HCA: Hermit Crab Association

One of my two crabs, Teto, came up from a month-long molt this morning, and I was happy to see they dumped their painted shell for one of the new ones I put in for them.

I didn't see their old florescent orange painted shell sitting out in the open, so I carefully picked up the couple of log tunnels they have and ran my finger around gently in the top layer of sub, but still couldn't find it. My newly molted crab Teto slept through it, but my other crab Kino acted like it was the end of the world, lol.

I think when Teto molted they may have left the old shell at the bottom of the tank and came up naked initially? Teto is much bigger now after molting, maybe they didn't fit into the old small shell.

Should I pull the crabs out and dig for the old painted shell, or should I just leave it and hope it surfaces on its own at some point?

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If there are any crabs underneath the substrate right now, definately don't dig for the shell. If everybody is top side, you can 'fluff up' the substrate and see if you come accross the old shell. Better to get it out of the tank so someone doesn't decide they want it LOL.

Thanks. I've only got two and they're both up now that Teto is back. I will try to poke around some more when I get home. I just feel bad searching because they act like they're getting ambushed by a giant starving seagull.

My other crab Kino is still in his own original painted shell. :/ Hopefully he will get jealous of Teto and switch now into one of the thousands of pretty natural shells I bought got them.



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