Howie The Crab

Update Winny has passed away. 8/18/2026 from both a failed molt and soft tissue shell rot.

What species is Winny? She is a Gecarcinus Ruricola. They are commonly known as zombie crabs.

Is Winny the same as Howie? No, they are completely separate species.

Isn't a zombie crab supposed to be dark in color? Winny's species comes in different colors. Winny is considered an albino because of her lack of pigment.

Will Winny's shell color change when she molts? I don't know. There may be some color variation from molt to molt, so only time will tell.

Is her shell cracked? What are those lines? Those are Winny's natural markings. She has stripes. It's very common for her species. Even though they come in many different colors, many of them have variations of the stripes on their sides.

Do you know how old she is? My current guess is around 15 years old based on the length between molts (since she hasn't molted yet since I've had her and her shell was already old and worn when she arrived) I can assume she is an elderly adult. It is quite possible that she's already had the last molt of her life before she arrived.

How long do they live? There's not a lot of information, but the general consensus is around 10 years. My best educated guess (based on researching their biology) is up to 15 years due to their slow metabolism after they reach maturity. They also reproduce much slower than other species which makes me believe they have a longer life expectancy. I will update this as I collect more information from private keepers.

When will Winny molt next? I don't know where she's at in her molt cycle. Because she was underweight when I received her, she needs extra time to gain weight before her body will begin the pre molt process. Her shell is in rough shape. She's been in that shell a while and does need to molt.

Where did Winny come from? Winny came from a crab market in the Caribbean. She was wild caught to be someone's food. A friend of an exotic pet trader found them and bought a few for his friend to sell as pets in the US. When Winny arrived, they realized she had shell rot and could not be sold as a pet. So in a an effort to save her, they contacted me and asked if I would take and save her due to my experience with land crabs. The timing was not the best because I was and still am grieving the loss of Howie. But I couldn't say no to helping a crab.

Is Winny a replacement for Howie? Absolutely not. Nothing could ever replace her. I am trying to find room in my heart to give my love to Winny and to give her the best life possible while continuing to honor Howie's legacy and continue advocating for crabs. Winny is the next chapter in Howie's story. Howie paved the way for Winny.

What is shell rot and why does Winny have it? Since Winny was held in a crab market, she was confined together with hundreds of other crabs. The conditions were not sanitary. Winny developed shell rot. Shell rot is deadly to crabs if left untreated. It is caused by acid producing bacteria. The calcium in crab shells is vulnerable to acidic conditions. The shell rot eats holes in their shells leaving crabs exposed to more bacteria, viruses, and fungus. It's like having an open wound.

Will the shell rot heal or go away? Typically, if crab is healthy and they make it to their next molt, the shell rot will be fixed with the growth of a new shell. So I have to keep Winny healthy and keep her shell as clean as possible to keep the shell rot from getting worse, or getting an infection from the open holes that she currently has.

How do you treat shell rot? I am not a veterinarian. DISCLAIMER: This is not veterinary advice; this is just what I do. I start by misting and brushing Winny with a soft toothbrush to scrub away any bacteria that's trying to colonize on her shell. Then I dip a Q-tip into salt water with a gravity spec reading of 1.021 (ocean water is 1.026, so my mixture is less salty). I also use reverse osmosis deionized filtered water to remove any unwanted contamination. I dip the Q-tip in calcium carbonate powder and apply it to her shell rot spots. The goal here is to keep her clean and prevent the shell rot from getting worse by reducing the pH and preventing bacteria from re-colonizing that area. Are there more aggressive treatments? Yes, but I am using the mildest treatment first.

Can Winny safely consume her shell after the molts even though it had shell rot? Yes, the can safely consume her shell to remineralize. It is normal and healthy. I have treated the rot and the bacteria that caused it is gone, so the molt is safe for consumption.

People often like to snarkily ask, 'But who brushes all the wild crabs?' Obviously, wild crabs are not brushed, and that leads to a much shorter lifespan. Shell rot is common, especially in land crabs. So you might be wondering now if Winny will be okay? I'm really hopeful that she'll make a full recovery. It's still possible that she won't. I'm hoping she'll have a molt soon and have a fresh, healthy new shell.

I will be updating Winnys information as questions come in.

Howie The Crab has passed away. I will keep her facts up for those just joining and wishing to know more about her. Thank you everyone for the love and support.

Why did Howie The Crab die? Howie was very old and lived an extraordinarily long life. When Howie died, it was the natural end to her life. It was slow and peaceful. Her body began shutting down and her breathing slowed over the course of a few hours until she finally passed away in my arms. She died peacefully and with dignity. I did not film it.

I get asked this a lot. What did you do with Howie's body? Howie was given a private burial. She was buried with a hat, her favorite toys, a lock of my hair in one claw and a lock of Siren's fur in the other. I did not want to preserve or cremate her.

What type of crab was Howie? Cardisoma Armatum commonly known as a rainbow, patriot, or a soapdish crab.

How old was Howie? Howie turned 9 on June 24th (I gave her a birthday midsummer by estimation) She was 9 years and 8 months old when she passed away.

How long did you have Howie? She was with us from 2016-2025

How old was she when you got her? Howie was approximately 1 year old when we got her.

How big was she when you got her? Howie was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand!

Was Howie in salt or fresh water? Howie's species does best with fresh water so her tank contained fresh dechlorinated and treated water. They can tolerate brackish but they seek out freshwater sources as adults.

Why did Howie have a boys name? We didn't know her gender when we named her. By the time we figured out that Howie was female, we decided it was too late to change her name so we kept it.

How did you know that Howie was female? Her species is gendered by their stomach plates. A wide abdomen signifies that she was female. Males have narrow triangular abdomens. Howie is for sure female!

Don't male crabs have one large claw? Both genders of her species have one large claw for defense and one for dexterity.

Why didn't Howie have any tank mates or other crab friends? Howie's species is solitary by nature. They are known for being aggressive and cannibalistic. She did best and was safest by herself.

What is Howie's origin story? Sorry, not a cool story...my daughter chose her instead of a replacement beta fish when she was in kindergarten from an aquatic pet store.

Why did she wear hats? A lot of people are afraid of crabs. Hats help make people feel at ease when they watch our videos. Giving any animal a hat makes it 1000% cuter...it's science lol

How did you keep her hats on? I use small pieces of gentle tape. I specifically choose kinds that come off easily and cleanly.

Wasn't Howie scared when you took her out of her tank and go places? No, Howie was very much used to traveling and going places. I could tell by her body posture that she was not afraid. Scared crabs run, scramble, and fight when they're scared. They also might curl up into a defensive ball. You will see in our videos that her eyes are up and she is slowly walking around and exploring. If you see a video where she is moving fast ,it's because she's slow and I will speed up the video 5x-10x to reduce the duration of the video but still show how far she walked. I took great care and concern in how Howie felt in a situation.

Did she ever pinched you? Yes, but only twice in the span of over 8 years. Both times were accidents during feedings. Howie did get excited for food, but she immediately released her grip when she realized it was my hand and not food. Crab pinches are no joke. They are painful and can cause damage. Howie was typically very gentle, but when she was in a bad mood, I didn't press my luck. I gave her respect and space when she didn’t want to be handled. If you have a cat, it's a lot like not picking them up when they're stressed or in hunt mode. I always respect an animal's boundaries and autonomy. In turn, I do not get pinched, scratched, or bit.

What is their lifespan? The average lifespan in the wild is 2-3 years. 3-5 years in captivity with the species maximum lifespan of 8 years.

Don't they live for 15 years? No, that's information about blue land crabs. The information I have is compiled from other rainbow crab owners and educational sources. A lot of information online is written by hobbyists for ad revenue on pet websites and is not always the best source of valid information. There is a lot of confusion of information between the species cardisoma armatum and cardisoma guanhumi because they have many physical similarities.

Was she the type of crab I see in Florida (blue land crab cardisoma guanhumi)? No, Howie's species comes from the West Coast of Africa. They are related. Howie was often confused for a blue land crab because her red coloration and vibrant eyes faded away with age.

What is molting? In order for crabs to grow, they must shed their exoskeletons (shell) and grow a new larger one. It is a very complicated process and I suggest doing a quick google search for pictures videos to help explain the process.

How often do crabs molt? When crabs are small, they molt often. In the beginning, its about every 8 weeks. As crabs age, it is less often. Howie was averaging 8-10 months between molts at the end of her life.

How many times did Howie molt? Howie molted more times than I could count. She molted very frequently when she was little and I stopped keeping track. I'd estimate more than 20 times.

Did it hurt her when she was molting? Yes, I can safely assume that it was uncomfortable and painful for her. Undergoing separation from their shell and nerves is a painful process. They have sensation in all parts of their body. There's a reason why crabs are more aggressive when they need to molt.

Why wasn't she eating? Couldn't you just force feed her? This question pertains to when Howie was in premolt and not eating. These two questions are asked a lot. People find it very distressing when pets aren't eating. Howie was regrowing her mouth parts, esophagus, stomach lining, intestines, and gills. A film forms between her new old shell and old shell blocking her mouth. This information is not commonly known even in the scientific community. Howie trusted me enough last year to stick a digital otoscope into her mouth during her last molt. I was so upset that she wasn't eating for so long, I wanted to find out the reason. To my surprise, there was a very big reason. I can only assume the film forms to protect her newly forming parts. I submitted my recordings to people within the scientific community for additional study and peer review. So no, it would be dangerous to try to force feed foods or liquid to a crab in premolt.

How long could she go without eating? Most sources will say up to 2 weeks. During Howie's last molt, she went an astonishing 45 days without eating! The older and larger a crab is, the longer is takes them to regrow everything before molting. The premolt period becomes longer and longer until finally a crab cannot molt or cannot phsyically regenerate larger parts.

Did you still give her food even when she wasn't eating? Yes, always. No matter what, I made sure that she had food available.

Were your ever able to help her molt? No, its a delicate process in which she had to separate from her old shell, nerves, and vital organs. It is dangerous to interfere with a crab during the molting process. They are soft and can easily break apart and die. Luckily for us, Howie never minded if I watched. She was very comfortable with my presence.

How long did her molts take? There are two parts to this answer. Howie went through a premolt stage. She started by eating less frequently and would begin to skip meals. Then, she would eventually stop eating. Finally, she would actually molt and push her way out of her old shell. Premolt can last months. The actual act of the molt only takes from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Young crabs do all of this much faster. Because Howie was so old, it was a very long process.

Why was everyone so worried about her molts? If you're just now following, Howie's last molt was very difficult on her. Since Howie was so old we were all worried. 90% of crabs die during molts or from failure to molt. The larger she grew the longer it took to regenerate her mouth parts, esophagus, stomach lining, intestines, and gills. During that time, she didn't eat and would solely rely on stored calories. It was a race against time to regenerate her body before she starved. But other problems could have occured during the actual molt resulting in molt failure and death. Such things as parts of her body not regenerating properly. So Howie's fans were very concerned with each of her molts.

Did Howie ever lose a claw or a leg? Howie never sustained any injuries in my care. During her final 24 hours, she did lose a leg. It's very common for crabs to drop limbs when they are actively dying.

What was wrong with her eyes? you will see this issue in older videos. If you noticed that Howie's eyes looked cracked, you're right! Because she was so old, the most fragile parts of her shell were not making it in between molts. The thin shell over her eye is delicate and cracks formed. This was all normal and due to her age related decline. Over Howie's last 3 years with us, she had issues with her eyes cracking. Eye crakcs are self repairing with each molt. (You will notice how much she improved after a molt.)

Can crabs see color? Yes, she could see color. You might be asking yourself, well how did you really know? Howie had a strong preference for red bell peppers. I presented red, yellow, orange, and green bell pepper and she would immediately choose red without tasting. I also had to desensitize her to her ball pit balls. I had to spend time getting her comfortable with each color ball!

Dif she recognize you? Yes, she could recognizes faces, foods, and objects. I oftentimes would find her staring at me from across the room or searching for me if she couldn't find me.

How did she react to other people? Howie did not like people she didn't recognize. Typically, if I was with her and holding her, she would accept onlookers and gentle pets if I put my hand over her claws.

What did people think when they saw you walking your pet crab? Honestly a lot of my neighbors avoid me. We have a quiet neighborhood where everyone keeps to themselves. If someone did stop to say something, they would just ask if she's a crab because they weren't sure what they were seeing. A few people would stop and ask questions from time to time, but every reaction was positive.

Why did you use a leash, wasn't she slow enough to catch? I used a leash for her safety and the safety of others. I did not want Howie to run into the street or down a sewer. I also liked being able to keep her close and prevent her from pinching other people and animals. If Howie was enjoying herself, she didn't always want to be picked up. So if an emergency has occurred, I didn't want to have to catch her. The way I put on her leash, it also functioned as a harness to prevent drops and falls.

Didn't she need water to survive? Yes and no. Howie had modified gills that breathe air. But in order for them to function, she had to be hydrated. She was a land crab that adapted to breathe air in a humid environment. Luckily, Nebraska is very humid and she does well when outside when the weather is cooperating. I also never let her go long without access to water for her own personal comfort.

How long could she go without water? Approximately 24-48 hours. Like any animal, they need access to water for hydration.

How long cpuld she stay submerged under water? Howie could go a couple of hours under water if she was stationary. If she was moving around and playing, she would pop up for air every 1 or 2 minutes.

Why was there so much water in her tank if she was a land crab? Howie's tank was a unique set-up tailored to what she loved best. Howie loved to swim and bask! Her species typically prefers to burrow but Howie would always sit in the water. In the beginning, she would pitifully sit in her water dish all day. Gradually we began giving her more water in her tank until we found what she liked best. Trust me guys, cleaning and draining water was a big hassle and we weren't doing it "wrong" on purpose. We did full water changes which resulted in us draining out 30-35 gallons and then filling it again with a fresh 30-35 gallons. That's haulding 60-70 gallons each tank clean which we did every other week.

What does her species eat? Her species typically eats fruit and vegetables. They only require protein weekly. Her digestive system worked best with a heavy plant based diet with a weekly protein. Too much protein can be bad for them.

Why did Howie eat cheese? Once upon a time when my daughter was little, she shared her string cheese with Howie unbeknownst to me. By the time I found out, Howie would not give up her cheese. She fought to keep it! So I let her finish it. Nothing happened other than Howie was happy. Weeks later, I was curious to see if she would accept cheese again. She squeaked with excitement! I had never seen her react in such a way to a food. It became one of her favorite treats.

Why do you feed her nothing but "treats"? What you see on social media, was only 1 minute of Howie's day. I didn't show the boring parts of her day when she was unexcitedly picking at lettuce or kale. She received a large variety of healthy foods. Howie would get sad and bored of repeat meals and refuse to eat. I found that offering a wide variety with occasional treats seemed to keep her the happiest.

Did Howie have emotions? Yes, she did. She felt happiness, fear, boredom, curiosity, frustration, anticipation, and trust. She was capable of many complex emotions. You may not believe that until you really start watching her videos to see that crabs are capable of so much more than we ever knew.

How did you train her to high five and use sign language? Howie loved reaching out and touching my hands. So I encouraged it and she understood when I put my hand out, that I wanted a gentle tap. I did not use rewards or withholding food. As for sign language, I began using it to communicate with her when I fed her. I would tap my mouth to encourage her to eat. It took a long time, but she began signing back to ask for food. So on her own, she learned how to communicate her needs.

Why did her color seem to change? I got this question a LOT! Howie was brown on top and blue at eye level. Her coloration greatly depended on lighting and angles. In fact, her blue was an optical illusion created by "Crustacyanin"; a carotenoprotein biological pigment found in the exoskeleton of lobsters and responsible for their blue color. She was bluest under her LED aquarium lights and she looked pretty drab from above while she was walking around the house under regular lighting. As for any coloration differences from year to year, she was slowly losing her reddish orange hues and had become more brown. Over the years I updated cameras, lighting, and equipment in an effort to show her best shades of blue! To anyone who thinks Howie was repeatedly replaced, she wasn't. You can't even get her species in the US anymore let alone train a new crab to do all the unique things that Howie does. So that was never even a possibility!

Couldn't you feed Howie foods and supplements that would have helped her look bluer? Her color was created by a bioprotein called crustacyanin. The protein is produced by special cells in her exoskeleton. Crustacyanin binds to astaxanthin and astaxanthin is what is obtained through diet (because it can't be synthesized) her body was producing less crustacyanin. So even though she could have eaten more foods that would help her obtain astaxanthin, crustacyanin is a carrier protein that her body produced on its own. Because she was old, her specialized cells didn't produce as much of it. So over time no matter what her diet was like, her blue continued to fade.

Why did the shape of Howie's head (carapace) change with each molt? When Howie was freshly molted, she was essentially soft jello. She inflated her body with water to incease herself while she waited for her shell to harden. The larger she got the more gravity affected her. So with each molt, her head became wider and flatter. This is why many species of crabs are round and flat. Even though crabs grow, their "height" doesn't change as much as their width does due to the affects of gravity and their unique physiology.

Do you eat crabs? No, I'm allergic to fish and shellfish. I also grew up in a household where two other family members are allergic too. Crab, shellfish, and fish have never been on the menu. I have never viewed them as a food source.