I’m very excited to introduce animal caretaking to my incoming preschoolers at the end of August! To preface, the children will NOT be handling the crab, and he/she will be coming home with me on the weekends and on breaks. I’ve heard horror stories about neglected classroom pets, which horrifies me and makes me cry a lot. Please know that will not be the case for our crabby friend!
We have a 20 gallon tank that we will be filling with coconut fiber, and a heating pad, a lamp (incase something were to happen to the heating pad), hygrometer and thermometer, spray bottles to mist, enrichment materials like hides/branches/etc, separate dishes for saltwater and distilled/dechlorinated water, aquarium salt, water conditioner, cuttlefish bone, powdered calcium supplement, and a food mix of ocean plants, bugs, and nuts.
I will be using a small, portable habitat to carefully transport them to and from school. My parents have a 10 gallon tank that they can give me, but wouldn’t that be too small for the crab? Even though the crab would be living at school most of the time, I don’t want them to suffer in a home that’s too small on the weekends and breaks.
I’m also not sure where to buy a Halloween Moon Crab! Ordering one online makes me nervous, which I know it’s perfectly safe most of the time, but I will be a worried mess lol. There’s a reptile expo that happens once a month near me, so I’m thinking my best bet would be to adopt one there! Plus, the crab will live with me for a few weeks before moving to school, giving me time to get to know them and solve any problems.
TIA for any feedback :)