Is this what I think it is?!?! Edit: Yep, babies!

SojMad · Post by **SojMad** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 8:30 pm

CallaLily wrote:That's so cool and so sad at the same time.

I know, that's how I feel too.

Elle · Post by **Elle** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 11:07 pm

WOW! How incredible! Maybe you could team up with a local fish store and talk them into letting you use one of their salt water tanks to help with the process. Please keep us posted! I've never seen anything like that before

Mama Crabs · Post by **Mama Crabs** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 11:34 pm

That is so amazing!!!! What an incredible experience, thank you so much for sharing the picture, it was quite a treat to see them! I thought it was impossible that this could ever happen.

SojMad · Post by **SojMad** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 12:03 am

Elle wrote:WOW! How incredible! Maybe you could team up with a local fish store and talk them into letting you use one of their salt water tanks to help with the process. Please keep us posted! I've never seen anything like that before

It's only one fish store here in my town that really keeps salt water fish, and those aquariums are NOT anything I would like to put any tiny hermit crab babies in.

They would probably get sucked into the filter system anyways.

Sadly all of the babies are dead now. The water was probably not fit for keeping sensitive, tiny little hermit crab babies. But since it has happened once, it will probably happen again.

Next time, I will hopefully be more prepared. This was just a giant shock to me! I don't handle my hermit crabs especially much, since we have pretty dry air, so for their sake I only take them out when I clean the crabitat or to take pictures of them, so I haven't seen any eggs at all. But I haven't looked for any either, I NEVER thought they would breed in (my) captivity!

Mama Crabs wrote:That is so amazing!!!! What an incredible experience, thank you so much for sharing the picture, it was quite a treat to see them! I thought it was impossible that this could ever happen.

So did I, and I am SO happy!

This is amazing, I never thought I would experience this.

When I understood what they where, the adrenalin just rushed trough me, and I'm still not really calm, haha.

Post by **wodesorel** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 12:38 am

I hope when you have the time you can sit down and tell us all about how you keep your hermits. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure this is the first documented case of a hermit crab being able to reproduce in solid captivity. (As opposed to sitting outside half the year in an enclosure.) You have to share your secrets to happy crabs!

And about the babies going towards the light - that's a common occurrence in almost all water-dwelling critters when they hatch. Baby fish have been known to squash themselves up against the glass in aquariums so hard that they kill themselves. It's a normal response so that they are able to easily find the surface of the water, and therefore food. Unfortunately with aquariums and glasses the light comes from the side and confuses them. Wrapping the tank or container with a light-blocking coating like dark paper will usually stop it from happening.

SoulLonely · Post by **SoulLonely** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 1:46 am

That is soooo exciting! When I first saw the picture, they reminded me of baby guppies since I would keep them while I grew up. But then I saw you posted a video of a hermie babies and it was dead on! It reminds me of when my catfish laid eggs and I was soo excited! (Even though only one out of many many eggs survived and grew bigger)

I second that I would like to see your tank setup and what not.

SojMad · Post by **SojMad** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 3:24 am

wodesorel wrote:I hope when you have the time you can sit down and tell us all about how you keep your hermits. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure this is the first documented case of a hermit crab being able to reproduce in solid captivity. (As opposed to sitting outside half the year in an enclosure.) You have to share your secrets to happy crabs!

And about the babies going towards the light - that's a common occurrence in almost all water-dwelling critters when they hatch. Baby fish have been known to squash themselves up against the glass in aquariums so hard that they kill themselves. It's a normal response so that they are able to easily find the surface of the water, and therefore food. Unfortunately with aquariums and glasses the light comes from the side and confuses them. Wrapping the tank or container with a light-blocking coating like dark paper will usually stop it from happening.

Oh?

I didn't know that? I thought there had been others here at HCA that has had their hermit crabs reproduce in captivity.

As far as I know, I don't keep them any different from you guys, but I can write a list.

- About 70 gallon/263,25 litre aquarium (130x45x45cm)

- 80-85% air humidity. I spray the crabitat with a spray bottle a couple of times a day. I water my substrate now and then with a sprinkler bottle.

- Between 24-27°C at day, and 21-24°C at night. As heating (when it's needed), I use a ceramic heat lamp inside the crabitat.

- About 15-17cm deep substrate, sand and cocofiber mix (approximately 5:1 ratio)

- A lot of hideouts and decoration.

Cocohuts, mangrove roots, cork bark, coconut fiber net, fake plants, and so on.

- Two large water bowls with fresh- and saltwater. I change their water about two or three times a week, sometimes more often depending on how much they have dragged into the water.

- A pretty large food bowl. I feed them with fresh fruit and vegetables, cooked egg yolk, nuts as walnuts and coconuts, and different foods from THCP.

They always have access to THCP Surf-n-Turf Protein Combo Mix, and they eat from it several times a week.

I change the food almost every day. As calcium source I use THCP crushed oyster shell calcium supplement, which I spread out directly on the substrate.

- A lot of shells of course.

The hermit crabs living in this crabitat is two medium ruggies, one medium and two large indos, one large PP and one medium/large E. It must have been the ruggies, now that I think of it, because it is only one of them and the E that are females.

Yay, I know which hermit crabs who has been parents a short time today.

OH MY GOD! I just went to check them out, and WHAT DO I SEE?? The two ruggies, up in the coconut fiber net, and the female CLEANS HER SHELL OUT of unhatched or dead eggs/babies! The male hangs on her back.

My little sweethearts are close on giving me a heart attack, as many surprises as they have given me today.

The male hanging on her back:

The grey stuff between her claws is the eggs/dead hatchlings:

I got hold of some of the eggs.

Actually, there is something I am doing different from most of you all: I barely handle my hermit crabs at all. I just let them live their life without almost any stress or disturbance. Maybe that is the clue to this amazing happening? That is as close to nature as they can get in captivity; almost no handling at all.

I don't know, but I think that is important, since this is a wild and easily stressed out animal.

Now I'm going to bed. Here in Sweden the clock is 10:24 in the morning, and I haven't slept anything at all tonight. So good night to you all!

SojMad · Post by **SojMad** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 4:55 am

Okay, I still haven't got into bed, but I will, soon. I just have to show you some more pics and even a very blurry video.

The dead eggs wasn't so dead after all.

I got some more out of the crabitat, and when I sprayed them with water, the eggs burst and out swam little hermit crab babies again.

The video of the tiny babies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRKeCI10aqE

You can even see the shadows of the egg casings:

The male ruggie apparently want to mate again, since he won't let go of her even for a second!

This is seriously the most amazing thing I have ever experienced!

piccolo41099 · Post by **piccolo41099** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 6:42 am

That is just so amazing!

CallaLily · Post by **CallaLily** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 7:30 am

Great pics and video!

Next time, I will hopefully be more prepared.

Keep us updated!

Silvercloud · Post by **Silvercloud** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 8:21 am

Wow! That is the most incredible thing! Congratulations

Gabrielleh · Post by **Gabrielleh** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 10:17 am

Cue the Marvin Gaye music!

Haha, that is truly amazing to witness! So, do we call you Grandma now?

samurai_crab · Post by **samurai_crab** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 11:01 am

Ya, as far as I know you are the only one keeping your hermit crabs in an actual aquarium that has had their hermit crabs mate/produce eggs. All the scientific studies of hatching/raising hermit crabs were done with already fertilized eggs found on females (as far as I know). Any other occurances, Bob for one example at ELHC, keeps his in a huge building from what I've heard and Tammi from HCP has only had her crabs in their outdoor enclosure produce eggs. I'm not sure if she ever successfully raised any babies though, the info in their site is a few years old I believe.

This really is amazing, congrats.

Crab Addict · Post by **Crab Addict** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 11:58 am

I would speak to your local fish store. Fish stores(good no petco/petsmart fish stores) usually have breeding tanks in the back, and they're bound to have a cycled tank with a sponge filter(Will keep the babies from getting sucked up). If you explain how rare it is that your land hermits have reproduced in captivity then they would probably be excited to allow you to use a tank to keep the babies and attempt to rear them.
This is really exciting, I would see if you could get in contact with Bob from ELHC.com, he would be excited to hear about this.

samurai_crab · Post by **samurai_crab** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 12:31 pm

You could email Suebee, (she can contact Bob I believe) or the Hermit Crab Patch, either one might be able to direct you more in how to raise them, assuming its something you want to invest the time/money in and they produce eggs again.