Keeping yabbies

[slothparade]

Recently I went up a mates farm to catch some yabbies for dinner. Only ended up with 3 so popped the traps back in and they're still there. Anyways, I have the 3 yabbies in a tank, and have decided to keep them as pets. I'm thinking of putting 2 In the pond and keep the one missing a flaw in the tank as a permanent pet. 

Just not sure how to look after them. Im not looking to create a stupid amount of work for myself and I don't want to spend much money on this. This is just run by the solar panels, so at the moment, heater and airator are free (all found in the side of the road), and yes they run 24 hours a day. 

So what do I feed the yabbies? I was just going to feed them fish scraps and maybe some vegetables? And peleco wafers. Also I'm keeping the tank at 22degress which seems to be keeping them happy. I'm going to find a more permanent spot and properly set up the tank with gravel fake plants, logs ect. 

[noelm]

They are easy to keep, a couple of tips, they will crawl out, even via an air line, they will find a way.....so make sure the lid is fitted. They seem to like a place to get out of the water, a piece of rock or wood leaning on the side will work. They also like a cave to sit in, rocks are good to make one. Just feed them a tiny bit of fish, do NOT over feed them, make sure you have a good filter system and air stone.

[noelm]

Just to add, if everything is right, they will shed their shell and grow reasonably regularly. Also the biggest one might fight with the smaller ones.

Edited April 24, 2022 by noelm

[slothparade]

4 hours ago, noelm said:

Just to add, if everything is right, they will shed their shell and grow reasonably regularly. Also the biggest one might fight with the smaller ones.

Thanks. I'm thinking of getting rid of the biggest one. The 2 small ones are basically the same size. Planning on only keeping one maybe 2 though 

[noelm]

I have kept a few at a time, but now and then, you get a cranky one that tends to become the "boss" and attacks the others.

[wazatherfisherman]

I've kept them before and my mate James has had some for a few years now. His are in a fibreglass bathtub I gave him that he's sunk into the ground, with a small aerator running constantly. In the tub there are a few rocks and he has some small bits of plastic pipe wedged in amongst them because they like their own enclosed area to retreat into for much of the day. They also need a shady area and nooks and crannies to wander through.

James feeds his with bits of vegetable pieces and also chicken layer pellets- don't overfeed them with the pellets as they break down and foul the water if you put too many in. 

You have to clean the tub of algae every few months, but they're pretty low maintenance as pets. 

Don't mix yabbies and marron together as they usually fight for tank supremacy. His are nearing 4-5 yrs old now and they breed intermittently, but often the young get eaten by larger ones in the tub.

The big problem both of us had was with rats- they eat them, regardless they are deep in the tub, the rats will eventually work out a way to get them. They were biting off the ends of the nippers while the yabbies were in their pipes, then coming back a few nights later and grabbing them, regardless that we had chicken wire strung tightly over the top they still got in. Other mates with aviaries have had similar problems with rats getting in and grabbing the new-born birds. Only after close scrutiny of the green colour-bond aviary were the claw marks revealed and we couldn't believe they got in and out where they did, same with the tub.

Over the last couple of months with the huge rain event, plenty of small yabbies got out into the yard and have turned up all over the place. Years ago I had a real big one walk right around the house and it ended up next door, probably covered about 80+ meters in less than 12hrs. It managed to get out of it's tub by forcing it's way under the chicken wire that had two bricks on top of the wire and frightened the daylights out of the lady next door who'd never seen one. They hiss at you when they get big!

Just wanted to add- neither of us ever had a heater, they are pretty inactive when it gets real cold

Edited April 24, 2022 by wazatherfisherman
more info

[noelm]

I have kept them with and without a heater, it seems (observation, nothing scientific) that they shed more often in warm water. I had a really big Murray Cray once (the big ones with the spikes on their back) had it for ages, then it just died, no idea if it was just old age or something.

[bessell1955]

I just know that they are good to eat, cooked in garlic butter.

[dirvin21]

You can buy crayfish pellets from a petshop

I used to substitute their diet with pieces of carrot, don't feed them meat or fish it'll just wreck your tank water

Make sure the tank has a good lid, they love to escape

Assuming they're common yabbies, be careful putting them in a pond they will breed and leave, they earned the name "cherax destructor" for a reason