Animals at Home Network

Indo joins in this episode to talk all about his various species of crustaceans, including the incredibly interesting Coconut Crab species. Indo dives into al of the care requirements on Coconut Crabs and Vampire Crabs specifically, while also talking about naturalistic enclosures, cohabitation, and various diet needs of crustaceans. We also discuss Indo’s upcoming plans to begin breeding Coconut Crabs, something that nobody thus far has been able to do in captivity. He shares details of his extensive knowledge of the breeding process, the various growth stages of crustaceans, and how he plans on replicating the ocean in order for the breeding project to succeed. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/242-coconut-crabs/SPONSORS: Visit The BioDude: https://www.thebiodude.com/ Visit Zoo Med Labs here: https://zoomed.com/JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathomeLINKS FROM THE EPISODE:Indo’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indo_and_plantsIndo’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@indoplants704000:00 Introducing Indo1:23 Coming Up: The Bio Dude1:58 Coming Up: Zoo Med Jumping Spider Kit2:19 Welcome Indo + Starting Out With Exotic Animals and Crabs6:46 Animal Keeping Community in Italy19:19 What Indo Is Keeping Currently12:45 Indo’s Passion for Crustaceans 15:00 Recommended and Types of Crab Species17:00 Basic Vampire Crab Care Requirements19:10 Scavenger Crabs + Naturalistic Enclosures22:00 Terrestrial Crabs and Water Needs23:27 Cohabitation With Other Crabs or Species24:30 The Bio Dude Substrates + Bug Grub25:31 Discovering Coconut Crabs31:07 What Is A Coconut Crab?34:59 Keeping Coconut Crabs41:45 Enclosure Needs For Adults + More Care Requirements46:13 Coconut Crab Diets47:53 Zoo Med Jumping Spider Kit48:58 Breeding Coconut Crabs1:02:18 Replicating Flow of The Ocean + Filters1:05:08 Growing Phases1:07:27 Indo’s Future Plans for Breeding Crabs1:12:13 Future Projects + Closing Thoughts

Dr. A. Z. Andis Arietta is a scientist whose work spans the intersection of AI, conservation, and herpetoculture (azandisresearch.com). He earned his PhD from Yale School of the Environment, where his research areas included ecological genomics, amphibian ecophysiology and development, and the ethics of conservation. That scientific and philosophical grounding now informs how he thinks about evidence-based animal care, conservation policy, and the impacts of data infrastructure.Professionally, Andis is a Senior Data Scientist working in machine learning, causal inference, and applied AI. He also teaches graduate courses on Practical AI, research methods, and data visualization, with an emphasis on application in the environmental field.Andis is an active herpetoculturist who runs Holotypica (holotypica.com), a small husbandry-focused venture centered on ethically bred amphibians and reptiles, primarily focused on dart frogs and emerald tree skinks. His work in the hobby prioritizes animal welfare, transparent methods, and helping keepers succeed through education and evidence-based guidance.Across all of his work, Andis is interested in how AI can support conservation and environmental outcomes, including improving decision systems, extracting insight from unstructured data, and strengthening science communication, while remaining clear-eyed about the limitations and risks of these tools.

Rain joins me to dive deep into one of the most unique reptile projects you’ll ever hear about — keeping snail-eating snakes and the unexpected adventure that came with it. We discuss everything from how to care for snail-eating snakes, their specialized diet, and how to breed and collect snails as feeders… all the way to the hilarious twist that turned Rain into one of eBay’s top snail sellers. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/241-snail-eaters/SPONSORS: Visit Fauna-Lux Here: https://fauna-lux.com/Visit The BioDude: https://www.thebiodude.com/ JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathomePhotos and Video in Episode:Provided by Rain0:00 Intro1:48 Welcome Rain, Discovering Snail-Eaters14:35 Starting with the Snails16:45 TrueChroma by Fauna Lux18:20 Finding Wild Snails23:20 Buying & Selling Snails on eBay31:28 Parasites on Snails & Snail Worms33:25 Selling & Collecting Millipedes 36:08 How Many Snails each Snail-eater needs43:25 BioDude44:26 Raising Snails vs Raising Crickets47:34 The Benefits of Keeping & Breeding Snails55:53 The Species of Snail-Eaters Rain Keeps & Their Characteristics 1:14:54 How they eat1:28:56 A look at Rain's Snail-Eaters1:46:37 What size snail to feed?1:48:56 Feeder variety?1:51:50 Structure for Captive Keeping1:56:28 Setting up the Snail Tubs & Feeding2:02:38 Semi-Slugs2:06:28 Closing Thoughts

Phil has a conversation with Nick Sloan, owner of Sloan's Reptiles and the All American Plant and Reptile Expo. Great conversation!

Phil interivews the legendary Randy Gray. This is one you wont want to miss!