage for a while. In Arizona, he is illegal for sale or trade and none of my friends with tanks have room for him. I have already shut my other tanks down so I'm not moving him at this point. All of my other aquarian pets have been sold, traded for gear or are getting adopted by friends. I can't do anything with this particular beast. I might even boil and eat him just for the hell of it!
I've kept many crays with varied results over the past 4 years. And I plan on mini-farming crays in the future for food purposes and as pets (depending on the species I collect)
I WON'T put him into the local ecosystem and am planning on "offing" him within the next two months anyway. At least I can LEARN something by experimenting on him - as I will keep crays exclusively once settled in Michigan - rather than be a bleeding heart and spare the pain of one cray while the rest of my tank's residents are getting suddenly terrorized.
Again, I've had this particular creature for nearly two years without incident until the last two weeks...
I am clipping the "thumb" of his claw tonight. I will use a scalpel as to not butcher them up. I will not "rip" off the entire appendage, I am only rendering it non-functional.
Call me "cruel" if you must, but I think the knowledge gained will help the hundreds of other crays I plan on keeping in the future.
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