42 replies to this topic

[Vendayn]

I went to the river and got a male crawdad. He is pretty big (though they get a LOT bigger) and has orange coloring on him.

 

I'm going back later to hopefully find a female. I want to try to get them to breed so I can get cute little baby crawdads.

 

And btw, these aren't to eat. I don't eat pets lol. I just like to raise them.

[dspdrew]

I used to catch those my neighborhood drainage ditch when I was a kid.

[Vendayn]

Yeah, they are really easy to find in Orange County. Just wait for the winter rains to end and some of the water to dry out, and can go wading into the water and catch them.

 

Also, got a female. Really lucky actually as I found one really quick.

 

Now to raise baby crawdads.

[Pulliamj]

They are very territorial. 2 in a 20 gallon aquarium with some hiding spots should be fine. They eat very well. I have 1 with my turtles that is tough as nails.

[Vendayn]

I just have a 10 gallon tank. My aunt and uncle had 5 or 6 of them in a 20 gallon tank and they did just fine for months (think they kept them for three months until the winter rains started). They gave them A LOT of hiding spaces and what not, and there wasn't ever any aggression for them. At least that is what they told me, as I never went to their place when they had them.

 

From my understanding, it works out a lot better if there is equal or more females than males. Though I imagine females would be aggressive toward each other. Plus a lot of hiding spots. 10 gallons is supposed to be fine for two (or even three), as long as I give each their own place to have their territory. Plus one is male and other is female, so should work out better as well.

[Gregory2455]

I used to be crazy about keeping crawdads when I was younger. Since then, fish, and now ants have replaced that.

[Roachant]

I used to be crazy about keeping crawdads when I was younger. Since then, fish, and now ants have replaced that.

Same here although once in a while I see a new species and I get the urge to keep one. Like the Mexican dwarf crayfish. I see them all over the place here now and they are so cool and small...I'm tempted.

[Vendayn]

Both crawdads chose the same area to live in. Under a large rock is where they made their own. They are doing great though and are very friendly to each other.

 

I don't know the species of them, one is about 12 inches long (from end of tail to tip of claw) and is darker colored with bright orange on him. The other (the female) is a lot smaller, has no orange. But, has a desert-tan colored look to her with a bit of darker brown like the male. She looks actually like a scorpion I'd find in the desert, in coloring. Does that ring a bell to anyone on what type of crawdad they may be? I don't really know too much about crawdads.

[Vendayn]

I do have bad news. I had to move them to a smaller plastic tank that is only 3.5 gallons (I did this last night at midnight). They are getting along fine. Like I said, both chose the same hiding place and no aggression at all.

 

The 10 gallon tank had a crack in it, just a really small one that I didn't even see as it was in the corner hidden by the aquarium glue. However, it was near the bottom and leaked water all over the porch. I'll be getting another 10 gallon tank as soon as possible, as 3.5 gallons is way too small. 

 

I've been making sure they weren't attacking each other, and nope. They always hang out with each other, no backing up or showing aggression of any kind. But, they'll need a bigger home sooner than later.

[dspdrew]

Pictures!

[Vendayn]

I'll take some tomorrow. Unlike ants, I CAN take pictures of crawdads. To be honest, didn't think of it. So, thank you for the reminder. I'm so used to not being able to take pictures of my pets, that it honestly didn't cross my mind. But, crawdads are much bigger and a lot easier to take pics of.

 

By the way, they mated with each other. Still no aggression either even though the home is (temporarily) small. 

 

In any case...probably be a few months and I'll get baby crawdads.

[Gregory2455]

Lucky! I got a pair to mate once but the female died just after...

[Vendayn]

Mine are both still alive. Even though they spent a little over a week in a 3.5 gallon plastic aquarium. I'd have taken pictures of them, but the setup didn't look nice at all.

 

Today, I was able to get a 10 gallon aquarium and was able to set it up much better. I got sand for them to climb on or burrow (I guess crawdads burrow?), and a bunch of rocks for them to hide under. I'll take pictures tomorrow or Wednesday for sure.

 

I didn't get an air pump or filtration or anything like that. Last time I had a crawdad, she hated things like that. It really bothered her, and I even got the quietest one. So, I took it out and kept her for 3 months and she was a lot happier without anything like that.

Edited by Vendayn, June 29 2015 - 5:53 PM.

[kellakk]

Crawfish are insanely easy to keep.  I raised a wild-collected baby that was 5 mm long to a huge 4-inch adult in the grossest, dirtiest standing water you can imagine.  The two adults you have are likely Procambarus clarkii, which are invasive here and extremely harmful to our waterways. So whatever you do, don't release them.

[Vendayn]

That might be the male, but I'll take pictures and also a better look in the next day or two. 

 

The female however, looks nothing like that. She looks more like a desert crawdad. A bit see through in parts, and tan/brown colors like a desert scorpion tends to be. She looks in color, exactly like my desert scorpion I had one year. Except, she is a crawdad of course.

 

They might be different species, but the male still mated with the female. Is that common for two different species of crawdad to mate? Or can one species have a large range of color? Do they create a hybrid if that happens? Because my male sure mated with my female.

 

I also saw an orange one (very bright!) that would have been I guess the Mexican Dwarf Crawdad, but sadly it was dead before I got there. The water they are in at the river, is getting more shallow and more and more warm. It probably didn't like that. When I was down there, it felt like a warm bathtub. Much warmer than Hawaii waters. There are three "ponds", the top one dries out and is where I get crawdads easiest. It is also the hottest and most shallow. The one in the middle has HUGE fish in it, and is very deep. Probably 5-6 feet deep (compared to the top one which doesn't even go to my knees, maybe a foot or two at most). The one on the bottom never dried out last year, but it sure looked a lot lower today. 

Also, I saw something HUGE go into the bottom pond. It walked into the water, like a giant lizard would. Or it was a very monster-sized crawdad. I only saw it out of the corner of my eye, but I swore it was some kind of alligator. I never saw it again though. But it left a track in the sand into the water. 

 

I did see one huge crawdad by the river, it was the size of a lobster I'd find out in the ocean. I have never seen one that big again, but it must have been really old. I guess crawdads can get pretty big.

Edited by Vendayn, June 29 2015 - 7:44 PM.

[Vendayn]

Also, if it was an alligator, I'd report it. Just so it doesn't get hurt by someone or hurt someone and then it has to get killed. Except, I only just briefly saw it and I haven't seen it again. But, it had huge feet (sure looked like lizard feet, but I only just barely saw it) and right into the water it went. But, honestly...I don't even know what it was, and not going to waste someones time going down there. Might not even be at that spot anymore. And I saw whatever it was, in December last year, and never again...so who knows.

 

Wouldn't be too shocking, but probably make it on the news. People get exotic "pets" all the time from various places, usually as a baby and then they get big and then its too much for them to handle and release it. Happens a lot.

 

But, I'm not gonna actually officially report something I just barely saw once and haven't seen again. It sure walked like an alligator, and was the size one would be. It even left a trail behind in the sand where its feet was.

 

Or one massive crawdad...one that would be on the world record!  

 

Though I did see that lobster size one last year, that was sure big. I didn't even know crawdads got that big, but it was huge! Or it was actually a lobster...no idea how it would get stuck in a river, though. In middle of an urban area...

Edited by Vendayn, June 29 2015 - 7:53 PM.

[kellakk]

There's only two crawfish species possibly in our area.  The other option is Pacifastacus leniusculus, the signal crawfish, another bad invasive. I almost never see those, though, and I go around water a lot looking for aquatic insects.

 

Decapods usually turn red once they die (think seafood) which explains your bright orange dead crawfish.  

 

I can't say much on your alligator besides "pics or it didn't happen".

[Vendayn]

Yeah, I wish I was paying more attention...but...I was looking at all the queens on the pavement and just barely saw the big thing.

 

The male looks more like the first species. The female doesn't really look like either. Like I said, she has a more desert look to her.

 

Do they have a large variety of colors inside the same species?

 

And what about the bright orange ones, that are still alive? Are they nearing death at that point? My neighbor said he saw a bright orange one in the big pond, it was under a rock when he went swimming. It was sort of small and disappeared fast, but he said he got a good look at it.

 

(edit: Obviously once I get pictures tomorrow/wednesday...it will make a much better ID on them. )

Edited by Vendayn, June 29 2015 - 8:44 PM.

[Vendayn]

I might try finding one of the orange ones tomorrow, but see if I can't find a living one like my neighbor did. He said it looked like that mexican dwarf crayfish.

 

I'll also be cutting pieces of pipe (its plenty big enough for my big male) into small sections, and put it in for them to hide in. As more hiding places the better! I can't do it tonight though, its too late and it would make too much noise.

[kellakk]

There's a lot of color variation within crawfish. Look up "electric blue crawfish" for an example. They also get brighter when they're ready to molt.  

Edited by kellakk, June 29 2015 - 9:13 PM.