Handling
Crawdads are not the kinda pet that you pet. They are aggressive and will pinch you hard if they get the chance. The best way to pick them up is with your thumb and forefinger gripping them just behind the head where their pincers can't get you. Don't grab the tail as this is the most flexible part of the animal's body, and it can whip around and get a hold of you.
Breeding
For the most part I recommend against breeding your pet crawdads, as it will take a serious effort to raise the babies, but if you are prepared for that you must first raise the temp in the tank to about 80 degrees. Maintain this temperature and keep an eye on your pets. When the male wants to mate, he will grasp the female's pincers and flip her over. About 20 days later, the female will lay eggs and gather them up under her tail. When this happens, you should transfer her to another tank as she will be vulnerable to the male during this time. Don't use a net since you might lose some of the eggs. just corral her into a small container with some water in it and transfer her that way. In this new tank, have several layers of hole-filled- bags like the kind you get potatoes or fruit in, this will give the babies some hiding places.
You should also give the mom a place to hide so she feels safe. She might not eat much, but give her some food every other day just in case. Maintain the temp at about 80 during this entire time to help the eggs hatch and babies mature. When they do, the babies will still cling to mom for awhile. When you see them crawling about on their own, it's time to separate mom as she will now eat them if she gets the chance. Gently wiggle her in the water to make sure all the babies have been dislodged, and return her to her normal tank. Now the really tedious part. The babies will hide in the bag holes from each other for some time. Crush up and sprinkle fish flakes around the tank about 3 times a day so they don't get hungry and eat each other.
After a few weeks, you are going to have to split them up into small groups of about 20 in different containers. this is to prevent overcrowding and cannibalism. Make sure you provide enough hiding places in the new containers for them to hide from each other. After a month or two, repeat this process, now breaking them down into groups of about 10. Even in ideal conditions, only about 70% of the babies will grow up. Once they get to be about an inch and a half long, it's time to give them all their own place, or sell them
Other Considerations
Like all arthropods, crawdads shed their skin as they grow old, but don't remove this from the tank. Your pet will eat it to replenish minerals in its body. Most health issues with crawdads have no cure, but they can be avoided by keeping a clean tank with ideal temp and ph. Crawdads live from 3-20 years depending on the species and how well you take care of them, and can grow pretty big. Crawdads are nocturnal animals and primarily come out at night, but if they feel safe in a tank, you may see them wandering during the day as well. Crawdads will often take the gravel in a tank and make hills around their homes in order to make it more difficult for predators to get them. They have limited regenerative capabilities which means they can re-grow limbs when they shed their skin. Crawdads are fascinating pets that liven up any aquarium, and I highly recommend them.
