Data sheet palm thief
German name:
palm thief
Latin name:
Birgus latro
Origin:
Oceanic islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans
Size:
up to 40 cm physique and up to 1m leg span
age expectation:
up to 70 years
Behave
Groups vs. individual housing:
due to their size
Lining:
Fruit, vegetables, fish, shrimp, but also dog or cat food
Difficulty level:
Not suitable for beginners fearlessRich, Birgus latro climbing, CC BY 2.0
It’s the palm thief largest crustaceanthat lives on land. It inhabits the oceanic islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, with the largest population ever found on the Christmas Islands.
Although its physique is still relatively manageable at 40cm, the span of its legs and its strong claws of up to 1m poses a challenge.
The crustacean got its name because it is said that with its impressive claws it can even coconuts could cut without difficulty.
In fact, the nocturnal palm thief prefers to feed on fruits and fruits or sometimes the remains of smaller animals.
About the purchase and the attitude
If you want to buy a palm tree thief, you should consider whether you should pay for it at all enough space and accordingly has enough money.
Because not only the purchase of a suitable terrarium is expensive. The corresponding equipment must also be paid for.
It is not recommended to save on the expense and keep a palm thief free in an apartment or in a house. The animals do not act as hunters and do not deliberately attack people unless they feel threatened.
However, even casually closing their claws can cause significant wounds, so interaction with the animals should be kept to an absolute minimum.
The requirements for a terrarium
In order for a palm thief to spread as it prefers, a large terrarium must be available. A size of 300 cm length x 200 cm width x 200 cm height is recommended.
In this way, the animal does not injure itself when it wants to turn around in the terrarium and it has enough space to create small retreats.
The crustaceans prefer to burrow into loose ground during the day. Accordingly, the floor of the terrarium should be equipped with soft sand, coconut humus or unfertilized potting soil.
This layer of soil should be at least 50cm high so that the palm thief can dig in well. For its nocturnal activities, however, the crustacean needs climbing facilities in the form of strong branches that must be strong enough to support its weight of up to 4kg can wear.
The ideal temperature in the terrarium is between 23°C and 26°C. The humidity is quite high at 70% to 80%, so it is advisable to install a sprinkler system.
In addition, two medium-sized bowls of water should be placed in the terrarium so that the palm thief can replenish his moisture supply. One bowl should be filled with salt water and the other with fresh water.
Are there gender differences in palm thieves?
Male palm thiefs cannot be distinguished from females purely by physical features, coloring or equipment.
If you buy a single specimen, it is therefore not clear which sex the crustacean has. However, if you put males and females side by side, it can be seen that female palm thieves a little smaller than the males are.
Which feed is recommended?
are palm thieves omnivore and can be fed in a correspondingly varied manner. They prefer fruits and fruit.
In the wild, they also climb up coconut palms from time to time to cut open a coconut. But they also feed on the shells of other crustaceans or carrion.
The food for a palm thief in the terrarium should be balanced. The crustacean can be fed with fruit, vegetables, but also with fish and shrimp.
You can also offer the palm thief conventional dog food or cat food, as these types of food are rich in vitamins and trace elements.
About the acclimatization and handling
Palm thieves should be purchased when they are not fully grown. The young crustaceans adapt better to new surroundings and look for their preferred places of retreat and climbing.
While adult palm thieves can also adapt to new environments, it takes longer and they have in the beginning less hungry.
However, handling the animals should be limited to both young palm thieves and adult specimens minimum size be reduced. Feeding works best during the day, when the crustaceans go to their retreats and are less active.
In their active phases, however, the palm thieves should not be disturbed risk of injury reduced by their powerful claws.