Mating Hermit Crabs Isn’t For the Faint Of Heart
Bl untly put, mating hermit crabs is not an easy task. If you think about it, you first need to ensure you have a male and a female in your terrarium or cage. As with all creatures who are shy about leaving their shells, it can be a challenge to determine if you have boys or girls.
There are other factors in mating hermit crabs to consider as well. In nature, the female hermit crab lays her eggs in the sand of the beach. Then the little crabs are swept into the ocean as the eggs hatch.
Although your crabs are not in their natural habitat, where predators tend to lurk, your female crab will lay just as many eggs. The total number of eggs is dependent on her size. In nature, the crab eggs are actually part of the plankton mass you see in the ocean.
There are many factors and steps to consider if you are up for the challenge of mating hermit crabs.
Just because your pair of crabs is not in the wild (where predators can kill off many of the eggs) doesn’t mean your mom will lay any less. Be prepared for many eggs. Of course, the exact number of eggs your little girl lays depends on her size. These crab eggs in their natural habitat, in fact, are actually part of the plankton mass in the ocean.
If you’re even considering this, there are steps you can take to help ensure the health and safety of your hermit crab and her babies.
Stage One to Mating Hermit Crabs:
You will need to set up a saltwater tank. If this is not feasible to setup inside, then an outdoor pond can work. Many experts believe the outdoor option is preferred since it replicates a more natural environment.
Stage Two to Mating Hermit Crabs:
To replicate the hermit crab’s natural environment, you will want to create waves, just like the ocean. This can be accomplished by setting up a device that duplicates the ocean’s waves. Hermit crabs love the motion of the waves, and many experts and zoologists believe such ocean wave movement helps the breeding process.
Wave machines can be purchased at your local pet store or you can score a good deal through the Internet. Trusted brands in the marketplace include Sea Swirl Aquarium Wavemakers, which is also one of the least expensive. Do your research online and you may find an even better wave machine.
Stage Three to Mating Hermit Crabs:
It’s now time to set up the moonlight bulbs around your tank, terrarium, or pond. This substantially helps the breeding process since hermit crabs traditionally breed at night.
Moonlight bulbs are easy enough to find at your local pet store or online, and can usually be picked up for less than $15.
Stage Four to Mating Hermit Crabs:
This could be one of the most challenging stages. You need to ensure you have a male and female, or this miracle just doesn’t work. You may have to purchase a pair specifically for the breeding process, as the pet store owners may know better what sex hermit crabs they have available.
Stage Five to Mating Hermit Crabs:
Make sure that the temperature of your pond or tank is between 72 and 80 degrees, as hermit crabs thrive in this type of environment. If the temperature drops below this range, the crabs may become sick or lethargic, neither of which is desired when attempting to breed hermit crabs.
Stage Six to Mating Hermit Crabs:
By maintaining clean air, full lighting, comfortable temperatures, and salty water, you will dramatically increase your chances to breed your hermit crabs. In addition, diet is critical when hermit crab breeding. Feed a variety of healthy foods as well as foods rich in calcium, as a healthy crab is more likely to mate instead of an unhealthy crab.
Stage Seven to Mating Hermit Crabs:
You will need to have on hand a lot of brine shrimp for the baby larvae to consume. Then place your lucky guy and gal together and leave it up to Mother Nature. It could require several weeks. Exceeding three weeks is common while the couple gets to know each other before mating, a very interesting process!
Once they begin the mating rituals, keep the crabs together until you see them acting “normal” again, before they started mating. At this point, continue feeding your hermit crabs as normal, paying special attention to calcium rich foods.
After approximately one month, if mating was successful, you will see the baby hermit crabs. It’s a good idea to plan ahead and purchase some tiny shells for these little babies when they come to the “shore.” When they begin to migrate, they are barely 5 mm in size so ensure you purchase very small shells.
You can find just about anything online but if you visit your local pet store, you can consult with an expert who can give you knowledgeable advice.
Once the baby hermit crabs have safely migrated to their little shells, you are a successful breeder. This is only the beginning of your responsibilities (I guess this would make you a grandparent), as now you have the duties of raising these little hermit crabs.
