Vampire crab "Ironfist" - Geosesarma spec.

The Ironfist Vampire Crab, Rusty Vampire Crab or Ironfist Vampire C rab is an as yet undetermined species of the genus Geosesarma. This pretty little land crab Geosesarma sp. "Ironfist" or Geosesarma sp. "Rusty" is native to Southeast Asia and is one of the popular vampire crabs that are so popular in terraristics because of their beautiful colors, relative ease of keeping and compatibility.

The Ironfist Vampire Crab is somewhat reminiscent of Marvel's Ironman in terms of colors - it is dark red to dark reddish-purple and has bright orange-gold claw arms and an orange-gold dorsal spot. From the front, the Ironfist Vampire Crab also looks very cool and a bit mysterious with its glowing bright orange eyes and slightly darker front. With a carapace diameter of about 2.5 to 3.5 inches, the Ironfist Vampire Crab tends to get a bit larger for a Geosesarma species.  The males of the Rusty Vampire Crab can always be recognized by the V-shaped belly pouch that tapers towards the front, while the belly pouch on the females of this Geosesarma sp. resembles an upside-down U.

As a land crab, the Ironfist Vampire Crab belongs to the specialized reproductive type, which means that the females lay only a few eggs, but rather large ones in proportion. At the end of the gestation period, these eggs do not hatch into larvae as in crabs with a primitive reproductive strategy, but into fully developed small juvenile crabs that go directly on a voyage of discovery in the terrarium because they do not have to pass through larval stages in the water. If the terrarium is large enough and offers the juvenile crabs plenty of Hiding Places, for example, with tubes and foliage. Also a generally varied arrangement of the terrarium helps the young crabs to grow up in peace - even if both the adults like to rob a young animal and the young crabs themselves are quite cannibalistic among themselves. A separate rearing terrarium or an early separation of the young crabs increases of course the survival figures with the young crabs crucially.

The Ironfist Vampire Crab is nevertheless a fairly social group animal that should not be kept singly. Please do not socialize Geosesarma sp. "Iron Fist" with other invertebrates, even with other species of the genus Geosesarma.

A small group consisting of 5-6 Ironfist crabs, preferably with a surplus of females - for example 2 males with 3-4 females - is well suited for a wetland terrarium with a floor space of 60x30 cm or more. Geosesarma sp. "Iron Fist" is as a land crab particularly well adapted to land life and does not need a deep water part. In the terrarium one offers therefore to the beautiful crabs an approximately to 10 cm high flat bowl, which is filled with fresh water. The water hardness does not matter. Pay attention to exit possibilities!

The soil in the crab terrarium for Geosesarma sp. "Rusty" or "Iron Fist" should be about 10 cm high and should ideally consist of coco humus or terrarium humus . The soil must be kept permanently moist so that the humidity in the terrarium remains high. This allows the Ironfist Crabs to dig their short living burrows in the substrate. The terrarium for the non-plant nibbling Geosesarma sp. "Rusty" or "Ironfist" can still be well planted, especially Sit-on plants are safe from the digging activities of the Ironfist vampire crab.

The air temperature in the humid terrarium for the Rusty Vampire Crab should be between 20 and 26 °C, the humidity about 80-90%. It is best to spray some water daily in the morning and evening, or alternatively use a nebulizer. Geosesarma sp. "Ironfist" climbs actively and is quite resourceful when it comes to finding ways out of the terrarium. Doors and ventilation panels must therefore always close tightly without gaps.

The Ironfist Vampire Crab loves carnivorous food and will not eat plants. For daily feeding we recommend frozen food, FD food (for example freeze-dried insects) also live food in the form of white isopods or springtails - which are also great as a clean-up troop in the terrarium and like to take care of dead plant parts and uneaten food. A special food for carnivorous crabsis also very suitable.

Our food recommendation: Crabs in the wild tend to have a varied diet. Most species are omnivorous, and with the Natureholic Crab Feed Sticks we have taken this preference into account. They contain biologically balanced animal and vegetable components, which are also part of the natural food spectrum of omnivorous crabs in the wild in this or a similar way. The valuable ingredients of NatureHolic Crab Feed naturally support the molting, digestion, growth and reproduction of your crabs.

Our plant recommendation: For planting, use marsh plants, which are plants that are rooted in soil that is very wet or even submerged, but whose flowers and leaves are usually all or partially in the airspace and can be seen above the water surface. Thus, marsh plants are usually found on and in lakes and streams, but also on and in garden ponds or other bodies of water that provide them with a wet substrate, but still leave room for flowers and leaves to show to the outside.

Expert Tip: We recommend NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid when keeping invertebrates. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your invertebrates. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.