HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have 10 crabs and most are female I think... i’m just wondering will they end up mating at some point? I’m in no way ready to take on something like that. I read that the temp & humidity has to be right & luck. My humidity is about 80% and 77degrees in temperature. If my crabs were to possibly mate will the eggs end up dying if the female hatches them? I’m not interested in breeding and I was just curious..


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It is always a possibility. There is a lot involved before they even want to mate. Conditions of your tank need to be ideal plus you need two willing crabs. Once they have mated, usually around new moon, low tide (June, July, August in the northern hemisphere) the female will carry the eggs until around full moon, high tide. With any luck the female will release the eggs into your saltwater pool.
Be on the lookout for a crab pacing and pacing every square inch of the entire tank for hours and hours. There is a good chance you have a female "making her way back to the ocean to drop eggs"

I consider having a crab release eggs as a Grammy, or Oscar for crab care. It is proof that your crabs are comfortable with their surroundings and conditions are great.

Julsie wrote:I have 10 crabs and most are female I think... i’m just wondering will they end up mating at some point? I’m in no way ready to take on something like that. I read that the temp & humidity has to be right & luck. My humidity is about 80% and 77degrees in temperature. If my crabs were to possibly mate will the eggs end up dying if the female hatches them? I’m not interested in breeding and I was just curious..


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Yes, most likely all the potential eggs or babies would get eaten... that’s blunt but that’s nature! They’re an especially nutritious and yummy treat for the others, I’m sure... and the water has to be perfect or else the zoea (sp?) will not live long anyway. They’re pretty complicated little breeders!
And also everything Motorcrab has to say as well.


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Thanks! I was just curious that’s so sad they’d get eaten though! I hope mine don’t mate ):


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I was lucky last year when I saw my straws releasing eggs in the salt water. It was only a few weeks after upgrading my pools. It's hard to say how many got sucked up into the filter before I realized what was going on. The ones I did save lasted about 10 days giving about 3-4 hours of care to them each day. Feeding, water changes and sucking them out of the old water into the fresh every day.

I didn't know I had a female that even had eggs since my other one that had eggs I gave to Mary.

I guess they get confused easily and drop the eggs everywhere but in the saltwater where they need to be. On the substrate it's instant crabby caviar.