declawing a crab?

My smaller hermits eat with one claw at a time. I've also had a LFS bag up two emerald crabs for me. One of which was missing an entire arm. It survived just fine on some of my softies with only one claw.

 

The issue with me isn't the need to eat (since they usually have other sets of arms they can use until they grow back), but the likelihood that they might feel pain, combined with my "don't keep something in your tank you can't take care of properly" mentality. That's why I equate it to a cat's leg being removed (no anesthetic involved, as would happen with the crab) rather than a cat's claw.

 

...and that's the difference of opinion. Expressing the other point (that it's not a viable option) is no less right to mention, despite the opinion mentioned above of where others' opinions belong. Neither is the proposition of an analogy that may or may not be closer to the reality of the situation (which, of course, depends on perspective - a whole separate discussion).

 

umm so lemme get this straight. someone is comparing declawing a crab to delegging a cat? so crabs and cats are on the same level? and another said something about cutting off a kids hands as to prevent nose picking? I dont think a crab comes anywhere near the level of value of a cat, or human for that matter.. Humans are at the top as far as Im concerned. Compare apples to apples. These analogies pretty much suck. Human hands dont grow back.. yet. Now you start getting into the realm of do animals have feelings. probly not, but there are laws against animal cruelty and they probly dont apply to blue crabs and shouldnt. Where do you draw the line? Lets let PETA file suit on behalf of animals while we are at it. Ok, where were we at? I say rip his claws off and throw them in the pot with the rest of the carapace.

 

The crab is a hitchiker. It is fun to look at. It can still eat, sleep, walk, & swim w/o it's claws. Its not handicap by any means.

The process is a better alternative to just killing crabs that many have found in there aquarium. Atleast it was utilized & not euthanized(sp?). If it was big I could band its claws.

This discussion gives ppl a choice to probably keep those crabs, though stone crabs don't regenerate as blue crabs do (mentioned in article).
Well according to this thread no one has ever attempted this, in knowledge there should always be room for growth.

I think it was an awesome idea. I still do. ;D
I tell you this, its not jumping on my fish, crabs, & snails anymore.

 

There is no apples to apples comparison when it comes to a crab vs a mammal. Crabs grow back limbs as they molt; mammals don't. That's pretty much the end of the discussion, if the discussion is limited to exact comparisons. That's the point behind analogies to begin with; get something close that someone can relate to, rather than not having a way to understand the situation in familiar terms.