Crayfish Molting

elfythelobster

hello! I have a 2.5" ish red crayfish that just molted a little less than 24 hours ago. he seems to have had no troubles with most of the molting but his left claw is still stuck on...should I do something about it at some point (i.e. if in 48 hours, it's still attached, should I hold it while he pulls or something?)

also, my friend insisted on touching the back half of his molt (skinny legs and tail) and now it's floating; should I assume it will sink at some point or give up, take it out, and let him get his calcium from the other half of the molt?

thank you!!

Xeek

Maybe just has an air bubble in it? Push it down and make it sink. My crayfish's molts always stay on the bottom, they don't float.

Also be careful if his molt is stuck to him like on his claw and you hold his molt and he tries to escape from you - he may detach his claw entirely (they do this to escape predators). It can take a month or two to regrow a claw. Honestly I think if you left it alone he would get it off himself eventually.

My crayfish molts twice a month; though that may slow down since he's goten full size for his species (1.6 inches CPO crayfish). You have a much more aggressive one there that I think gets pretty big; though you didn't mention his species

djembekah

yeah. what Xeek said. i dont have a cray, but i would just leave the little guy alone.

Xeek

I may have misunderstood. It sounds like you said you took a friends advice and pulled it off and now its floating in the tank?

elfythelobster

no no he molted in three pieces. so his tail/little legs are floating (we pushed it down and piled pebbles on it and apparently it really wants to float) and the front half of his body plus right claw is sitting on the bottom and he still can't get his left claw off.

I thought he might pull his whole arm off if I tried to help but I wasn't sure if there was anything I could do for him. I just feel bad; it must be so uncomfortable! I'll just keep an eye on him and if the second half of the shell doesn't sink back down, I'll take it out? it's no use to him at the top of his tank anyway. thank you!

also, i don't know his species. he was sold to me as a freshwater lobster. this is him (pre molt):
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...63499858_n.jpg

Xeek

Yeah after a day if it doesn't sink just take it out. You can feed him some shrimp suppliment pellets like I do for mine. It'l have some calcium and stuff he needs. No big deal.

My crayfish molts often so if its still stuck to him, just wait for the next molt. I saw something similar to this when my crayfish was growing back a claw. The molt I saw it reappear it looked like a useless arm that was whitish. The next molt it was orange and normal (just small). The next molt its almost full size again .

Your crayfish (what my people call crawfish down here) looks like it might be Procambarus sp. Probably the same kind of cajuns like to eat for supper. They get up to 5 inches.

Fluval Shrimp Granules. Also has some stuff to help him during molting. I just drop these in the tank in various places he often goes. My corydoras get some of it, but he eventually finds some and I can see him chew it up.

elfythelobster

excellent, thank you so much!!

Xeek

Or drop them in front of his face... he'l go to town. I can't do that because mine hides in and on plants everywhere and I dont have good access to his face He would nip me anyway if I got close. He thinks he's a bad ass, but will run away if any fish challenges him enough.

Yours would probably be more aggressive then mine. I have a Dwarf Mexican Orange Crayfish. Large enough quick fish won't be easy for him to catch for lunch, but he might try.