Acquiring New Animals

Ordering Animals

• Crabs and Lobsters are ordered by the person managing the tank room when numbers are low (≤10 crabs). 

• For animal quality and health, the person ordering animals drives to Commercial Lobster (Northern Ave. Boston, MA) and asks for X number of crabs or lobsters for the Marder Lab at Brandeis University.

  • • We typically order about ~20/week during the school year and ~40/week during the summer.  During busier times of year where there are many people doing dissections, a larger number of animals is ordered. If it is a quieter few weeks, fewer can be ordered.

    • At the front Desk ask for the number of each species you would like and have them charge it to the card on file or your pcard if they are not able to do this. Usually the person at the front is Fabio, who is very competent and nice.

    • Fabio will pass the slip with your order on it to someone else and they will get the animals for you from the big tanks or crates. It is especially important for the crabs that you chose ones that do not have cracks, black patches indicating shell rot, or other health issues. Usually missing legs are okay as long as the wound is healed. Shell disease is much less of an issue for the lobsters, but make sure they have no shell cracks because they will die really fast if their carapace is compromised.

    • When they package the animals - and both species can go in the same container if there is space - it is necessary that ice is added on top and it is bagged. I recommend keeping a plastic tray in the back of the car in case of leaks. When you arrive to Brandeis, the box can be dropped off at lab supplies while you park and then come pick it up with a cart afterward.

    • The best time to go is MWF mornings between 9 am and 11 am after the Boston traffic settles down. Note they close at 1pm.

    • If there is a storm or heat wave call ahead of time to make sure they have animals because sometimes the fisherpeople will not go out during these conditions.

****Note: Commercial Lobster gets new crabs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays

Putting Away New Animals

This process can be used for putting away either new crabs or lobsters and only needs minor modifications (noted under each step) depending on which animals are being put away.

1. Open up the box and take the newspaper and ice out of the box. The newspaper can be tossed into the trash and the ice put in the sink to melt. We don't want either ending up in the tanks as they will foul them up.

2. Review the band colors currently in use on the animals. The new animals need to be banded with a color that isn't currently in use and to indicate the date they arrived.

   • • • The colors in use will vary based on whether they're crabs or lobsters. The crabs and lobsters can have the same color in use but for different dates. Thus, simply because the lobsters have red bands in use doesn't mean red bands can't be used for the crabs.

3. To use the banding tool, a band needs to be around the hinge point–this allows the tool to provide the counter pressure to stretch the band going on the animal. The band intended for the animal goes over the two flat ends of the banding tool. The handles can then be squeezed together to expand the band and the band can be placed on the clawed leg. To remove the banding tool, thus leaving the band on the animal's leg, twist and pull the banding tool away from the leg/band while slightly releasing the pressure on the banding tool handles as the ends pop loose of the band.

   • • • New crabs need to be banded above the hinge where the moveable part of the claw joins the unmoveable portion of the claw. If the band is placed over this hinge the crabs will pick at it until the band falls off. It doesn't matter which clawed leg is banded.

         • • Band crabs with them on their backs. For bulk banding, a large quantity of crabs can be laid out on the side of the sink and banded one after the other.

       • New lobsters need to be banded so the band keeps the claw closed. Both claws need to be banded. Lobsters are more aggressive than crabs. They will attack each other in the tank and can cause severe damage, or death, if their claws are not banded shut.

4. Place one of the large circular nets on top of the sink (net hanging into the sink) and load 7-9 crabs or 3-4 lobsters per empty tank. 

   • • • Crabs need to be placed into the net upside down

       • Short-term (only a couple of days) tanks can be loaded with up to 9 crabs but long-term they shouldn't have more than 7 animals as this will overload the tank's systems.

       • Lobsters should be placed in the net right side up with their tails curled underneath.

       • Short-term (only a couple of days) tanks can be loaded with up to 6 lobsters but long-term they shouldn't have more than 4 animals. The lobsters are extremely aggressive and will attack and kill each other.

5. Put the net with the animals in the top of the tank and allow it to soak (with the animals in it) in the water for 5-10 minutes. The animals can then be dumped into the tank from the net.

6. Once the animals have been added to the tank they need to be individually burped for air. Animals must be burped otherwise they will suffocate while in their normal habitats. If animals aren't burped a large die-off (larger than typical due to transportation stress) will occur–sometimes the entire population.

   • • • Crabs: Use the regular handheld nets and hold the crab vertically (with "face" up) against a wall of the tank and rock back and forth until the crab regurgitates all the air it swallowed.

       • Lobsters: For each lobster hold them gently by their abdomen under the water and rock them back and forth to allow them to burp up the air they have swallowed.

7. Note the new animals on the log of each tank.