[postpumpkin]

so just a question, i have an electric blue lobster (its probably actually a crayfish but they sold it to me as a lobster so im not really sweating the details too much) and its been pretty much living only in a little bell shaped cave (with a mound of gravel it so lovingly piled in front of the entrance) and i was a little concerned bc it hadnt come out to eat for a few days so i shifted the cave aside slightly with the net and it came out and its got eggs under its tail. which is weird bc its the only lobster i have and i was pretty sure its a male. so basically im just wondering if electric blue lobsters/crayfish (if anyone can tell me for sure thatd be rad) but i was just wondering if they can reproduce on their own? and if so what do i do about it? i dont want more of these tiny monsters.. greatly appreciate any and all help~

 

[davefrombc]

It's obviously a female since it produced eggs. Whether the eggs are fertile or not depends on whether it bred before you got it. If they are and hatch out , I'm sure you'll find lots of people to take those tiny "monsters" off your hands if you post them on any of the community boards in PG.
There are some not easily obvious physical differences between male crays and the females. There are several sites on the net that show you where the males have "claspers" that are absent on the females. Male crays I have had also tend to have a bit longer and slimmer claws than females, although that is not always a good indicator.
Search on "Images for male and female crayfish" for some very good pictures showing the differences between the male and female anatomy.

 

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

The male will deposit a "sperm plug" for the female to extract and use when her eggs are ready. Apparently, the actual fertilization can occur a few days to several months after the male has made his "deposit", so it's very possible that the eggs your female is carrying will be fertile & viable. She'll also carry the newborns under her tail using her swimmerets, so that should be cool to watch.

 

[greatdanes]

Another explanation could be that it's a marble crayfish with a blue tint. Since they self clone, could explain the eggs she's carrying.