Missing a claw and a leg

[Amelia D]

Maybe two weeks ago my hermit crab was eating excessively. Almost always eating. Day and night. Then he stopped eating. Recently he buried himself pretty far down. Last night he came back up and moved to the other side of the cage. I just found a claw and a leg next to him. There is no death smell and he isn’t hanging out of his shell. He is a normal color and has never appeared to be sick. Should I assume him dead or leave him be?

[JoeHermits]

Dropping limbs is a sign of stress, but based on this information it's too early to tell if he's deceased. I would leave him be for now and see if he does anything in the next few days or so. Keep the temperature and humidity up to keep him comfortable.

[Amelia D]

Okay. Thank you! If anything happens I’ll say something. If nothing happens after a week then I’ll also say something. So either way I’ll be back with more questions.

[curlysister]

If you would like our help with trouble shooting what might be going on, you could fill in the 'emergency' template.

[GotButterflies]

Here is the emergency template if you would like to fill this out: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 27&t=46102