Crayfish tried to escape

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feemia

AC Members
Mar 20, 2007
381
0
16
South-Central Washington
I just had lunch with a couple of my husband's friends who spent they night at our house last night. They said they found my crayfish on the floor in the kitchen trying to escape through the sliding glass door. :eek:

He's been living in a spare 10 gallon on my kitchen counter since my husband rescued him from a crayfish feed a couple of weeks ago. If my husband ever finishes his pond, that will be his new home, but I don't think he's very happy right now. I think maybe what I thought was begging for algae disks, may actually be his way of telling me off :). I'm going to lower the water level a bit and turn the heater horizonal so he can't use it to climb out of the tank. I'm suprised he didn't kill himself.
 

jessicar613

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Oct 17, 2006
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He's a feeder crayfish and you're keeping him in the *kitchen*?!? Poor guy, no wonder he tried to escape. You could at least move him where he doesn't have a view of the stove! :p:
 

feemia

AC Members
Mar 20, 2007
381
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South-Central Washington
do you have a lid on it? i would seal it up if you dont. i had a crab that got out and down the hall 20 feet until someone stepped on it thinking it was a bug.
Ewww, I would be sad if that happened to this guy, I've become kind of attached to him. I'm just glad that my cat didn't wander into the kitchen while the crayfish was trying to make his escape. I don't know what the outcome of that would be.
There is a lid, but I think he got out through the hole above the heater. I actually saw him hanging from the heater yesterday. I've removed the heater from the tank so he can't use it the crawl out. It's been warm enough I don't need a heater right now anyway.
 

cuticom

Addicted Reefer
Dec 8, 2006
351
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Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia
Crayfish naturally try to escape, they like wandering around. I wouldn't suggest putting one in a pond unless its native to your area or the pond has a good lid, as he'll go wandering. Can I ask what type of crayfish it is?
 

feemia

AC Members
Mar 20, 2007
381
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South-Central Washington
Crayfish naturally try to escape, they like wandering around. I wouldn't suggest putting one in a pond unless its native to your area or the pond has a good lid, as he'll go wandering. Can I ask what type of crayfish it is?
Yeah, I'm actually feeling a little nervous now about putting him in the pond now that I know what a good climber he is. We live in the desert though, so there's no place for him to go. I doubt he'd be able to make it to another source of water.
I don't know what kind he is. My husband just brought him home one night because he felt sorry for him knowing that he was going to be lunch the next day. He's very pretty. Bright red and about 4" long with big beady eyes that glare at me every time I turn on the light above the tank. I don't know what I'll do with him if he doesn't go in the pond. The 10 gallon is way too small for him to stay in and I think he's bored.
 

Squawkbert

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Oct 3, 2006
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www.aquaticplantcentral.com
They're quite capable of climbing up and out of a tank using just a heater cord, airline tubing, excess caulking in a low quality tank... anything.

I retreived one in a Science building one night - about 50 yards from the lab he was supposed to be in.
 

feemia

AC Members
Mar 20, 2007
381
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16
South-Central Washington
My husband begged me last weekend to put him in my 60 gallon instead of the pond so that he doesn't wander away and die. I said no because I was planning on putting dwarf cichlids in the 60, but I've since changed my mind. North American crayfish only live 2-3 years, so I'll just have to wait a couple of years for the cichlids.

He's now right at home in the 60. He climbs my plants and thinks he's fishing. :) The tank is 24" deep, so if my platies and danios are smart enough to stay up top he can't catch them.
 
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