Rainbow crabs. Anyone have one?

[ripsishere]

If you do, I've a few questions. DD has one, it was her hearts desire for a couple of weeks, but now Gimpy is largely ignored .
My questions are these:
How long will she live?
Will she ever calm down? she is understandably skittish despite her tank being opened only twice a day for feeding and a couple of times a week for water changing.
Will it ever be possible for me to look at her and not see an armor plated Tarantula?

[TanteRose]

aw, crabs!

we had one for a while, DS fished it out of the river

it was quite cute - came to the edge of the tank and waved its claw at us when it was hungry

it shed its shell once or twice, then about the third time, it got stuck half way and expired

RIP Mr Crab

[ripsishere]

Wow, a reply. These are 'special' crabs apparently. The live in tidal mud rivers and walk up to 2km a night. I should have realized that they are nocturnal by the night bit.
I don't want a depressed gimpy crab on my hands, so I am going to get a bag of sand and a bigger tank on Friday.
I did collect a bag of sand at the beach last weekend. It was rank by the time we got home so I ditched it.

[TanteRose]

get you, with yer special crabs

walking up to 2 kms at night?? no wonder yours is restless

you're going to need a HUMUNGOUS tank for Gimpy to get her exercise

I presume you got her (how do you know btw?) at a pet shop? Maybe they can advise?

[ripsishere]

Yes, she came from a dingy pet shop at Carrefor. She hasn't been independently sexed, DD decided she is a she and will brook no argument.
I wasn't thinking of an especially big tank, just one with space for sand and some branches
Poor old Gimpy, all she has now is about a centimetre of water and a stone

[ripsishere]

Doubt the pet shop can advise. I speak no Mandarin, DD can only count to 100 in Bahasa Malaysian. Not much use when enquiring about habitat.

[Funatthefair]

I have one!!!! Mine is in reptile sand from pet shop and has a big Tupperware bowl as a pool ( has to be deep enough to fully submerge to be able to breathe. Also has a hiding place and cutle fish to nibble on. Tank has heat mats under the sand. They live between 5-8 years. I've had mine 3 and is still as skittish as day 1. Any thing else?