Welcome to decapods.net
This site is devoted to my decapods -- land hermit crabs and crayfish. One of the things that makes them such exciting pets is that there's so much to learn about these animals. And with pinchers, a plethora of legs, and most important of all, eyestalks, what's not to love?
Hermit crabs are often sold as children's pets, when the reality is that they are actually challenging to care for. In just the past year or two, there has been a great increase in understanding of their care requirements as more and more people take them seriously as pets. In the wild, land hermit crabs are believed to be able to achieve lifespans of up to 50 years, but in captivity crabs rarely live more than a few years. Hopefully as hobbyists learn more about the environmental conditions and nutritional requirements for land hermit crabs, we will start to see more pet hermits live long, healthy lives. This is especially important as it is not possible for them to breed in captivity. Every land hermit crab you see for sale in a store has been collected from the wild.
Crayfish are are actually pretty easy to care for, once you understand the basics of maintaining an aquarium, but are often overlooked as pets. The fact that they're nicknamed "mud bugs" and show up frequently on menus may have something to do with it! But if you want an interactive aquarium pet, you can't beat a crayfish. There are hundreds of known species of crayfish in the United States, and 58 known species in the state of Texas. It is possible that there are more species out there to be discovered, too. Despite the fact that many people can find crayfish in their own backyards, there's still a lot to be learned about them, too.
While I don't aim to provide a fully detailed care site for crustaceans, I do share information here about what has worked for me and my pets, both on these pages and in my blog: http://decapods.net/serendipity. I enjoy recognizing my crustacean friends as individuals, as they do have different personalities and preferences. And not to be left out are my other pets, my apple snails and cockatiel. I hope you enjoy looking at my site!