Coconut!

[erikleeson]

I finally did it. I've been putting it off for too long now. But I finally got the courage to do it.
I got a coconut.



I have heard many rumors that the crabs love coconut so much. I mean alot. Like me and my love for Penne Alfredo with garlic shrimp mixed in. I wanted to see their reactions so I picked one up for about $4 at Safeway.



First off, this thing was a pain in the neck to open. I hammered it for about 10 minutes, then I plunged a huge knife into it and tried to carve out the top. It was really hard but I was greeted with the welcoming scent of the coconut.



This was the hardest part now, cutting pieces out. I got enough to place in a dish, but I wanted to get all the meat out so I could start on creating a coco hut. Carefully cutting out chips smaller than my pinky was very tedious, and it took ages. So I used a spoon to get pieces out a bit easier. But it was still no easy task. I prepared a serving and took care of drooling the coconut milk onto the pieces.



I placed it in the tank and got back to work.



I will edit this post as needed. Including trials of cocohut and the crabs thoughts on the food (:

[ladybug15057]

In this archived post, it does suggest if one leaves the coconut sit for a day the meat within it does come out easier.

coconut

In the post it does suggest to microwave it to sterilize it, but it would need to be wet to do so in order not to catch the fibers of the shell on fire. I know of several who had boiled the coconut in dechlor water to sterilize it. (safer way to do it) This also leaves the fibers in tact, and the hermies do like to nibble on the fibers on the outside too.

[emmac350]

That looks awesome! I'll have to try that. One thing I did try, but my guys were molting so I didn't get to see them enjoy it, was doing my own pineapple. I wanted to put the top of the pineapple in there as a climbing toy (the tall leafy spiky part) and then the bottom part in there for them to pull pieces out of to eat. I'll have to get another one at some point to try again, I'm sure they would have loved it!

How did your crabs respond to the coconut, Erik?

[Chermo]

Wow $4 is a lot for a coconut, we get coconuts here 2 for $3. I have done the coconut thing twice now. The first time I did it they were molting so didn't get to enjoy it and this time I broke it open, got the milk and started chopping away at the meat inside. I learned to take a sharp knife and dig away at it to make a triangle shape then it pops right out. I have kept some in a sandwich baggie in the fridge the rest I froze. Mine don't really seem to eat it though, they must like the other foods I give them better and I do still offer the dried coconut at the same time as the fresh and they seem to eat the dried before the fresh. Picky crabs....

[erikleeson]

The coconut was scattered around the dish when I found it in the morning. I guess they like it. I microwaved it to loosen up the meat. So I guess it counts as sterilization. I have the shell ready for a hut. I sanded most of the fibers off, and I still need to make the door for the hut. Any suggestion on that?

[erikleeson]

Here is the coco hut, the opening kind of sucks but whatever. I made it with pliers.

[ladybug15057]

It'll work erikleeson, you did better than I did with my attempt a few years ago. I ended up using a file to try to even mine out a little more.

[erikleeson]

Mendez was eating whatever he was pinching inside the coco hut! He pinched the walls and ate it O.o

[vckums]

I like the hut. It looks natural rather then smething man made. Good job!

[erikleeson]

Me too. I like the idea of a low jagged opening because it looks like something the crabs would see in their natural habitat. They like shelters that are hard to find, stacked pieces of cork bark, rock piles or dry moss or plants. The crabs like the hut. They eat the hairs