HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Soooo, heeey. What's up, I'm not dead. Again.

My two medium hermies have been molting since June. Sheldon popped up for about a week, then went back down where Leonard was. I'm not too worried about that, though.

The last time (also in June), it took them about a month and a half. This is pushing the five month-, almost six, month-mark...

No, seriously. Should I be worried? Because I am.

There's no smell or anything going on... I try to keep the sub as wet as I can since I know for a fact Leonard buried himself somewhere near the heating mat (you know my humidity stays at almost 99% even when I forget to mist for a few days on end?! I still don't know how...), but, still...

Anyone else ever have such a long molt? I understand with larges and jumbos, but with just barely-counting-as-mediums? Really?


...Also, I'm scared they'll come up as freakishly-larges and I'll have to go on a shell-spending spree... Honestly, I'm terrified of that. My mother agreed to look after them when I leave for Japan in a year, but she's made it known that she finds large hermit crabs utterly terrifying, so... Their housing situation is riding 100% on this molt, and that's nerve-wracking.

It is concerning. However, and I know this is difficult, I think it's still best to wait it out. I know it stinks not knowing but if this crab passed there isn't really anything you can do. BUT, if this crab's ok, disturbing him can cause him harm (and any other crabs that may be down). In the end it's your decision.

I agree that digging the crabs up isn't exactly a good idea; I wouldn't want to be the actual cause of their deaths! I promise, the idea hasn't been given any serious consideration.

I'm glad you find this as concerning as I do (even though that's probably not a good thing?). I keep telling myself the molting process takes time, but the length of it is just so strange... For now, I'll keep doing what I've been doing: Misting the sub, keeping the dry food mold-free, checking the temps...

Honestly, though, if it hits the end of December, I'm going to start panicking for real.

Hopefully someone will chime in with a similar story. That would be reassuring!

One of our crabs pulled a back-to-back molt that took a long time---he was literally up for ONE day, then went back down to molt again and regrew a limb. If I hadn't been looking closely, I would have missed him up for that one day and would have been thinking it was a very long molt. I wonder if it's possible that's what is happening? In any case, good luck! I hope everything goes well....

Are they Es? My Es seem to get drawn out with water changes, so if you had Es i was going to make some suggestions.
PPs are pretty random on the other hand. Maybe he found a comfortable spot and has been nesting/destressing and molting. My crabs also seem to enjoy being underground and in the moss pits a lot. Maybe too much......
How long have you had them?


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CrabbySquirrel wrote:One of our crabs pulled a back-to-back molt that took a long time---he was literally up for ONE day, then went back down to molt again and regrew a limb. If I hadn't been looking closely, I would have missed him up for that one day and would have been thinking it was a very long molt. I wonder if it's possible that's what is happening? In any case, good luck! I hope everything goes well....

I completely forgot about that, actually...!

Sheldon came up after the two month-mark for about a week, then went down where Leonard was. I honestly think he was lonely... He kept sleeping over where Leonard had originally dug down instead of high up in the moss pit likes always.

I haven't seen any food disturbed or any of the water getting dirty from dipping, so I didn't think about that!

YYWW wrote:Are they Es? My Es seem to get drawn out with water changes, so if you had Es i was going to make some suggestions.
PPs are pretty random on the other hand. Maybe he found a comfortable spot and has been nesting/destressing and molting. My crabs also seem to enjoy being underground and in the moss pits a lot. Maybe too much......
How long have you had them?

No, two PPs. We just started our bi-yearly rain season over here, so I was hoping the sudden rain would bring them out, as well. No such luck, apparently.
I've had time for about a year and a half, almost, now.

They love being up in the moss pit. Like, all the time. They enjoy burying random fake shells I throw in the tank for their amusement, but they seem to like being high rather than low. If that's what they're doing, then this is definitely a new habit.

Hmm... Nesting? Being near the heating pad might do it, then? I just turned it up, too, I'll need to be careful with that...

Every one of my crabs pile into the moss pit, but then some PP will surprise me by coming up from under when i thought they were in the moss for weeks. Then when i think one is molting, he will come out from the moss pit! One thing's for sure, they dont always leave discernable evidence of what they're up to. I've seen them carry around without noticeable disturbing and sub. Then i've seen them till the while tank in minutes. It's apparent to me that there's just no control or keeping track over these guys. I stopped keeping my activity log and just let them do their thing.
Try to calibrate your thermometer. You will need a different thermometer to take a freezing or boiling point, then calibrate your tank guage against that one, since it's not likely your tank guage can take a freezing/boiling reading. Knowing what your temps are might help you figure the situation out.


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YYWW wrote:Try to calibrate your thermometer. You will need a different thermometer to take a freezing or boiling point, then calibrate your tank guage against that one, since it's not likely your tank guage can take a freezing/boiling reading. Knowing what your temps are might help you figure the situation out.

I'm slightly confused as to why you ask for freezing/boiling points. Can you explain that a bit to me?

According to my Accurite gauge, my highs and lows range from 72*F-82*F. We just got past our cold front today, which explains the difference in today's readings from last night to now (it resets itself around 7 PM). I typically have a constant 77*F-78*F reading. The monitor is on the far side of the tank, opposite to the heating pad-side.
Does this help any?

Thermometers can be off in temperature as well. The only way to tell is if you compare your thermometer against an absolute reading, which requires either freezing or boiling point. But most thermometers used in crabitats are unable to take boiling or freezing readings due to the way temperature is taken, as opposed to a candy or meat thermometer. So first you woukd need to successfully calibrate a candy or meat thermometer, and then check your crabitat thermometer against it.


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Ahhhhh, I understand. I think I can get my hands on a meat thermometer at the supermarket, so I'll get back to you on that one. Thanks!

Good luck! Keep me posted


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Oh my Gosh, great names!!
Mine was a serial molter for a long time. He'd go down for like three months then surface for a week and go back down! I swear! It wasn't until he became a large he stopped molting so much! Even after years of him pulling this crap I STILL worry and miss him.

I know it sucks, but just keep an eye on them. I found that mine tends to go down in the fall / winter usually. I'm in Florida, so it's not hard to keep the conditions up but I just find his molts happen around that time. Crabs are weird, worrisome little buggers sometimes

Omanyte was gone for 4 months before she came back up once, and she is/was small at the time. Granted, she came up with toothpick legs and scrawny claws, but she did make a miraculous appearance after I declared her dead!

Drakezilla wrote:Oh my Gosh, great names!!
Mine was a serial molter for a long time. He'd go down for like three months then surface for a week and go back down! I swear! It wasn't until he became a large he stopped molting so much! Even after years of him pulling this crap I STILL worry and miss him.

I know it sucks, but just keep an eye on them. I found that mine tends to go down in the fall / winter usually. I'm in Florida, so it's not hard to keep the conditions up but I just find his molts happen around that time. Crabs are weird, worrisome little buggers sometimes

I maintain that crabs are just weird. Lol Any weird behavior I chalk up to them being crabs and therefore weird.

Thanks for your relpys! Kelly, my mother's favorite show is the Big Bang Theory~


I just got my meat them., and, just to be clear: This is just like using my AccuRite? Calibrate it, then lay it in the tank, not in the ground?
How do I do this, exactly? Sorry, I'm still a tad bit confused on the actual process.

Thanks!