making peelers pop

lads can anyone gimme some advice on how to induce peelers to peel? or is it a time of year kind of thing? because... i can get any amount of them out of the pots, of all sizes but is there anyway of softening them up so they can be used as bait? iv only ever bought them previously and they always seem just about ready to go..but the ones i can get at the minute are like rocks

Alright Nialler, unfortunately you can't really induce the peeling process on a shore crab. It only peels when it's body is starting to outgrow it's old smaller shell. Crabs usually moult up to 3 times in one year, the times vary in different areas around Ireland. When you find a peeler you can then speed up the peeling process or slow it down by adjusting the temperatures in which it is kept, but I believe this is the only stage you will have control of.

When you find a peeler you can then speed up the peeling process or slow it down by adjusting the temperatures in which it is kept

Kinda answers his question then :roll:

Now Nialler, you just need to know whether hotter water means quicker or slower peel :? , then you got it cracked :wink:

i'll be a little clearer, Nialler was wanting to know if you can induce the peeling process on a crab, which he can't. My point is that if he does find a crab that is already in the peeling process, then he can speed up or slow down that process.

To identify a peeler, pull off the last segment of the back or second to back leg. If you are left with a white sinew, the crab is not a peeler; however, if you are left with a new, fleshy, replacement segment, then the crab is a peeler. Keep them in a few mills of fresh sea water in a container in the fridge and cover with seaweed or a cloth, both soaked in fresh sea water with air holes in the lid if covering. If you keep the peelers at around 5 or 6 degrees, you can slow down the moulting; however, even a few degrees colder will almost halt it completely. If you wish to speed up the moulting process, you can add more fresh sea water to the container and also allow move them to a warmer temperature. Sometimes you will see bubbles, as the crabs ingest more water, this will indicate the crab is swelling its body in readiness for popping it's shell. Hope this helps Nialler :)

there you have it question is answered for you with kinsebr,s post he has it spot on. :)

I have always had a problem with telling whether they are actually peeling or not, i.e. distingushing between sinews and actual peeling. Any pictures of what it looks like around to give a better idea?

Hi Antbear,

I don't have any photos at the moment. Perhaps someone else will have some. I can only tell you that the if the crab isn't a peeler, when you remove the last segment of the back leg (by very gently twisting it) the sinew is almost pure white. I can only discribe it as goey white fibres. If you have a crab in the peeling process, you will see a soft brown/green leg when you remove the last segment of the back leg. It will look almost like the existing legs except it is soft.
Another way to identify the peelers is if you see a male holding a female underneath him, the female will be a peeler. The females can only mate when they are moulting, so the male sensing this, holds onto her to keep her away from any rival males until she is acutally ready to mate.

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/aquarium/diar ... rcrab.html

try this site, hope it helps

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?titl ... 1126878784
Heres another usefull video on peeler from alan yates.

Thanks for all the helpful advice and sites, I think I have enough there to overcome my confusion.

Antbear