Rescued a large hermy questions about his exoskeleton

[Veritasx626]

I rescued a large hermy from horrible conditions yesterday.
Hes active and is eating fine just super shy.

My question comes to his exoskeleton hes the only big guy I have so I dont have a frame of reference but his exo seems really dry. Is this normal? I dont expect him to be soft but his exo seems very very hard and dry. Hard enough i can hear him walking on the smaller shells i have in the tank.

[Renroc]

Hi there, bigger crabs are also heavier and will move the shells in the shell shop around as they stomp through. All crabs have hard exo (after they have finished a molt and hardened up) The fact you can hear him walking on the shells is totally normal. If he is heaps bigger than your other crabs it will just be that he is moving more shells around as he walks through and thus making more noise. I wouldn't think this is anything to worry about.

[Veritasx626]

That puts me more at ease. The poor guy has been through alot and i just wanna do everything i can for him.

[Motörcrab]

Like Renroc said that sounds pretty normal. My biggest concern would be what his previous diet was. A long term diet of "hermit crab food" from pet stores is no good. The additives and preservatives can inhibit their ability to shed their exo and molt properly. During molts is when previous damages come out and why some crabs don't make it even with proper care before a molt. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about his previous care. The best thing you can do for your new friend is offer a good variety of calcium's, proteins, fruits and veggies and see how he does.

[Veritasx626]

Like Renroc said that sounds pretty normal. My biggest concern would be what his previous diet was. A long term diet of "hermit crab food" from pet stores is no good. The additives and preservatives can inhibit their ability to shed their exo and molt properly. During molts is when previous damages come out and why some crabs don't make it even with proper care before a molt. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about his previous care. The best thing you can do for your new friend is offer a good variety of calcium's, proteins, fruits and veggies and see how he does.

yeah i have two cuttle bone halves in the tank along with some egg shell mixed in with their food. Ive been trying a new blend idea of dried insects and carrots peas and green beans and crushing them all up and the crabs seem to be big fans. Theyre getting some ribeye and bell pepper dinner tonight with a side of crushed walnuts as a special treat. He doesnt appear to have much damage apart from missing the pointy tip of one of his legs. Ive been trying to leave him alone and not pick him up if i dont have to so he can destress

[wodesorel]

Dry looking exoskeleton can be an illusion from lower humidity, or it can be a sign that they are a long ways out from their last moult. The really big guys only go down every year or two, and their exterior takes a beating during that time. It's thicker so there isn't much damage, but visually it can look like crap! I'd expect him to want to moult again in the next few months

[Veritasx626]

Im thinking he might be coming up on a molt soon. My humidity is 80% in the dryest warmest part of my tank but his last owner kept him in horrible conditions. Hopefully he'll go down sooner than later I plan to upgrade tanks around june so id prefer him to be up for the move

[Overmountain1]

Sounds like you’ve got a great handle on the situation. As very one said, just keep offering those good healing foods, and lots of minerals etc he might not have had- worm poo, bee pollen, healing honey etc. they said what I was thinking- he’s likely close to molt. The best thing would be if he holds off for a bit and gets some more of those foods in him first! My big guys looked kinda dry before they went down- I’m waiting on them now, it’s been a month since they all 3 went down, and I’m so anxious for them to come back up! I realize it’ll probably be even longer than this but I miss them all.
Awesome job on the rescue! I rescued one on Friday myself.


Dave the Wondercrab~Pat~Maggie~ Billy~Pop~Corn~Ten~Sam~MissTeri~Tim~Gene~ Barry~Mr S~Princess + 5 Es + Mr EnDoh =my crabby clan!