crab out of shell in hole -posting from emergency to Molting

This forum is where you discuss issues relating to molting hermit crabs, including pre- and post-molting issues. If you are having a molting emergency please post in the Emergency Forum.
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jstein
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Location: Green Cove Springs, FL

crab out of shell in hole -posting from emergency to Molting

Post by jstein » Sat Nov 17, 2018 4:23 pm

I have a new crab (2-3 weeks) and she went down after a couple of day in her new home. I figured she was molting - (she went
down next to the water dish) today there is an open hole over her and I can see an empty shell and she is under it. I had a light on but turned it off to make it calmer. I don't know who uncovered her - if she did it herself or if I should cover her or just leave everything alone?
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Hermiesguardian
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Re: crab out of shell in hole -posting from emergency to Mol

Post by Hermiesguardian » Sat Nov 17, 2018 7:00 pm

jstein wrote:I have a new crab (2-3 weeks) and she went down after a couple of day in her new home. I figured she was molting - (she went
down next to the water dish) today there is an open hole over her and I can see an empty shell and she is under it. I had a light on but turned it off to make it calmer. I don't know who uncovered her - if she did it herself or if I should cover her or just leave everything alone?
Someone with more expierience will answer your questions. But 1 I can answer. Don't cover her up. If you cover them or rebury them they can suffocate.
raising son's dog, Dante. Husky/hound.
Raising daughter's hermit crabs, Shelder, Paras and Derek. Added 2 more of my own (of course) Pete and Stryper. Former mommy to 2 guinea pigs and beloved cat, Nissi
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Re: crab out of shell in hole -posting from emergency to Mol

Post by curlysister » Sun Nov 18, 2018 9:14 pm

If she is molting, she needs to be isolated from the other crabs. You can cut a pop bottle down and leave the lid off, or use a margarine container with holes in the top. Put it around the crab, dug a bit into the sand, so that your other crabs can't get at him. You need to re-shell him first. And put his exo in the iso with him.
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers
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jstein
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Location: Green Cove Springs, FL

Re: crab out of shell in hole -posting from emergency to Mol

Post by jstein » Tue Nov 20, 2018 10:05 pm

Just see this - he was do deep when he was down I never saw his exo by the time he was up enough for me to spot him under his shell - I still don’t know if he molted or was just dug down and needed to change shells and failed to realize the shells were all the across the tank - he was in the same shell for 2 years and I guess it just became a problem - I guess while trying to make it from the hole (naked) to the crab shop he encountered 2 other crabs and he freaked - I saw all this on my camera and relocated him to iso - (they just a week earlier moved from a ten gal to a 20g long do the 10 was prepped as a ln iso tank - Fleming was gently picked up and moved to iso along with 10 shells and he found a new home and is now back in with the family - it is a learning experience for sure - but i just love these little guys!!


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