Winter Behavior of Uca Pugnax Fiddler Crabs in Captivity

This year, due to obnoxiously expensive energy bills, i decided to give my crabs' aquarium filters and lamps a rest.  This was done after a bit of research into how fiddlers accept winter conditions in the wild.  Uca Pugnax can tolerate winters fairly well, being found as far north along the Atlantic Coast as Massachusetts.

Bob, Steve, and Fern, the uca pugnax fiddlers i am the caretaker to are the participants in this small experiment.  Bob lives in a tank separately from Steve and Fern because Bob is, well, a jerk to other crabs of both genders.  Each tank is outfitted with a fake plant, a filter, an aquarium "hiding" ornament (for fish/invertebrates that like to hide), sand, and in Bob's tank there is an additional "hiding" tube.  On the outside of each tank is a stick-on thermometer that measures the water at its deepest point.  Both tanks currently do not have land areas but instead fake plants that float at the top which the crabs like to climb on to.  The water depths for the tanks are different but all crabs are doing well and their salinity and pH are in check.

The water temperature currently for the fiddler tanks is at 69 degrees Fahrenheit.  It has dipped lower this winter into the lower 60's.  Starting in November, i opted not to use the lamps for the winter.  That makes the water temperature lower, out of the average range (75-85 degrees F) that the crabs are active in.  When the temperatures go below 70 degrees F, the crabs become sluggish and go into seclusion, rarely leaving their ornaments (i call them houses) or other hiding places.  The temperature change also slows their metabolism and i've found that my crabs have not eaten the food i've put in the tanks since November and it must be skimmed out because i am not running the filters.  Due to their seclusion and disinterest in eating, the water has maintained a good pH level despite the filters being off.

At the few times when the water temps went above 70 degrees F this winter, the crabs would come out of hiding.  Fern, the only female, seems to come out more in the cold temperatures than the males, but it is very infrequent when she does.  The males have taken to hiding and refuse to come out on the colder days unless i roust them a bit when i add water to the tanks.  Every couple of weeks i check to make sure that the males are all okay and still alive by moving their houses to bring them out of hiding. 

Molting does not appear to happen in the colder water temps, which is most likely due to their metabolism slowing down.  If the crabs do come out and it's cold, they move sluggishly unless frightened.  The female Fern seems to like to dig under her and Steve's house.  Steve prefers being in the house proper.  Bob likes being under one end of his filter that sits above the sand.  All these behaviors appear normal and none of them seem unhealthy. 

Should the salinity in the tanks go up, i will add more water and turn the filters back on because the salt can accumulate in certain areas of the tank without movement in the water.  Thus far the crabs are exhibiting normal winter behaviors and seem to be tolerating the temperature change quite well.

Bob 2013

Chardonnay Chicken Recipe

The Beginning!  Before the Oven.

This little recipe happened while i was trying to find something my niece would like for dinner back when she was staying with us for a while.  It's very simple to make and tastes absolutely wonderful.  Tweek it to your own liking if you need to, but this is how i make it:

Ingredients
1 stick of salted butter (8 tbsp)--melted it will make 1/2 cup--
1/4 cup chardonnay white wine (any brand)
1 or 2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced onion (or 1/2 of a fresh onion, chopped)
3 or 4 chicken breasts
1 tsp pepper
1 pinch of salt
8oz or 12oz of fresh mushrooms, sliced

Needed Items
Glass baking pan 8x8 or 9x9 (cooking spray will not be necessary)
Pyrex microwavable 1 cup measuring glass
Sheet of tin foil large enough to cover top of baking pan
Oven

The How To
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Place stick of butter in the 1 cup Pyrex measuring glass (or whatever microwavable measuring cup you have), microwave butter for 45 seconds (or until completely melted).
Add 1/4 cup chardonnay to the butter in the butter's measuring cup.
Mix the minced garlic, minced onion, pepper, and salt into the butter/wine mixture in the measuring cup.
Stir the mixture well with a spoon.

Place chicken breasts in the glass pan.  Poor 75% of the liquid butter/wine mixture into the pan.  Spoon some garlic and onion bits over each chicken breast.  Place chicken in oven for about 20-30 minutes.  Take note that cooking times will be different depending on the size of your chicken breasts, how many you are cooking, and how your oven does with heating.  Check on the chicken often to make sure it is not burning and that it is cooking properly.  When the chicken looks done (turns all white with slightly brown edges or is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the center of each breast), take it out of the oven, leaving the oven on.  Put the mushrooms in the pan with the chicken, pour the rest of the butter/wine/garlic mixture in with the mushrooms and chicken.  Try to get most of the mushrooms into the liquid in the pan (makes them cook and taste better).  Place sheet of foil over the top of the glass pan and replace pan to the oven.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes or until mushrooms turn a pleasant shade of brown (be watchful, they can scorch if the liquid gets to low or is cooked off completely).  The foil works to keep the moisture in to prevent scorching of the mushrooms and over-browning of the chicken.

When chicken and mushrooms are done, take out of the oven and serve.

Finished Recipe Up Close

The Finished Recipe view 2

30 Fiddler Crab Quick Facts

1.  Fiddler crabs are brackish and marine water animals.

2.  They need land sand/mud and water to survive.

3.  Fiddlers are arthropods just like insects, isopods, bugs, spiders and other arachnids.

4.  They are crustaceans with 8 legs and 2 claws.  Females have two small feeder claws.  Males have one large claw and one small feeder claw.

5.  Fiddlers have gills that must remain moist for them to be able to breathe.

6.  Just like other arthropods, fiddlers have an exoskeleton aka shell.

7.  To grow in size or to regrow a lost limb, fiddlers molt their exoskeleton aka shell.

8.  It is possible for fiddlers to live up to 7 years or longer.

9.  Male fiddlers wave their large claw in a special dance to attract females.

10.  Females choose the males based on the male's waving and claw size.

11.  Female fiddlers dig burrows to lay their eggs in.  Some species keep their eggs attached to their bodies and release them during a high tide.  Some eat the eggs off of themselves if they cannot release them at high tide.

12.  Baby fiddlers are called larvae.

13.  Baby fiddlers are part of the zooplankton during their larval stage.

14.  Larval baby fiddlers eat phytoplankton and rotifers.

15.  It is difficult to get baby fiddlers to survive in an aquarium due to the filter, predation by other aquarium animals (including the parent crabs), lack of proper deep ocean conditions, and lack of proper food.

16.  Fiddlers treat their known neighbor crabs differently than they treat unfamiliar crabs.

17.  Male fiddlers do a defensive and territorial waving pattern with their claws when danger or other crabs come near their personal space.

18.  Adult fiddlers in captivity can eat fresh and freeze dried shrimps, plankton, algae, seaweed, bloodworms, fish flakes, fish pieces, and even dead insects.

19.  Many fiddlers enjoy burrowing in sand and/or mud, particularly the females but males will burrow too.

20.  Water temperatures between 75 degrees Fahrenheit and 85 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal for adult fiddler crab aquariums. 

21.  Four fiddlers can live together in a 10 gallon tank.  3 females and 1 male.

22.  Male fiddlers fight each other over territory.  Sometimes the fighting gets violent and one fiddler may lose a limb or an eye-stalk (the vision part of the eye stalks are not likely to regrow).

23.  Fiddlers become lighter in color at night.

24.  Some fiddlers in captivity can acquire an algae growth.  If this happens, reduce the amount of time the light is on the aquarium.  The algae should not hurt the crab unless it grows on the gills, mouth parts, or eyes or becomes so large it hinders feeding.

25.  As the crabs age, they molt less frequently, eventually getting to a point where they no longer molt at all unless a limb is lost.  During youth the crabs molt very often.  During early adulthood, molting every 8 weeks or so is normal.

26.  It is possible for fiddlers to become depressed living in a tank setting.  Signs of fiddler depression include: not waving anymore (males only), nearly constant seclusion in a burrow, aquarium ornament or under something, no longer eating, constant attempts to escape (this could be a sign of bad water conditions).

27.  Fiddler depression can be caused by tank changes, stress, general unhappiness due to having once lived in the ocean but now having to live in captivity, lack of mates, inadequate water salinity (either too high or too low), ammonia in the water, chlorine/chloramine or other harmful substance/chemical in the water, lack of tides, temperature changes or inadequate temperature (too high or too low), inadequate water depth (too high or too low), territorial disputes with tank mates (sometimes a group or an individual crab will restrict the movements of another), etc.

28.  Some crabs exhibit winter behavior.  Some will burrow when the temperature gets lower and not come out for long periods of time, if at all, until the temperature of the water/land gets higher.  Many crabs instinctively know when it is winter time and will burrow, become sluggish, eat a bit less, or spend their time mostly in the water.  Those are normal behaviors for winter and lower tank temperatures.

29.  Fiddlers are capable of producing memories, communication, deceptive communication, and other social behaviors you may not expect.

30.  Many fiddlers eat in the morning, between the hours of 4am and 10am, scavenging the sand and the water for food debris.  As afternoon approaches, crabs may go into hiding.

   

Saint Bernard Update

Willy and Neo (the cat)

Basic Update on Willers:

Last May i wrote an article on basic Saint Bernard puppy information, today i'm going to write how that puppy from the pictures is doing and some tips for adult dog care.

Sometime around the beginning of last June, Willy stopped being a complete insane nut outside.  Prior to the beginning of June, when ever we went outside with him he would jump on us and grab our clothing.  Then, one day, he just completely stopped that behavior.  I'm not complaining about that either, i was glad he ceased being that way.  Perhaps he finally grasped the point of our angry tone, our yelling and our going inside every time he would do that.  From that point on though Willy has been getting calmer.

June 13th he turned 1 year old and is fast approaching 2 years now.  There's been quite a few changes in him

Running Toward Me

most notably his size and behavior.  He has continued to grow in height until just recently.  He sizes in at about 33 inches at the withers/shoulders, which is rather tall for a saint.  His weight is somewhere near 170-175 lbs.  He's still lean and gangly but slowly gaining girth and more muscle, by about 5 years old he should be completely filled out to his adult girth.  He has calmed down some but is still active, enjoying walks and running around the yard (note the picture), which keeps his weight in check.  During the summer we had to change his food over to Taste of the Wild adult dog food because Innova brand changed their formula which resulted in diarrhea for Willy.  Taste of the Wild has been good for him, he eats 6 cups of the dry kibble a day.  He's on the bison formula right now but also enjoys the wetlands formula.  We tried him on the pacific stream formula which has a protein source of fish...that resulted in very offensive stools and gas so we switched him back to the bison.  There were no issues (diarrhea, nausea, etc) transitioning him from one formula to the other because the only changes between the formulas are the protein sources, all the other ingredients remain the same.  He still has a fond liking for outdoor water sources, which is something that
worries us a bit.  No matter how fresh and cool the indoor water is he prefers rain water from puddles and ponds in the yard.  I strongly believe animals can taste the fluoride and chlorine in the tap water and that is probably why he (and a lot of other dogs and cats) prefer the outdoor water.  The downsides to the outside water are pollutants that occur in rainwater and bacteria from the water sitting and other animals drinking it, which can cause diarrhea and other problems.  Perhaps a filter is needed for the tap.

Into adulthood Willy still likes to chew and do other things that keep him active.  He picks up sticks and branches outside, thankfully he just rips them up but doesn't eat them.  Inside the house he chews rawhide bones and natural cow femurs (purchased at Tractor Supply or Pet Supplies Plus pet store).  He still thoroughly enjoys digging and "pruning" plants in the yard.  With his teeth alone, grabbing the sled rope, he can pull me a good few feet through the snow in a plastic sled.  We're thinking about teaching him wagon drafting in the near future.  Wagons are expensive though and the draft harnesses certainly aren't cheap so it could be a while before we get to that.  This spring we may get him a Lyme vaccine so he can go to the woods with us, he really enjoys sniffing animal tracks and following scents (which is what Saints were bred for).  Most of his indoor activities at this point include sleeping, eating, drinking, sleeping some more, playing with us with his stuffed toys and his rope, and then sleeping even more.  Saints are at their most active when outside.

Goofy Behaviors:

Even though the beast has calmed down considerably he still does some goofy things that are either gross or annoying.  One of these things is getting into the kitty litter box.  Yes, the dog eats cat poop every chance he gets, which is just nasty.  Even when we have the door on the cat box he still gets in it.  We keep the box clean everyday but often times the cat goes poop before any of us wake in the morning (cat usually does his duty at about 5am) so the dog is the first to know (by smell).  Hell, the dog knows the cat is going to poo before the cat does.  We've seen the dog sniffing the cat's rear end up to an hour before the cat has to go poo, then after the cat goes to the box the dog will sneak upstairs when no one's paying attention and pilfer the excrement.  There's been scolding, putting the cat box in places we thought he wouldn't or couldn't get to, but in the end that dog always manages to get to it.  I know a lot of people have issues with their dogs doing this behavior.  Dogs eat other dogs' and animals' feces for either territorial reasons (eliminating the smell of the other animal) or because they can smell/taste what the other animal has eaten in the poop (as is the case with our dog).  It is a disgusting habit that is difficult to break and can be potentially dangerous.  Other animals can pass diseases through their stool and the clay/paper kitty litter from the cat box can build up in the stomach/intestines causing a variety of problems, the most likely of which is a blockage.  One of the few remedies for cat box issues would be to put the cat box in a room only the cat can get to.  This is difficult sometimes and may require buying and then installing a cat door in the large closed door.  If one has a small dog, that too may not work because the dog could fit through the cat door.  There are alternative self cleaning cat litter boxes, such as the Cat Genie (it cleans itself by being hooked up to your toilet) but that thing is expensive.  Some people have had a bit of success potty training their cats to use the human toilet.  In the end though, it will probably have to come down to you (and probably me too) buying an edible treat for the cat that makes the waste taste awful to the dog.

Another of Willy's goofy behaviors is attempting to eat paper toweling.  Luckily he does this noticeably for attention (he parades the fact he's eating something by coming in the living room with the item and then running away) and we are usually able to get the toweling away from him before he ingests it.  Once in a while though, as he's running from us, he swallows the toweling.  Where he finds some of these pieces of toweling we don't know but sometimes he'll open the trash can to get them, other times he may even jump on some furniture item to pilfer them.  We've learned to set something heavy on the trash can lid and to not leave paper towels sitting on the tables or counters.  Due to his height, he can just put his face on the kitchen counters to take stuff, he doesn't even have to jump.  Luckily the toweling the beast has ingested has come out his other end successfully.  This dog forces us to keep a picked up home, which i suppose is a good thing, to a point.

Conclusion:

We've had this dog for nearly two years and we've learned a lot from him and he has learned a lot from us.  Willy still has a good deal of play and puppy in him but he's become the loyal, loving family dog everyone would like to have.  He barks and howls to alert us of strangers at the front door or near the yard.  He sticks close to us when we go places, leery of strangers (particularly older teenage boys and men--long story about that for another day--) but never mean about them.  Being quite fond of other dogs, he tries to approach them playfully on walks but understands when we tell him no and lets the issue go.  Sure, he's still stubborn about things but we like him to be that way.  He still insists that the chair in front of the windows is his and he insists on sitting in it to look out those windows.  Most of the time he'll still hop on our beds before us to try to keep us from getting the good sleeping spots but he'll move if we tell him too.  These little personality quirks he has are what makes him who he is.  Always though he tries to be gentle about things, even when he play bites or chews the cat, he's gentle about it and never hurts us (or the cat) with his teeth.  His paws on the other hand have smacked us a few times, usually when he tries to lay on us.  Of course he doesn't know that his paws are hurting us, he just thinks he is being cuddly by putting his paws and head on us.  So we let that go.  For the past 2 years he's been a good friend, never leaving us with a dull moment.  Willy doesn't look like a human but to us he is and he's a member of the family.  We respect him and he respects us.  He is a good dog, a good person and i look forward happily to the rest of the time we've got with him.

Chewing Branches

Update on Bob and Claudia

 Hello there, last time i posted here i wrote an article on the care and maintenance of fiddler crabs.  I am happy to report that the crabs in my care are still with us :)  Very much alive and jolly.  I only have pictures of Bob because Claudia spends her days in her burrow and comes out at night when we're all sleeping.  There have been a few things to note on their behaviour.  Bob still does his waving, we are somewhat baffled as to whether it's mating waving or some form of territorial waving.  When a hand or foreign object gets near him in his tank, he waves at it in the same form of waving that would be fiddler mating waving.  We do not know the subtle differences between defensive territorial and mating waving though we're sure other crabs would notice and understand the differences.  Going by how infrequently he has molted we believe he is an older crab.
He has only molted once since we brought him home and that was last spring.  The older a crab gets, the less frequently it molts.  He spends his days waving, crawling and occasionally eating.  The cooler weather has meant slightly cooler tank temperatures but both crabs seem content and both remain active. We recently found that Claudia will wave at Bob from time to time when she does emerge during the day but she quickly gets distracted and starts picking up sand particles to chew on.  Both crabs seem healthy, with Bob acquiring a bit of algae on his shell which should go away with a molt or if we turn the light off more in the spring time.  Right now their light is essential to their health and well being because  

without it the temperatures in their tanks get too low.  The algae growth does not seem to effect Bob's activity levels or his quality of life.  These three pictures of Bob were taken just a few days ago.  His filter (a Duetto), i just found out a few weeks ago, is no longer being produced.  When Claudia's filter (a Tetra) broke, i ended up purchasing a submersible filter from Meijer, which is of good quality and easily maintained.  So these are just a few updates on the crabs and how they're doing.  I hope to have both crabs live for quite a few more years yet and i'm off to a good start :)

The Care and Maintenance of Fiddler Crabs

Bob, male Uca Pugnax fiddler crab

First I shall introduce the crabs in the photos I will be using in this post.  Bob is the male fiddler crab and Claudia is the female.  Bob has one very large claw, that is how the males are identified as being male.  The females have two small claws, like Claudia.

Claudia, female Uca Pugnax fiddler crab

What They Are and Where They Reside in the Wild

Bob and Claudia are part of the Uca Pugnax species of fiddler crab.  They are often called by the common name of marsh fiddler crab because they typically reside in tidal pools and brackish marshes along ocean coasts.  Other fiddler crabs often kept as pets are part of the Uca Pugilator species. The care of both species is similar.

Fiddler crabs are considered marine animals.  They are crustaceans and listed in the phylum of arthropoda with the other arthropods insects and arachnids.  Fiddlers must be kept in salt water conditions but can tolerate very low salinity for a SHORT period of time.  Brackish water is ideal.  Brackish means slightly salty, which means the salinity can range between 0.5 ppt (parts per thousand) to 29/30 ppt (parts per thousand).  If they are left in fresh water, with a salinity below 6 ppt, they will die a slow death over a couple of months. 

In the wild, males and females spend a deal of time on land and an equal amount of time in the water.  Because they are crustaceans, they can dry out easily if they do not have access to high humidity, damp ground, or water.  Males and females of most species enjoy burrowing, with some exceptions of course.  Bob does not care for burrowing but Claudia digs herself a new burrow every few weeks.  The preferred land substrates for fiddler crabs are sand and mud, so they can easily dig and eat.  Land and water areas provide food as well.  Fiddlers use their small claw (or both claws on the female) to pick up pieces of sand and dirt to put in their mouths.  They pass the particle through their mandibles a few times to eat off the bacteria and other microbes on the particle.  Uca Pugnax crabs appear to enjoy eating from the sand in the water (probably because it harbours more microbes), however, they will eat things out of dry sand from time to time.

At high tide on the beaches and marshes, the crabs will reside in their burrows or will even return to the ocean.  At low tide they emerge from the burrows and the water.  Marsh crabs differ from sand crabs (uca pugilator) in these behaviours, but at this point, it is not necessary to go into detail about the small differences.

Every fiddler crab you see in a pet/aquatic store or Wal-mart has been kidnapped from its native beach or marsh.  Fiddlers cannot be bred successfully in captivity and this why they are captured from the wild.  Fiddler crab larvae require deep ocean conditions which cannot be replicated by human means, which means you will not ever have a true "baby" fiddler crab.

Aquarium Set Up, Food, and Care

So you went to the pet/aquarium store (or wal-mart) and have brought home a fiddler crab, you now probably have questions regarding the proper care.  Most pet stores (and some aquarium stores unfortunately, and wal-mart too) list fiddler crabs as fresh water crabs.  That is horribly erroneous and if kept in fresh water,  your crabs will die.  Before i describe the correct aquarium tank set up, i'm going to list what you need to acquire from the pet store first:

• Instant Ocean brand marine aquarium salt (other brands just aren't as good), preferably a box with enough salt for a 10 gallon fully marine aquarium.  Do not worry, you will not use the entire box all at once.  In fact you may not use up the entire box for quite some time.
• 10 Gallon Aquarium Tank, it can be a less expensive brand and they usually cost about $15 at Pet Smart.  (Go for a 20 gallon or larger if you have multiple crabs or there will be hostility in the tank)
• Submersible Filter, preferably one that lists that it does biological, mechanical, and chemical (charcoal) filtering.  I recommend Duetto filters, they do good work and aren't very expensive.
• Plastic Aquarium Tubing of Varying Sizes because plastic aquarium tubing has many many uses around the house even if you won't need it for your filter's air supply.
• Freeze Dried Brine or Baby Shrimps, Tropical Fish Flakes, Freeze Dried Plankton, Seaweed, Algae Disks, and Freeze Dried Blood Worms are what the crabs need to eat to remain healthy, they cannot survive on microbes alone (and often times there aren't even enough microbes when you start a new tank)
• Play, Aquarium, or Bio Sand because crabs need sand, not pebbles or gravel.  Pebbles and gravel can cause injuries and they also cannot pick them up or pick things off of them to eat very well.
• Dechlorinator for Aquariums chlorine is a stress inducing and killer of fish and water invertebrates and there is chlorine and chloromine in all tap water.
• Tank Screen for the top of the tank.  Crabs are excellent climbers and master escape artists so a screen is necessary.
• Heat or Sunlight without Heat Lamp.  Lamps are necessary for your crabs, even a standard plant light can give enough heat when set on the screen to keep the tank warm and bright.  Crabs enjoy light and heat so if you can find a lamp that emits a small amount of heat with decent sunlight mimicking light, then the crabs will be happy.
• Stick on Temperature Gauge, so you can make sure the crab's water/land is between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.  These are usually very cheap and you can get two, one for land and one for water.  They stick on the outside of the tank quite nicely.
• Optional Aquarium Decorations and Plants.  Fiddlers spend time hiding behind things because they are lower down on the food chain and are easily frightened especially during molting (i will explain molting later on).  A few yard rocks (nothing containing metal, concrete, or asphalt) can be arranged in the aquarium so they can hide.  You can also purchase little decorations with holes in them so they can hide in those.  You can even take pieces of PVC piping (rinse it well) and put it in the land sand so your crabs have ready  made burrows.  Plants are optional, crabs enjoy climbing them and if you can find real brackish water plants, they will even nibble them every now and then.  If you have a tank set up that doesn't have land, i strongly recommend floating "driftwood" like aquarium decorations and tall fake aquarium plants because crabs must leave the water for certain amounts of time or they die.
• Hydrometer, this measures the parts per thousand of salt in the water as well as the specific gravity.

Aquarium Set Up

Bob's Tank Set Up

 Now that you have the necessary items we can move onto the tank set up.  Your tank, if it is not fully aquatic, should look like Bob's tank there in the picture.  To get the tank set up properly, we first added 2 gallons of de-chlorinated salt water.  The easiest way to de-chlorinate and mix salt with the water is to use a plastic milk jug (rinsed with hot water, but just rinsed, do NOT use soap!).  You add warm tap water to the jug, put a few drops (or what the instructions on your dechlorinator said to use) of dechlorinator in the water, put the lid on, shake, then take the lid off, use a funnel to add the marine salt.  For 2 gallons of water i recommend 2-3 tablespoons of the Instant Ocean marine salt.  Shake the new salt water mixture a few times until the salt is dissolved.  Now poor that into your tank.  

Next, take your sand (it took about 20 lbs of aquarium, play, and bio sand to get Bob's tank to look like this) and add it to the water.  It will look terrible, brown and cloudy but that's ok.  Pile most of the sand to one side of the tank and keep adding sand until you've got the desired height of land.  Notice how as you pile sand to one side the water gets deeper.  If you find you have too much water, take one of those plastic aquarium tubes, place one end in the water while hold your finger over the other end.  Place a bucket near the tank, put the end of the tube your holding in the tank and let your finger off of the hole.  The water should flow into the bucket.  If it does not, keep the one end of the tube in the water and suck on the other end until the water is just about near your mouth (don't drink the salt water, it will make you vomit).  Place your finger over the end of the tube that was in your mouth quickly and then place that end in the bucket.  It sounds complicated but it's a lesson that is quickly learned once you do it a few times.

Once you've got a good sand to water ratio going, find yourself some decent sized rocks (no metal, no concrete, no asphalt) and place them in the water at the base of the sand hill and push them into the sand a bit.  This will help keep the sand hill from eroding into the water area.  

The water will be dark brown or murky, this is alright just wait a few hours or a day and the sediment will settle.  Once the sediment has settled, place your filter in the tank according to the instructions that came with the filter.  Add the other decorations you want at this time as well.

Different View of Bob's Tank

 Before adding the crabs make yourself familiar with the nitrogen process/cycle ( http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm ).  Crabs are hardy creatures but ammonia levels can get to them and make them sick and eventually cause death.  If you have the crabs already and they must be housed in the tank, feed them sparingly but daily at first and put most (not all) of their food on the land when you feed them.  Ammonia and PH test strips are essential for maintenance and health of the crabs.  Also at this time you should use your hydrometer to check the salinity of the water.  My crabs have done well with a salinity of 20-22 PPT with a specific gravity of 1.014-1.016.  If yours is lower, that's okay, as long as it is above 1.008 specific gravity.  It's okay too if it is a little higher (as long as you haven't produced brine, which is 50 PPT or more).  If it's too low, when you need to add water, just add more salt to that batch of water.  If it's too high aka it has become brine, you will need to remove the water and use considerably less salt when you make a new batch of water.  Be sure to place your lamp on the tank to heat the water.  If the water gets too cold your crab will move very slowly and may not wish to enter the water at all.  If the water (or land) gets beyond 85 degrees Fahrenheit, your crab can end up cooked.  Ideal temperature is between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

Maintenance

 Feed your crab daily 1 brine shrimp or 2 plankton and a few fish flakes (flakes in the water only).  Every few days switch up the routine with 3 freeze dried blood worms, a few fish flakes, and a couple tiny pieces of seaweed (seaweed can be given in the water and will promote algae growth on the filter and rocks, which your crabs will eat).  Every once in a while provide a small piece of algae disk in the water.  If you have multiple crabs in one tank, up the feeding accordingly and always be observant of how much your crabs eat in a day.  Overfeeding can make the tank offensive and the water murky and ammonia filled.  Crabs spend a large part of their day "grazing" the sand (both in and out of the water) for food and after the tank is established for a few weeks, there will be microbes in the sand that the crabs will enjoy but you must still provide other food for them.  Crabs enjoy eating rotting things so if a piece of food gets a bit gross on the land, eventually the crab will probably eat it.  If not, take it out.

Water evaporates quickly in the summer from the tank so you may have to do frequent water adds.  Add only a tiny amount of salt to the new batches of water (less than a tablespoon) and if you find that your water is getting too salty, skip adding the salt for a couple adds.  Always dechlorinate any new batch of water even if you don't add salt.  One quick common sense note, NEVER USE TABLE SALT or any salt made for human consumption, our salts contain chemicals that will kill the crabs.  Always use marine aquarium salt.

Crabs (like other arthropods) shed their exoskeletons to grow, this process is called molting.  When your crab is about to molt he or she may become reclusive, hiding frequently or staying in a burrow for most of the day.  This is normal.  Fiddlers will also skip meals before molting but do not stop providing the food because they will eat it after the molt is complete.  Your crab will need the water in the tank to actually perform the molt.  When they molt, they need to be in the water because they absorb it to crack the old shell.  Weeks prior to the molting action, they reabsorb calcium carbonate from their shell and produce enzymes to loosen the shell from the "skin" underneath, this skin then starts producing a new soft shell. The molt itself seems to take only a few hours at the very most (usually quite a bit less time, about 20 minutes).  After the molt, the shell is left aside and it will look like a weird ghostly version of your crab.  But the real version of your crab may be no where to be seen, fear not.  Crabs hide for extended periods after molting.  At this point, until roughly 2 weeks have passed, do not alter their home or remove them from their tank and do not handle them.  After the molt they are extremely vulnerable to injury (which is why they hide) until their new shell hardens.  Fiddlers molt times depends on their age.  Young fiddlers molt more frequently while old fiddlers may not molt at all anymore.  Bob and Claudia both molted in the Spring after i saved them from the wrath of Wal-mart. When we got Bob, he was missing a leg and after his molt he grew a new one.  That's a neat thing about crabs, if they lose a leg or claw they will regrow them with a molt.

Adding Friends to the Tank

Some will argue that fiddler crabs are somewhat social animals.  I beg to differ.  Male fiddlers seem to be rather obnoxious when it comes to territory.  True, they emerge from the ocean in groups, live in groups, but i don't think they really want to be friends with each other.  Our Bob kept waving out of his tank and from various articles i read i assumed he was doing mating waving.  So we searched out a female, Claudia, and introduced her to his tank.  Well, Bob attacked her (not sexually) as soon as he saw her.  He got a look about him at first like "Who the bloody hell is that?" and then he charged her.  She cowered down and he scraped her carapace with his claw a few times then let her run off.  From that point on he would not let her leave the water and had her confined to a small corner behind the filter.  Every time she attempted to leave the corner he would chase her back into it.  I removed Claudia from his tank after viewing 2 days of this activity from Bob.  She now has her own tank and we have come to learn that his waving is strictly territorial.  He still waves violently and obnoxiously at her from his tank while staring into hers.  She ignores him most of the time but at one point a few weeks ago went to the corner and did a few waves of her own to which Bob responded with violent waves of the big claw.

I don't recommend giving these creatures "friends" of other species.  There aren't a lot of brackish animals that fiddlers will get along with.  If you add friends of the same species, put everyone in the tank together so they can duke out territories at the same time.  That way you don't end up with one dominant jerk crab, like Bob.  I also don't recommend mixing crab species as some grow larger and more aggressive than others.  Uca pugilator are generally larger than Uca Pugnax.

Bob Doing a Defensive Wave

At this point I'm going to wrap up this article.  I hope it is of some use to those with fiddler crabs.  If you have any questions about your crabs or tank set up, feel free to ask, I may be able to help you out :-)  If you have any advice (or corrections for my article), please share.

     

Saint Bernard Puppy Information

::::The Saint Bernard in all the pictures is my dog William Rupert Wallace aka Willy.::::

The following shares some information about the breed and what to look for in a puppy, breeder, and nutrition.


Information for those who may wish to get a Saint Bernard puppy:

Saint Bernards are not all like the movie dogs Beethoven or Cujo. Some are calm, some are wild, and some are a pleasant mixture of both. They are an extremely intelligent dog breed which makes them extremely stubborn and strong willed. Saints are master manipulators and will learn quickly how to get what they want from you. Early training is a must because they get very big very quick and can use their muscle power against you and they will usually win whatever battles you may have with them once they hit 60 lbs or more. Try your best to get the basic commands of "come", "sit", "stay", and "lay down" taught before they reach 4 months of age. Now these dogs are rather clingy/loyal, they love their people if their people are good to them. They will wish to go with you EVERYWHERE. Now that isn't true of every Saint, there are exceptions to the rule, but it is true of most. Because of their urge to follow you around, they may break out the front door and go past you on your way out. For this reason you must teach them the first 4 basic commands early and they must know that you are in complete control when you use these words. The word "come" or "stay" could save their life if they get out of the house and make a run for the road or go after a scent.

The Saint Bernard usually knows he's a huge dog and will adjust his play behaviours to the size of the person/animal he plays with. Most are good with children and try their best not to hurt them or knock them around. Some Saints, like mine, know the restrictions of their adult person but like to push the limit during play. They may play bite, but never hard enough to break the skin (if they wanted to, they could crush your arm; their bite capacity is roughly 550 lbs of pressure when full grown), they may jump on you and they may generally tick you off by stealing things they aren't suppose to play with. These are attention getting behaviours which are common in most puppies but can be a bit more unpleasant coming from a huge puppy. So the words "down", "let go", and "gentle" should be taught once the other basic commands have been learned.

A first time Saint Bernard or giant dog owner may find that their puppy is full of beans even though they've read or heard that they should be "gentle giants". Give it time, they do calm down. They will usually be wild for the first year and a half but you'll notice with every passing month that your puppy will start adding some behaviours while leaving others behind. The most difficult months are the "adolescent" months. Depending on the individual dog, these times can start at age 4 months and last to age 12 months. This is a time when some puppies will start to try a variety of behaviours such as: asserting dominance over the people, trying to be independent (not listening/adhering to commands, spending time alone, ignoring the humans), becoming destructive (chewing up a person's clothing or furniture), developing anxieties over separation (which can make them destroy things), etc. Neutering or spaying can help alleviate sexual tension that the dog may have and reduces the risk of mammary and testicular cancers later in life. However, neutering and spaying will not calm your puppy down in any other way. During this time all you can do is keep up with training (introducing new things as well as practicing old commands) and ask for advice from the veterinarian or a dog psychologist if the problems get real bad (if they get super bad, it may not be the dog, but rather how the human has handled situations in the past).

Most dogs like to work and Saints are ones that enjoy doing a variety of work related tasks. Originally trained as farm dogs before the monks of Switzerland started breeding them and training them for rescue, these dogs performed a variety of farm duties but most notably excelled in drafting. Full grown saints are capable of drafting in competition up to 3000 lbs but do best at about 1500 lbs or less when at home. If you can get a good freight-weight harness or drafting harness and a wagon, you can teach your dog to pull light loads (15 lbs-20lbs) while he's a puppy. This must be done correctly though or your dog could end up with sprains, pulled muscles, or other injuries. If you want to teach your puppy draft, you definitely need to do some research first. Saints are also fantastic diggers. If you have a small area you need "tilled", you can teach the dog to dig in the area you want dug up and they will undoubtedly produce a very nice large area of loose soil and holes. While it isn't conventional, Saints could probably also be taught to herd sheep/cattle. They're very smart animals and learn rather quickly. They could also be taught hunting skills/gun dog skills.

Food wise, depending on the brand of dog food you feed (i recommend Innova Large Breed puppy formula), you may spend as much as $200 USD on food a month. Two, 33 lbs bags of dry dog food take us back $120 USD every month. Despite their large size, they don't eat as much as one would think. We feed our Willy 3 cups of dry kibble in the morning and 3 cups in the evening. 6 cups a day isn't a huge amount of food for such a large dog. In the warmer months, Saints will sometimes give up a meal or two here and there due to the heat. You offer it, and they may snub it in favour of many bowls of water instead. That is normal, but always be sure to at least try to get them to eat regular meals, especially if you notice them losing weight (weight that isn't fat). Mixing a little canned food in with the dry kibble can usually get them to eat. For canned food, if you cannot find canned in the brand you want, i recommend Purina's Adult Canned Tender Cuts dinners. Why adult canned food and not puppy canned food? Unless a canned food is specifically formulated for a giant breed/large breed puppy, it will have too many calories and too much protein which leads to rapid growth spurts if fed regularly. You'll want to avoid rapid growth in any giant or large breed dog because it can lead to joint and bone abnormalities. So adult canned food has less calories and less protein than regular non-giant breed puppy foods.

There are two coat types for the saint bernard. The rough coat is the long haired version (ultra-fluffy like Beethoven) and the smooth coat (like Willy) is the short haired version. Do not be fooled, short hair does not equal less shedding. Both the long and short haired saints will shed epically in spring and fall. It is not uncommon for saints to lose a majority of their coat in preparation for summer. Every day brushing may be required for a couple months during each shedding season. The long and short haired saints are both susceptible to heat stroke and dehydration in hot summer weather, so ALWAYS provide fresh water for them to drink outside and inside. They like cool air conditioning but sudden extreme changes in temperature mess with their internal temperature rhythms. Going from spending most of their time in a cool place to one that is very hot and humid can make them sick. Hydration and access to shade is the best way to prevent heat related sickness in these dogs.

Finding the right puppy:
If you decide on a Saint Bernard puppy look for a family or professional breeder that has good quality dogs for show, competition, rescue, or work at home. Ask questions. Do not be afraid to inquire about something that may baffle you or that you do not know about. In the world of dog breeders, knowledge is power. The family we got Willy from were not professional breeders but they were not into breeding dogs for the money. They had just 3 adult saint bernards, 2 females and 1 male. Both breeding adults (Atlas and Lilly Bella) were quality dogs with good build and health. The one female (Lucy) that was far too old to be bred was 11 years old when we went to pick up Willy. That was a year ago and i think she's still living. That's a long time to live for a saint bernard. Their life expectancies are usually just 6-10 years. Lucy was also a rescued dog who had been used in a fighting ring some years before as practice for fighting dogs. Willy's breeders clearly loved their animals and took good care of them, Lucy was proof of that. These people weren't fancy breeders but we can't call them backyard breeders either. His breeders are a farming family that raise cattle and have good space to have a number of Saint Bernards both young and old. The kennel where the puppies were kept was clean and dry. The pups were also allowed out to run about the farm with their mum from time to time. All the puppies were active and healthy with bright eyes and pot bellies. These are things to look for. The living space for the mother and puppies should be clean, the puppies should be full in the tummy (not fat or chubby all over), the parents should be registered with a breed registry like the AKC (Willy's parents were), the puppies should not have excessively droopy eyes, discharge from eyes/ears/mouth/nose/anus, or obvious parasites (sometimes fleas cannot be helped because it's dangerous to use pesticides (aside from worming meds)on young pups, so fleas are an exception). Always ask to view the parents, if not the sire (sometimes the males are not available on site) then definitely the dam. Inquire about previous health issues the mother or father dog may have had. Ask about allergies the parents have/had. The puppies should have their first vaccinations by the time you get one, be sure to ask the breeder if they have had the pups vet checked, vaccinated and if they have the papers for proof. Sometimes if you get a dog from a farming family they may do the vaccinations themselves, this is not uncommon, just get the labels or records of the vaccinations from them so you can present it to your vet when you get your puppy vet checked after you bring him home. You may wish to ask what will happen to any unsold puppies. That question is somewhat important because it gives you an idea of what kind of people the breeders are. The people we got Willy from were keeping one of their puppies and told us that if we found we could not care for Willy we could give him back to them and that they'd keep him if they couldn't find him another home. This shows that these people love their dogs. Beware of breeders that say they will give their left over puppies to research companies/doctors or will have them euthanized or sent to a pet store to be sold. Those are terrible things to do to a dog and if you find a breeder like that avoid them and/or tell them off if you feel you need to.

If you are a fan of the Dog Whisperer show, please do not attempt Cesar Milan's techniques on your puppy. If you find you have a dominant or sassy puppy, ask your vet what to do and how to show your dominance properly. Cesar Milan usually works with adult dogs and the techniques for adult dogs with "issues" are different than techniques for puppies just starting out in life. He would tell you that as well if you were to ask him i'm sure. Dominance in puppies usually comes from the puppy not knowing that you are the person who is in control or he may feel he can get away with whatever he wants. The Saint Bernard is a puppy that gets very big very quick and they do use that against you to get their way. Discipline must be consistent. Do not hit a Saint Bernard puppy (or any puppy for that matter). Smacking these dogs makes them aggressive and some may even think you're just playing rough. Do not pin the dog on the floor in a dominant fashion unless you have been instructed to do so by your veterinarian or dog psychologist. If that is done too often during puppyhood it loses its effectiveness and the pup can turn it into a game. Sometimes, being human, we can mistake behaviours for dominant behaviours when that isn't the case at all. If in doubt, ask your vet. If the vet doesn't know how to help he/she can refer you to someone who does.

Outdoor Potty Training:
Thankfully saint bernards are very easy to train to use the bathroom outdoors. Most learn that behaviour in a couple weeks. But for those that don't i will provide the steps necessary for properly potty training a dog.

1. Unless paper training had already been started with the breeder, do not do paper training. It is an unnecessary step unless you must be gone for extended periods of time during the day (which, if you're getting a Saint puppy, you shouldn't be). Throw out ideas of paper training (but these steps can be used for paper training/wee-wee pads if that becomes necessary for the dog at some point in time).

2. Once you have brought your puppy home from his/her breeder, take him/her outside and let the pup explore the surroundings. Make sure all gates are closed, all gaps under fences are filled or blocked by a solid object and if your yard isn't fenced, keep a leash on the pup (you don't have to actually hold it if you don't want to, but if he starts running off you can step on the leash to stop him). Stay outside with him the entire time he is out there. If he urinates or defecates during this time, go up to him and in a high pitched jolly voice say "good boy (or girl)". Then take him inside and let him explore the rest of the house.

3. When you catch him going on the floor, which he undoubtedly will at some point, pick him up mid-urination if he's still going (he will then propably stop going) and take him outside. If he continues going outside, praise him.

4. Clean ALL urine and poop spots immediately after they happen. If your dog has pooped, place the poop outside in the area you want the puppy to go to the bathroom in. Take him outside, show him where his poop is. DO NOT rub his nose in it or yell at him. Dogs usually associate a bathroom area with scent. A quick whiff will tell him all he needs to know and he will sniff it usually on his own. His poop being outside will help him realize that the outside is where he is to go poo. To clean the areas inside where he had the accident/s, use white vinegar with or without baking soda mixed in or use an enzyme floor cleaner specially produced for animal urine/feces. It is extremely important to clean any and every place your puppy has gone to the bathroom in your house with either of these two cleaning recommendations. Dogs that can smell their urine or feces in a place will continue to use that place as a bathroom. Regular carpet cleaner detergent will not remove the odor. Dogs, as you know, can smell things better than we humans. Vinegar and enzyme cleaners remove the smell completely.

5. Be consistent. Do not yell. Do not smack the puppy. Do not rub his/her nose in the mess. Be patient. Praise the dog for doing well.

6. How will you know he needs to go outside? Most dogs develop their own ways of telling their person they need to go to the bathroom. Some will bark or whine, some will pace, some will sit by the backdoor (or any other door in the house), and then some will just give you a look. We had a golden retriever that just gave us a look when she had to go outside. For nearly a year we struggled with getting her to go outside and the whole time it was just a bunch of miscommunication. Our vet told us that sometimes a dog will just get a look. Then the light came on for us and we realized that poor Georgette had been telling us but we didn't know. So there are a variety of ways a dog will tell you he needs to go. Our saint bernard, being a very loud and rowdy dog, just barks at us when he has to go. There are times though when he will sit at the front of the hallway and stare at us to tell us he needs to go. Be observant and patient. There's also the bell ringing technique that dogs can be taught. I do not know much about how to teach that technique because we do not use it.


The Consequences of Too Much Protein in Giant Breed Puppies:

In a previous paragraph on what puppy food to feed i spoke of too much protein in a giant breed puppy's diet being a bad thing. You may wonder why. Well, too much protein, like when you feed a regular sized puppy food to a giant puppy, results in rapid growth spurts. These growth spurts cause joint and bone abnormalities because the growth happens so quickly. Giant breed dogs need a slow growth formula food (not a protein-less or protein restricted diet but a diet with the right amount of protein) so these growth spurts do not happen. Growing pains in a large breed dog should not occur. If they do there is something wrong. Through the years we've found that diet plays a key role in how the bones and joints develop. It was common practice back in the early 90's to administer cortisone shots for giant breed dogs with growing pains. This is no longer recommended by most vets because we have learned diet can eliminate the growing pains and that cortisone shots made the dogs eat more. At the end of this article i'm going to post links to a variety of sites and in that listing will be the website for the "Great Dane Lady". She is a dog nutritionist who specializes in giant breed dog diets. She recommends slow growth dog foods for giant breed dogs.

Health Issues Common to the Breed:
Bloat also known as gastric torsion is one of the bigger killers of saint bernards and other giant breed dogs. It's a brutal gas build up in the stomach that can lead to complications. The deadly form of it occurs when the stomach flips thus making it impossible for a dog to vomit, burp, etc. These gases build up quickly. If not operated on immediately it often results in painful death. Some dogs are more genetically prone to it than others, however, cautions should be taken with all giant and large breed dogs. To help prevent bloat, feed 2 or 3 smaller meals over the course of a day rather than one large meal at one time. Do not let your dog run, jump, or act crazy for an hour after eating or drinking large amounts of water--try to keep a dog from drinking excessive amounts at one time-- (in other words, keep him/her inside and calm, if they must go outside right after eating, put them on a 15 ft. lead). Prevent gas by elevating the feeding bowls; some places will say this contributes to bloat, do not believe it as there is no exact evidence to support that theory. Bloat can occur for a number of different reasons or a combination of reasons. Studies done on bloat with elevated feeding have not listed all other possible contributing factors. Elevating the bowls decreases gas and reduces strain on the neck, shoulders and arm joints of the dog. Some dogs literally cannot get to the food on the floor without standing in a goofy position. My dog is one of those. The benefits of elevated feeding do outweigh the risks. There will be a link in the link list at the end of this post with information on this lethal condition.

Other health issues common to the saint bernard are: Entropion (folding inward of the eyelid so that the lashes and lid rub on the eyeball), Ectropion (a folding outward of the eyelid sometimes resulting in conjunctivitis), Epilepsy (seizures), Heart Murmur, Cancers (unfortunately, cancer is extremely common in most dog breeds now), Wobblers Syndrome (which encompasses a variety of cervical spine abnormalities that produce similar symptoms), Benign Tumors (not cancerous but not a good thing to have).

Raw Diets: I'm going to be frank, raw diets are a pain in the ass, both literally and figuratively. Literally for the dog if he is not fed the diet properly or eats something contaminated resulting in diarrhea or constipation. Figuratively for the human who goes into it not knowing diddly about how to administer it other than going by some crazy online people's advice and thus spends a ridiculous amount of time and money. Unless you are a dog nutritionist or are following a dog nutritionist's real world advice (not internet crazy people's advice), do not feed a raw diet. Malnutrition, contamination, and nutritional imbalances occur far too often by feeding a raw or even a cooked home diet. Feeding a giant breed dog a raw or cooked diet isn't very economical anyway. Yes, you want the best for them. You can give them the best by feeding a high grade holistic natural diet of canned or dry kibble food. There are many brands, do some deep research and some deep thinking when looking for the proper diet. If your pup starts off with bad nutrition that could set him up for years of pain and years of high vet bills for you. If you must feed raw (and if your dog will eat it) and you can afford it, please put some extra money into a dog nutritionist's advice. Take into consideration though that our dogs are not wolves, they have become more omnivorous over the centuries. They are not obligate carnivores like cats. They do need some vegetable matter in their diets and to a point even need some fruit.

By-Products?:

And just so you know, by-product listed in the ingredients on a dog food label isn't a bad thing. By-products are what the dog would be eating in the wild. The by-products usually consist of bone, marrow, muscle, kidney, liver, intestine, stomach, skin, etc parts of the dead animal. Yes, it is gross to us, but to dogs and their wild wolf cousins, it makes for fantastic dinners. Chicken, turkey, fish, deer, bison, etc by product meals are high grade. Beware of the labeling "meat meal". "Meat meals" and "meat by-product meals" aren't the same as chicken, turkey, fish etc meals and by-product meals. Meat meal, unless its in treats, should be avoided in the dogs main diet. The labeling of "meat meal" is usually seen on inferior dog food labels that you see at the dollar store. Always check the ingredient labels. For more information on the terminology of "meals" and "by-products" refer to the links at the end of this post.

EDIT January of 2013::::  The bite capacity of the adult Saint Bernard may not be 550 lbs (i uncovered some bad information).  Mastiffs and other dogs of similar sizes have the highest bite capacity of all dogs (pitbulls don't have sh** on taller, square muzzled breeds, so do not fear the pitbulls so much).  Despite this fact, little is known about the bite capacity of the Saint Bernard as they are not usually aggressive and therefore are not usually studied but if we go by common knowledge of the bite capacity of other Molosser breeds we can conclude that the bite capacity of a Saint Bernard is around 500 lbs depending on the size of the animal and its jaw muscles. 



Informational Links:
Great Dane Lady Dog Nutritionist
Saint Bernard Club of America
Bloat Definitions and Information
Wobblers Syndrome
What the Terminology on the Dog Food Labels Means
Specifics on Nutrition for Large and Small Breeds