Introduction: How to Catch and Care for Crawdads (a.k.a. Crayfish and Crawfish)

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About: He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? But to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. -Micah 6:8

Hello.

Today I'm gonna teach you how to catch and care for crawdads.

Please enjoy.

Step 1: Stuff You're Gonna Need

To catch crawdads you will need the following:

- Rainboots or hip waders
- Butterfly net (short net)
- Tupperware containers (medium size, one for each crawdad)
- Pepperoni (not off a pizza)
- A creek
- A little bit of patience

Step 2: Safety

1. Try to keep the rims of your boots sufficiently above water, so that water snakes can't get in.

2. If you see one of said water snakes in your immediate area, get the heck out of the water.

3. Fish in safe water (no strong current, uncontaminated, and so forth)

4. Don't actually grab the crawdads without adequately thick gloves, or painful pinching may insue.

5. Shower afterwards, because you WILL get creek water on you (if you wear rainboots, they will likely be filled up with water before you go home).

Step 3: Catching the Crawdad

Once you have found a crawdad, keep the net semi-paralell to the creek bottom, so that it is low enough for crawdads to swim in, but high enough for you to hold the handle. Drop the pepperoni into the water, aiming for the edge of your net. When the crawdad crawls in after the meat, lift up the net. Put some water in a tupperware container, and gently dump the crawdad into it.

Do not put two crawdads in the same container, or they will fight to the death.

Step 4: Care

Habitat

Once home, put some water in the bottom of a bucket, enough to cover the crawdad. Put a rock in the bucket too, so your new pet can climb on it. When that's done introduce the crawdad to his new home.

Feeding

He will soon tire of pepperoni, so put a couple of bugs (i.e. worms, crickets, beetles, ect. NOTHING POISONOUS, and nothing that can fly away) in the bucket each day.

Cleanliness

A few times a week, remove the rock and dump out the old water and any uneaten food, along with the crawdad. Keep an eye on him as you put in new water and the rock, then put him back in.

Release

You can't keep the crawdad forever, so when it starts to get cold out, or you're about to go on vacation, release him into a creek or pond. It doesn't have to be the one where you found him;  he couldn't care less.