We all hear the joke..."which comes first...the chicken or the egg"? Well I have been wondering and not getting much information on the net on how a hermit crab comes to be. I read that it is near impossible for a hermit crab to breed in captivity. I understand that crab larvae is involved but not sure what that really is. I thought they layed eggs somewhere and they hatched.
1-Do the mother crabs care for their babies or protect them?
2-How long would a female be pregnant and how many crabs would they have at one time?
3-Is it possible to get a crab in a store and the baby was piggybacking inside somewhere and you end up with babies too? 4-Would really like some place to research this...any suggestions?
1. No, the mother flings the eggs she carries into the ocean. Once they hit ocean/sea/tidepool water they hatch. (why they are so careful to avoid water on their travel to the ocean/sea)
2. approximately 1 month, and they carry a few hundred eggs at one time until they mature.
3. No, it is not possible to get a baby hermie who piggybacked. There are up to 6 metamorphosis stages a zoea goes through to become a baby hermie and this takes anywhere from 40-60 days.
