Blue lobster's strange habits

[lobzilla]

Our lobster Walter has lived with us for two and a half months. When we adopted him, it took a few days for him to adjust to life in our 28 gallon tank, but he finally "tankscaped" it to his perfection.

We purchased some minnows for him to eat the same day that we got him. The employees at Petco said that he would eat 4-5 minnows a day. So far, in 2-1/2 months, he has only eaten one!

Walter has found other ways of entertaining us besides eating, though. The other day we woke up to find that he had flipped his cave overnight (half of a terra cotta pot). We haven't flipped it back over because it's nice to see him out and about in the tank, instead of holed up in his cave all day.

Some of his favorite sports that we like to watch are:
-Moving the plastic plants around the tank
-Leaning up against the side of the tank that creates a mirror because of the water reflection
-Climbing up the Roman ruins adorning his tank
-Terrorizing the minnows by running quickly towards them, snapping his claws

Does anyone have any ideas as to why he's not eating the minnows?

Thanks!
Lobzilla

[KatzeSlaugen]

i am far from an expert on this topic but the fish store guy has to be wrong. i cant possibly see even a larger lobster eating 5 minnows a day, although until someone with experience chimes in i wouldnt take what i say as complete fact.

[Brhino]

I agree. Crayfish eating other fish is a "it'll probably happen sooner or later" situation, not a "4 or 5 a day" thing. Pet store employees don't know what they're talking about, as usual.

Are you feeding it anything else? It must be getting some other type of food to have lived this long on only one minnow.

[CassieLEO]

My crayfish is one funny guy. He spends his day designing the tank according to his liking, moving rocks out of his cave. He and my fiddler crab will fight it out every now and then, and my fiddler runs away from him. He got ahold of a snail today and was trying to get its trap door open to eat it.
I feed him sinking shrimp pellets, blood worms and algea wafers. I use New Life Spectrum sinking wafers.

[UncleWillie]

I pretty much agree with everyone on this: your cray's behavior is hardly strange. They are mostly nocturnal, constantly burrow and arrange the tank to suite their needs, are escape artists (will climb anything and everything), and diet is not how the LFS folks told you. A crayfish needs algae wafers, or other sinking pellets as a staple. One dime-sized algae wafer every one to three days is fine. And as said, with they eat fish, it is mostly aggression and when they get a hold of a fish, they may as well make it a meal.

[Sasquatch]

Just another one to chime in and agree.

Sinking wafers are the best thing to feed him. Minnows will be an occasional treat when he catches one, but other than that, not a staple of his diet.

[lobzilla]

Thanks, everyone! Walter eats algae wafers, brine shrimp and blood worms. I've also given him a few carrot shreds and yesterday he ate half a green grape.