Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

Hi everyone,

I must be completely dense...

I have two wood shrimp one have been carrying eggs for about a week and a half (or more), so that would make her female and the other male.

Ok, now other then the one that I carrying the eggs I still can't see any difference in them, no bigger legs on the other shrimp or lower slung carapace on the one with eggs.

Any other good/easy way to sex them?

Yes, I have read the shrimp page on it.
http://www.petshrimp.com/bambooshrimp.html

TKD

As mentioned in the link you posted:

A common question about these shrimp is how to distinguish males and females. The answer is simple. With fully grown animals the males have a much larger first pair of walking legs (see pictures for comparison). Additionally, the females are plumper and their carapace extends further down at the pleopods to accommodate eggs.

Just gonna throw this one out there but what if you have two females? Just because she's carrying eggs doesn't mean they're fertile, or do you think she would have dropped them by now?

Ecir

Shrimp&Snails: I guess you did not read my post cmpletely...

Ecir: I have no idea as to how long a wood shrimp will carry infertile eggs, but almost 2 weeks seems a long time.

TKD

Hi TDK,

I might be wrong but I think Eric is right on this one. As stated above

males have a much larger first pair of walking legs

as well as the other body differences. Unless you have a rare hermaphrodite, I think they may both be female. Is this the first time any of them has carried eggs? Could someone please let us know how long the eggs are carried.

I did read your post correctly.

If your "males" don't have the longer claws shown on the photo in the shrimp varieties page they are either females or perhaps they haven't matured enough yet? I'm not sure at what age they are sexable.