cross breed

[Jadexox]

i was wondering if you can cross breed hermit crabs

[Wai]

No, they do not breed in captivity.

Hermit crabs of different species cannot breed to produce viable offspring.

[Jadexox]

thanks but i already no you cant in captivity

[Hermitcrazy]

No, they do not breed in captivity.

It is possible to breed hermit crabs in captivity it just requires the right equipment. Here is an article about raising Coenobita compressus from fertile eggs to land dwelling hermit crabs; http://si-pddr.si.edu/dspace/bitstream/ ... Harvey.pdf

[Wai]

I haven't read the whole thesis yet, but doesn't it just describe the process of raising the zoea to juvenile hermit crabs, not actually getting a male and female to breed in the laboratory? The females that were taken into the laboratory had already bred in the wild.

[ladybug15057]

I will reread this pdf, but it appears as though it is the same journal I was sent a few years ago via snail mail. The ones in it were already pregnant.

[kgbenson]

History is replete with species where it was said that they cannot be bred in captivity. Species that have then gone on to successfully and repeatedly reproduce in the care of humans.

It can be done. It generally isn't and it is not something that someone is going to accomplish in a 10 gallon aquarium, but that doesn't make it impossible. Several species have been reared in the lab. Marie is right though, the present literature is almost entirely about rearing larvae shed by females who were collected while already ovigerous and heading to the shore to shed their little ones.

There is also the odd report of crabs occasionally breeding in captivity. Nothing was done with the larvae because most folks simply don't feel tht they had the equipment to raise planktonic critters. The Brodie paper clearly shows that this can be accomplished even without expensive larval set-ups. Not only that, Dr. Brodie herself indicated to me that as far as decapods co, C. compressus was pretty easy to raise. Some LHC have an abbreviated larval phase and will metamorphose in about a month. Others can take up to 3 months.

So we have scattered reports of breeding, but no facilities to rear young, and a number of papers describing rearing the young, but since the intent there was not to produce lots of animals but rather to describe their development, they are written by people who use captured animals that are ready to shed larvae. It is a matter of time before the two meet up. In fact, there is an ebook outlining one persons efforts on this: http://community.livejournal.com/crabstreet/23860.html. It details methods of breeding variabilis.

Some folks on other boards might tell you it already has been done in this country as well and have posted pics of such an animal.

I think it is time that folks drop the discouraging line that LHC cannot or will not breed in captivity. I think it holds back what might be legitimate efforts to actually breed these animals in captivity, especially with hobbyists. It is not easy, it requires some work, but it is doable. I look at all the things laypeople are doing with fish breeding, breeding rare reptiles and other critters with even more exacting requirements and I figure it just takes a few geeks who get it in their head to pull this off.

As to cross breeding, it is unlikely but, until someone knows what the chromosome counts of the species are any answer is pure speculation. Even after that there are plenty of other non-chromosomal road blocks to cross breeding.

As to the answer to the original question, probably no, but maybe. Only time, and data, will tell.

Keith

[ladybug15057]

I think it is time that folks drop the discouraging line that LHC cannot or will not breed in captivity. I think it holds back what might be legitimate efforts to actually breed these animals in captivity, especially with hobbyists.

This is true, and a couple have stated they had hermies who became pregnant while in captivity. They had the female for over a year so no other logical explanation could be drawn from it. (I myself had one) But did not have the means to get them through the stages of metamorphosis. As the days went by the number of zoea dwindled in numbers.
I believe the longest a crabber was able to do this was for 10 days and the zoea ended up perishing. But it is getting closer!

[Hermitcrazy]

I believe the longest a crabber was able to do this was for 10 days and the zoea ended up perishing. But it is getting closer!

The owner of ELHC has allegedly breed Coenobita purpurues and I mean he had them get pregnant in captivity not taken from the wild with eggs.

[Niko]

I haven't read the whole thesis yet, but doesn't it just describe the process of raising the zoea to juvenile hermit crabs, not actually getting a male and female to breed in the laboratory? The females that were taken into the laboratory had already bred in the wild.

I'm agree with you Wai. All studies about raising LHC in laboratory were made with "pregnant" female, but nobody has succeded in mating theses animals in captivity. Big aquaterra tanks, with land and salt water parts, simulation of some environmental parameters (rain, annual T° variations...)....and a big colony of jumbo could be the key. Another problem is that we don't no the time needed for LHC to be sexually mature.