Is my hermit crab dying or molting?

[Diannas]

I have four hermit crabs. Two females two males. Both females are small. The smallest one was found buried in the dirt without her shell she was 1 foot from her shell. I isolated her cause I didn’t know if she was molting. She has moved from the place I laid her in. I came home from work tonight and went to check on her she’s in the same spot where she moved to but she has a salty smell to her. Is she molting or is she dead? Her tail is being held by her legs.

[curlysister]

She needs to be re-shelled ASAP. You can dip the crab in dechlor fresh water and then gently uncurl and place in a shell. Or you can put a few shells in a small bowl or cup with her and see if she will re-shell herself quickly. She will need to stay in iso with both dechlor fresh and salt water, and sources of protein and calcium, as well as high nutrient foods such as honey and organic natural peanut butter.
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