Woohooo! Two females with eggs! Update P.6! BABIES! (PPs)

[CrabbyMom33]

Wow! Baby time all over the place. Congrats on the eggs, Wode!!!!!

[wodesorel]

Thanks CrabbyMom!

One more question for those in the know - if and it's a big IF - the Es decide to gift me with more babies, does anyone foresee any problems if I were to raise them in the same tank? I could always set up two separate tanks if I had to, but one would be easier on both the wallet and on maintenance and on space.

And I think my PPs are just gearing up into baby season. I've been watching them on and off all night, and there is an awful lot of "chasing" going on....

[CrabbyMom33]

One more question for those in the know - if and it's a big IF - the Es decide to gift me with more babies, does anyone foresee any problems if I were to raise them in the same tank? I could always set up two separate tanks if I had to, but one would be easier on both the wallet and on maintenance and on space.

I have no answers since I haven't done this, but I have questions that may help point you in a direction. Do both species grow and mature at the same rate? Do you have any desire to document the progress of each species separately? Could you use a divider like you have in a beta tank to separate them, or do those not fully separate the two sides of the tank?

[Skymall007]

If you are looking for uber tiny shells, I bought this crushed coral for the crabs second story (they seem to love it) and there are billions of tiny tiny shells in it that are whole! If you guys would like I can send them. =) I am really excited to hear how this all goes. I am fascinated my hermit babies.

[ceo1282]

My jaw almost hit the floor when I saw the eggs w/"eyes" I've noticed that over the last couple days 1 of my male pp's is all over 1 of the female pp's to the point where she seems annoyed He, on the other hand, could care less...men :roll: I am pretty sure this behavior would have gone unnoticed or written off as them just being the crazy crabs they are. Getting to hear/learn about all this has given me more insight into their behavior. So thank you for sharing your experiences & pictures! When should I check to see if she has eggs? The male is all over her & I don't want to interrupt anything From what I was reading in the thread it sounds like the eggs are only on one side...correct? I'm just reaching my 1yr mark as a hermie owner so I can't imagine i'd have any success w/all this but it's still exciting My dad rained all over my parade when I mentioned the hermies behavior. He said "why does it matter, they wouldn't make it anyway?!". He just doesn't get it, he's actually afraid of them He'll watch them but he totally freaks out if I bring one near him :roll:
Any insight would be greatly appreciated

[wolfnipplechips]

The eggs are always on the crab's left side. You should check the female for eggs a day or so after the males have lost interest in her. That means the deed is done, and she has had time to situate them all with fertilizer and stuff. A good flashlight really helps to see if she has eggs. If she has eggs, I usually photograph them every week or so to track the progress. And always put them back where you picked them up from. I think they prefer a certain temp and humidity for the egg development, because both my gravid females stay together in the same spots, and the location changes depending on the tank conditions.

That's funny your dad is afraid! My dad is one of those big tough Alaska hunter dudes, but when I had anoles as a kid, he was very scared of them. Strange!

[RedbirdFL]

Wow, this is fascinating! I am looking forward to following the progress of the moms!!

[Happy Crabber]

I agree! Please let us know your plans for hatching the eggs? I imagine it must be complicated.

[wolfnipplechips]

Well, assuming the mammas hatch them in the salt water pool and I find the babies in time, I'm setting up an aerated and filtered (sponge filter, so it won't suck the babies up) SW tank. It won't be cycled, so I will have to do water changes. Not exactly sure how that will go. IF (big if) any live long enough to go onto land, I'll make an elevated land sandbox with a ramp. I have tiny shells that I can put in the bottom of the tank. Since I will be out of town for some time, my husband will have to do some stuff if they live long enough, and he isn't very good with animals, so I don't expect them to live to the land dwelling stage at all. I bet Wod is making some serious plans, though! I sure hope she makes a thread soon!

[kuza]

From what I read its best to try to separate them into smaller groups so they don't kill each other.

[wolfnipplechips]

I only have one tank, though. Where did you read that?

[kuza]

in one of the online rearing guides, but I don't recall which one it was. It had to have been linked from this site or LHC.

[wodesorel]

If they grow at different rates, predation always is a risk with the bigger ones going after the smaller ones. They'll see each other as moving food as much as anything else, but they won't be as likely to go after a sibling that is the same size. I imagine it'll be a lot like scorpions where most will make it to adulthood but the runts might become dinner over time.

The other option is to go with cups and separate them out, but oh my gosh the time and the work that would take! Daily water changes, trying to keep the temp stable, not overfeeding, trying to deal with a bunch of small cups when it comes time for them to go to land. That was my original plan, but I don't have several hours a day to care for them and a cycled tank would be much more stable and natural than a sterile cup.



Skymall - I may very well take you up on your offer! Thank you! I'm hoping to find a substrate like what you have locally. In fiddler crabs the zoea grow faster and healthier in a tank with substrate, so I will be adding aragonite sand or crushed coral. I'm hoping to find a brand with teeny shells in it as I remember there being a ton of cute little shells when I added some aragonite to my freshwater tank a long time ago to steady the pH level.

[wolfnipplechips]

Wod, I am super excited to see how far you get with your babies. I expect a bajillion pictures!!

[Skymall007]

Just let me know =) I will send them right away. They have many uber tiny ones in there. I shall be glad to help.