HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Ever since I got Shellby, my hermit crab, I have believed she was a female, because of this website: http://animals.mom.me/determine-male-pe ... -9071.html , as well as the store I purchased "her" from. Today, I decided to, for fun, look to see if she really was a she, and.....

THE GONOPORES ARE ALWAYS THE RIGHT WAY TO SEX A CRAB! Also, don't believe what the store has to say. I lived months believing he was a she. Luckily, Shellby (hermie variation of "Shelby") is a name that can be used for either sex, or else I'd have to (really, it's just preference, but I'd) change his name, too.

My Shellby was falsely sexed, try not to fall into that trap.

Aw, if it's any consolation, Shellby doesn't mind.

Also, I don't think the person who wrote that artical knew just how hard breeding land hermits is - it isn't something that happens a whole lot!

As another correction to that article, I'd add that, technically males do possess gonopores, they're just located differently & harder to see... and crabs can develop gonopores later on, can be intersexed, and marine hermies can also can have their gender altered by crazy parasitic barnacles.

Nature is crazy!

The body hair thing was an old myth. (For instance, it was used when naming Carol's two - Jonathon and Kate - and they were both males!)

The thing about not mating in captivity is um.... whatever.

A lot of the stores will tell the person what they want to hear, or make stuff up so they don't have to listen to complaints. I would never trust the majority of pet stores to sex ANYTHING. Not a snake, or reptile or bird or fish, let alone a crab.

Crab Kate was male?!
I am crushed. I have been operating under false notions for ages! Shock & dismay!

(... also, "whatever?" What do you mean? The bit about needing to keep them separate? )

Trying not to rant out on the idiocy of the whole "if kept together they won't mate" thing. Like sure, say that to the five sets of eggs I've had in the last month. :roll:

wodesorel wrote:Trying not to rant out on the idiocy of the whole "if kept together they won't mate" thing. Like sure, say that to the five sets of eggs I've had in the last month. :roll:

Maybe the author confused hermits with Betas?

Thank goodness in the wild the genders are kept separately! [FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY] i can see where the author is comming from, but it was certainly a nice laugh in the morning reading that part.
Even bettas need to be kept togethor - for a small duration - in order to mate. They dont magically produce babies...
Now, if they taking about the amazon Molly, then that sentence holds some truth.

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Two Bettas of any gender in the same tank without careful watching turns into Highlander...