Not Again this is getting anoying!

[Aquarium Freak]

My Blue Crayfish wich I've had for about a year now has gotten out of its tank for about the 3rd time now. Last time he got out he ended up in my brothers room and my mom found him thinking it was a toy. BIG Mistake. She freaked. He went missing yesterday at around 10:00 when I woke up and could have been longer. I did my daily inspections of my tanks and I look in the 10g and I'm like oh god not again so I started searching in my room and couldn't find him and I was hoping I would find him cause my mom said if she finds it she will flush him . well it was 10:00 at night now and I hadn't found him so I gave up. My mom came in my room and was like come here so she leads me into her bathroom and there he is walking acroos the floor almost probably like dang they found me. But he had been out for 12 hours or more and is fine today eating and stuff. I had no clue they could live out of water that long! Does anyone no how long they can live out of water?
Thanks

 

[kimberly]

I am guessing you have a lid on your tank, but you might want to think about putting some weight on the lid to keep your Houdini in the tank! A thick phone book would probably be enough extra weight.

 

[Puriti]

Or maybe try lowering the water level a few inches? I'm sure it could go ..maybe 12-16 hours out of water but I'm just guessing :?

 

[DeFeKt]

he would climb up and out the areas where the air and water intake/outlets are.
"crays" as you call them have been known to live for extremely long times out of water with very little moisture.. Introduced here in southern dams and creeks a few months later they were found as far as 200-300 kms away in the "dry areas of aus" existing in peoples water dams. So i'd estimate a time frame of weeks they could live out of water.
Come summer they bury themselves under the surface in the moisture to survive the heat, yours would have been searching for a water source, hence probably why you found it in the bathroom.
My big boy pictured in my gallery has gone 48 hours sucessfully out of water and is still living to this day.
Although he learnt that if he climbed up the water intake again, he'd lose the last few legs he has left after being attacked by oscar the grouch.

rgds
Matt

 

[kimberly]

I think people in the SW forum use eggcrate (found at Home Depot?) to cover the areas of their lid where animals can escape. Maybe this will help your mom to not freak out about having the crayfish in the bathroom with her.

 

[DeFeKt]

oh and btw, plastic sandwhich wrap is clear, and sticks to the glass really well, and also forms a great shape around the tubes.

hth
Matt

 

[Aquarium Freak]

Hi all I have fixed up the whole finally The tank he is in has the whole where the heater should be and there is no heater because I have a crappy light that heats the tank sometimes to much :| but i put the heater in but it just isnt on so he cant get out there and I covered the whole by the filter with saran wrap for now like defekt said. Thanks again

 

[Bubble_B0y]

this has happened to me a few times !!!!

I had 3 crayfish

They used to climb and jump out of the tank !!!

solution: Cover the tank (COMPLETELY COVERED !!! )
do NOT have tall ornaments or airline tubing (unless your tank has a lid) - these creatures can climb almost anything !!