Background: I have an old house with a ratty old basement. It used to be just dirt floor, but at some point a previous owner skimmed an inch or two of concrete on the floor.
The basement was prone to flooding during heavy rain, partially due to a non-functional floor drain. A couple years ago I got fed up with the water, so I bashed a hole in the floor and installed a sump pit and pump.
I intended to get some sackrete and patch around where I put the basin, but never got around to it. So around the outside of it is a few inches of gravel, a few inches of dirt, then the concrete ‘floor’ again.
Not too long after that, I noticed that something had been burrowing where the dirt met the concrete, near the edge of the basin. A hole maybe an inch or inch and a half diameter, surrounded by pebbly piles of mud. “That,” thought I, “looks like a crawfish hole.” But that’s silly…it’s my basement. WTH would one of those be in there?
Well I caught a glimpse of it one time, and sure as hell that’s what it was!
Now, the geography of my house. I live on top of a hill. The nearest body of water is a horse pond a quarter mile away, across some railroad tracks and a bridge. There is nothing like an intermittent stream anywhere near.
How/why is there a crawfish living in my basement??
Burrowing crayfish dig very deep tunnels, are territorial, and will burrow far from surface water in a crowded area. Hard to hyperlink w my phone, but if you Google burrowing crayfish/crawfish you can find more info. The blue crayfish are especially pretty…
Hey, whattreya doing? If I thought I was going to actually get a factual answer I would have put this in GQ Good info though, I guess it’s not so crazy after all.
Lots of bugs down there, crickets (especially camel crickets, which are a little freaky) and stuff, and occasionally an earthworm will come up in the dirt between cracks.
There have also been toads in residence, and a blacksnake (though I haven’t seen his skins for a while)…its like a freaking zoo. ETA again, and mice. And one time even a rat that was living under the porch adjacent. No, I don’t live like a pig. I think it got chased out of a vacant structure down the road when it was bought and cleaned out.
I would like to extend a permanent invitation to any and all burrowing (or flying, skating, and/or hovering) crayfish to populate the entire basement of my current and future homes in perpetuity, so long as the aforementioned crayfish sign a contract guaranteeing the disposal of camel crickets. I’m not in the least bit afraid of bugs, but camel crickets are damn shady.
Actually, I lied. I live nowhere near you. For some reason, I had you mixed up with Sir T-Cups. I was wondering how you had a basement on the Gulf Coast.
So I’m a little sad now, after reading up on crawfish/crawdads/crayfish/mudbugs I see that they only live 2-3 years…which means that mine is an old, old man. Looks like my basement will soon be short one crustacean.
Sticks - make sure it has internet access down there so it can find a job and get off the food stamps! I’m sick and TIRED of supporting random crayfish who refuse to work! It probably has a really nice car too!
On a serious note, I have found crawfish in some very unusual places, including one in a little cement pond it was scientifically impossible (or so it seemed) for her to get into, in a birdbath, living apparently happily on the surface in a lush backyard over a period of months (!?), in a sealed water tank scooting happily around, and even (dead, but entirely intact) on a roof. Now I can guess human or animal interaction was responsible for the last case, but…
Why do you think it moved to the OP’s house? The last place, in the home of two hyper plumber brothers, was too much. Besides, it wasn’t the critter’s home, but even he thinks it is gauche to live in a home where the owners keep busting in the walls to find coins.
Good info though, I guess it’s not so crazy after all.