Phylogenetically diverse animals sense and use Earth’s magnetic field for orientation and navigation, but little is known about how magnetic information is processed by the nervous system. Even with the wealth of behavioral magnetoreception data, it is difficult to study how magnetic information is processed without knowing precisely what information is encoded, and a primary magnetoreceptor has yet to be identified in any animal. Previous work has studied the transduction method of magnetoreceptive animals by subjecting them to strong magnetic pulses: if orientation behavior changes as a result of a magnetic pulse, then the magnetic field is thought to be transduced using a magnetic material such as biogenic magnetite. This disruption of behavior is because the magnetization of magnetite would be realigned after a strong magnetic pulse, similar to how a magnet can be “recharged” using a stronger magnet. Magnetic pulses inherently have a direction, however, and researchers could theoretically use this property of the existing technique to directionally ablate magnetoreceptive systems, using differences in behavioral effect between pulse angles to deduce information about the underlying system. Here we present this novel approach to investigating magnetoreception processing and test its viability using existing behavioral data in the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus. We design explanatory neural models for observed behavior and develop testable hypotheses as to how spiny lobsters may process Earth’s magnetic field. Using our models we can gain insight into promising neuroanatomical targets for electrophysiological work. Our novel approach bridging the theory and behavior of magnetoreception to investigate processing appears a fruitful avenue for continued research.