What is my Emerald Crab Doing?

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valval1029

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Aug 29, 2004
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I bought an emerald crab 2 days ago... I noticed his (her?) belly is opened sometimes. My first thought was, pregnant? I remember how the pregnant females looked when I used to go crabbing when I was little...

Anyway, the crab opens it and keeps putting his claws in there... sometimes to his mouth which confused me! I looked with a flashlight and it does look like little black things in there...

If she IS pregnant... how does this work? Would they survive?

If this ISN"T a pregnancy, what is it? Thanks!

(I JUST LOOKED AGAIN AND THESE ARE ALMOST DEFINITELY EGGS!)
 
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Mako

EET MOR KATFISH
Nov 19, 2001
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Wake Forest, NC
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You *may* have a gravid female. If so, I wouldn't expect any of the young to survive, but then again I've never read up on raising emeral crab larvae. Chance are they are a pelagic (open water) larvae that go through several shape phases before becoming a crab-looking thing. If you have any anemones or carnivorous corals, they won't mind at all! :rolleyes:

Other than that possibility, I dunno..... My emerald just pokes around munching on whatever it is he's hungry for....
 

gje

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Nov 23, 2004
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it would be best to read up about it as i never even considerd until reading this how crabs do give birth how do you know what sex they are or are they to hard to identify as i have to emeralds which came on my live rock one is out and about all day munching on anything he can find but the other i didnt even now i had until i saw these little hairy legs sticking out this hole it was kind of creepy knowing something was in there but not knowing what it was until i got a quick look at him when the lights went out but i still havent got a 100% id on him cause he is more nocturnal than the other allso how do emeralds get on with cleaner shrimps if anyone knows...
 
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