Lev,
Fantastic detail but I saw the movie
Trapper's tank is hexagonal and I am trying to figure out what I can use to mimic your containers. She may be jobini instead of mercatoris but I am going give it my best shot with whatever she is brooding.
Is the mom still hanging in there? If not, how many weeks after the babies did she live? Trapper stopped eating for 3 days but is now taking one crab a day without coaxing and I had to order more this week. I have stopped trying to give her live ones since she starts defending her den rather than killing for food. I was feeding occassional live stuck on an air line to try to give her some "excersize" and may be the reason she went on a hunger strike last week.
I went back to be sure you had not mentioned the mom's death an saw a post I missed asking about prebrooding. Trapper did not start brooding for the first two months so the eggs may not even be viable. She moved her den about every 3 days in a regular counter clockwise motion (I have a hex shaped tank) but rarely took the same den - wit one exception - and ONLY came out at night (I leave a red LED light on ALL the time). I would wait up to see her come out (usually around 4 in the morning) and try to interact but she never became friendly. She did stay out when she saw me (rather than hiding back in the LR) but avoided the side of the tank where I would stand. Just before she started brooding, she actually came up to my hand while I was putting a dead crab in a feeder. She inspected the crab but did not take it. That is the best it got
Just before she started brooding I put an attached collection of giant barnicles in the tank and she chose one to brood. I was able to rearrange the structure to be able to see her (and get food to her door) all the time so I actually see more of her now than before. Up until her hunger strike last week she would leave her door open during the day and often be awake (unlike her prebrooding behavior). Lately, however, she keeps the door shut (shell) most of the day AND night but will open it enough to take a crab inside or for short periods in the early evening.
Fantastic detail but I saw the movie
Trapper's tank is hexagonal and I am trying to figure out what I can use to mimic your containers. She may be jobini instead of mercatoris but I am going give it my best shot with whatever she is brooding.
Is the mom still hanging in there? If not, how many weeks after the babies did she live? Trapper stopped eating for 3 days but is now taking one crab a day without coaxing and I had to order more this week. I have stopped trying to give her live ones since she starts defending her den rather than killing for food. I was feeding occassional live stuck on an air line to try to give her some "excersize" and may be the reason she went on a hunger strike last week.
I went back to be sure you had not mentioned the mom's death an saw a post I missed asking about prebrooding. Trapper did not start brooding for the first two months so the eggs may not even be viable. She moved her den about every 3 days in a regular counter clockwise motion (I have a hex shaped tank) but rarely took the same den - wit one exception - and ONLY came out at night (I leave a red LED light on ALL the time). I would wait up to see her come out (usually around 4 in the morning) and try to interact but she never became friendly. She did stay out when she saw me (rather than hiding back in the LR) but avoided the side of the tank where I would stand. Just before she started brooding, she actually came up to my hand while I was putting a dead crab in a feeder. She inspected the crab but did not take it. That is the best it got
Just before she started brooding I put an attached collection of giant barnicles in the tank and she chose one to brood. I was able to rearrange the structure to be able to see her (and get food to her door) all the time so I actually see more of her now than before. Up until her hunger strike last week she would leave her door open during the day and often be awake (unlike her prebrooding behavior). Lately, however, she keeps the door shut (shell) most of the day AND night but will open it enough to take a crab inside or for short periods in the early evening.