new lead on fiddlers....

[nickcoletti]

im not sure who everyone goes thru for fiddlers but i have been going thru sachs for a while now....no complaints yet but i have just found a guy on ebay that is selling them for cheap. hes part of this big property that seems to be like a wildlife refuge.they harvest them and are selling 100 for $35 and 1000 for $325. i haven't got my order in yet but it should be arriving shortly but so far its way cheaper and the service has been great. the website is http://www.unboundground.com/ and there ebay name is "ubgsports". i don't mean to advertise for this company but they are offering a great price for bigger quantities!

 

[griffen7777]

I am considering collecting European green crabs on the west coast and offering them for sale.
Since getting into the ceph game I share everyones need to provide quality food for our animals.
These little guys are considered a nuicense species and range in size from small to XL.
I've fed quite a few of them to Creepy and he seems happy with them so far.
I'm sure they will ship well and seem very hardy, also the area I caught them seems to be pollution free.(Bodega Bay)
California Dept. of Fish and Game considers them a nuicense species and allows people to take them.
I may be able to customize orders for a specific size.

I would not be able to move on this until after my daughters 18th B-Day and High School Graduation which happens early next month, but I need to know if this is worth pursuing.
Any feedback would be appreciated. I'm sure there are a thousand things I havent considered, but it sounds like it could be fun.

 

[DWhatley]

Griffen,

You would need to research price for West, Mid and East US to give us the chance to know if this would work. I suspect anyone near by would be delighted but can you ship them reasonably to the east coast?

 

[nickcoletti]

i might even be intersted if like dwhatley said, if the price is right...im on the east coast also. with shipping i dont think i would pay anything over a doller a crab...

 

[griffen7777]

Ya ....your right , shipping is the key to making it worth it.
I still have alot of research to do but these crabs seem perfect in every way. I can also offer custom sizing which might make things a little more attractive.
Plus I'm doing this for the love which goes a long way in decision making.
Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[Nancy]

I think you could sell them. It's almost impossible to find live crabs other than fiddlers, which are a little small even for an adult bimac or other -sized octos.

How big are the crabs?

Nancy

 

[griffen7777]

Yes, these crabs come in almost any size, the average size from my latest trip is a body size of 2" wide with a total width (including the legs)of about 5".
For larger Octos these seem to be ideal.
There is no shortage of much smaller crabs too.
I predict that these crabs will ship well, I've read that they can tolerate large temperature and salinity changes and about 6 of them are living and eating daily in my support tank.

I contacted Calif. Fish and Game and they are perfectly fine with the collection of these animals. I learned that they were introduced via the shipping industry and have flourished to the detriment of the native species who are not quite as hardy as these little invaders.

 

[Thales]

You will prolly be able to ship these guys 2nd or 3rd day air which will drastically cut down on shipping charges.

 

[Paradox]

Ive caught these green crabs as well for larger octos or cuttles. Unlike the other shore crabs I get, these can lift light lids on containers and escape!. For months I found dried up crabs in my old apartment. I used to live with 3 females. It was not uncommon to hear a random scream every now and then!

 

[griffen7777]

Yes...these are wiley little guys!
However they are no match for a hungry octo.
One of the smaller ones came right up the rock face to where Creepy was perched, when he saw what was there he leaped off the rock and started swimming frantically to get away. Creepy was all over him before he hit the bottom.
Where was my camera when i needed it. LOL

 

[raudy]

Would anybody be interested in sandfleas from fla. ?
is there laws on shipping live animals?What would you ship them in?
my octopus loves to eat them i feed him sandfleas and beach crabs.

Thanks Jason

 

[Opcn]

sandfleas would be awesome to get ahold of.

 

[griffen7777]

I don't know what the laws are exactly, however people do it all the time.
I will be certinely checking this out.
I've recieved live animals through the mail recently and they were in a cardboard box with an inflated plastic bag with styrofoam pellets with some water.
The outside of the box did'nt have any warnings or message that read "Live animals".
It was shipped from someone who most of us buy from and they all arrived intact and alive.

 

[raudy]

I'm willing to ship a batch to someone and see if they arrive alive. If interested send me an email at [email protected].
Jason


Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Subphylum: Crustacea

Class: Malacostraca

Order: Decapoda

Infraorder: Anomura

Family: Hippidae

Genus: Emerita

 

[griffen7777]

Thats nice of you, I'll be doing the same when I'm ready to get started.
I'll even pay the shipping cost.