What can this be? Are my crabs depositing eggs??

Tetra4CClyPtus · Post by **Tetra4CClyPtus** » Tue Apr 22, 2014 10:59 am

Take a good look at this... They have been doing this a lot. How does this get so neatly deposited all the way back here if the other edges of the pools to the substrate are so clean ?? There is a mixture of substrate and some moss mixed in.. I checked all my crabs and didn't see any eggs in their shell, so maybe I am over reacting. Does anyone else get these around the pools too?? What if they are egg deposits and when I clean pools, I wash this down the sink and not knowing??But Dalek is a boy, he can't be .. Or maybe I did not take a good look at him and he is a girl not knowing .. Or he is the daddy and he is making the nest .. he was also jumping around in the pools moving all the rocks around and taking the suction cup tube holders out too .. This is new activity I have not seen before in Dalek

Laurie LeAnn · Post by **Laurie LeAnn** » Thu Apr 24, 2014 6:34 pm

Did you Google image what crab eggs look like? I have boys and one girl, every June they start to gang up on her and I remove her. The mating period last about a month or so. I have never seen anything like that.. I guess depending where you live is when the mating period would start for you?? I just know here in my house it's JUNE..If these others don't get to molting I don't know where I will stick her!

Nnnnnnnn · Post by **Nnnnnnnn** » Fri Apr 25, 2014 3:50 am

Looks like a mix of EcoEarth and crab poo to me.

Crabber85 · Post by **Crabber85** » Fri Apr 25, 2014 9:09 am

I agree with noswad0208 it definitely looks like EE and crab feces.Hermitcrabs don't lay eggs the female keeps them on her till they are fully matured and ready to be cast into the ocean where they instantly hatch due to the salt water invading the egg casings.Hermitcrab eggs start off a brick red and then go a dark grey(this color change is produced by the depletion of the yolk) when they are mature enough to be released into the water and unfortunately thats not what I'm seeing in your pictures.FYI males don't build nests that behavior was rendered moot by the females learning to carry the eggs on their bodies some few million years ago.The female develops the eggs inside her body the male then fertilizes them with his genitalia through the transfer of spermatophore into the females gonopores this tiny fertilizing capsule instantly fertilizes the eggs, the eggs are then shifted outside the females body as an egg sac which can contain several hundred tiny undeveloped hermitcrabs.These eggs go through their first stage of development as I stated earlier which is when the female then migrates to the water wades out and unceremoniously casts them into the water.The eggs will upon hitting the water and the tiny zoea will then float with the rest of the plankton growing and molting every few days with some scientists speculating that by the time the hermitcrab finally reaches the land stage that is has molted nearly a hundred times.Most zoea wont make it past that stage being consumed by plankton eaters and then half of the remaining crabs who make it to land stage will die either attempting to reach land this is typically due to sea turtles and some predatory fish or upon reaching land will become the next meal for certain predatory birds and other kinds of crabs.

Tetra4CClyPtus · Post by **Tetra4CClyPtus** » Fri Apr 25, 2014 12:15 pm

Thanks for the replies; just needed clarification .. I saw from Nat Addicted to HCs and her crabs deposited eggs in random places in her crabitats.. And thought it applied to all crabs.. She also breeds Aussie Crabs. Anyone heard of her?

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 10:05 am

Here's a pic of a crab laden with eggs from the Hermit Crab Patch. I know some others on here have had pregnant crabs, but mine have never gotten that far. crab eggs