As temperatures drop in fall, virile crayfish move to deeper water to escape freezing. There, they become inactive and covered with silt, or hide under large rocks. When temperatures warm in spring, they return to shallow water. Breeding occurs from July until they retreat to deep water for the winter, and resumes for a time in spring. Eggs are laid in March and April, and mothers carry young in May and June. They mature in their second year of life.
This species probably follows the typical crayfish cycle of mating in the fall, laying eggs in the spring, and the hatching of young by the beginning of summer. Crayfish must periodically molt their rigid, shell-like exoskeletons in order to grow. The new shell develops beneath the old one over a period of weeks. Then, the old shell splits on the back, between the carapace and abdomen, and the entire body is withdrawn through this opening. It takes about a week afterward for the new shell to harden.
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