Jumbo Molt Behavior

[IBlab crab]

I wanted to give some info I have learned about jumbo molts. I have had 2 of my jumbos for 7 years they started as smalls.I keep logs of their molts and noticed the changes when they reached jumbo size. So that others with jumbos do not get concerned during their pre molt behavior you should know they can have a molt sac for 6 months or more and will go through periods (4-5 days) of not eating,drinking or moving before getting busy with burrowing.I contacted Tammy at HCP to ask about this and she advised it was normal for it requires alot of energy for jumbos to pull a molt this is why they go down for 2 months.
I would hope this would go in the archive threads as we do not have much info on jumbo behavior.

[soilentgringa]

I wanted to give some info I have learned about jumbo molts. I have had 2 of my jumbos for 7 years they started as smalls.I keep logs of their molts and noticed the changes when they reached jumbo size. So that others with jumbos do not get concerned during their pre molt behavior you should know they can have a molt sac for 6 months or more and will go through periods (4-5 days) of not eating,drinking or moving before getting busy with burrowing.I contacted Tammy at HCP to ask about this and she advised it was normal for it requires alot of energy for jumbos to pull a molt this is why they go down for 2 months.
I would hope this would go in the archive threads as we do not have much info on jumbo behavior.

The molting timelines are in the stickied file in the molting subforum.

So far the only differences I've noticed between jumbos and crabs of other sizes, is that they tend to be darker in color, more placid, don't molt as often but spend the longest underground. Other than that, they behave the same way the smaller guys do.

If anyone else with jumbos (or older crabs in general, like 10 plus years) has noticed any behavioral differences, let us know!

[IBlab crab]

I wanted to give some info I have learned about jumbo molts. I have had 2 of my jumbos for 7 years they started as smalls.I keep logs of their molts and noticed the changes when they reached jumbo size. So that others with jumbos do not get concerned during their pre molt behavior you should know they can have a molt sac for 6 months or more and will go through periods (4-5 days) of not eating,drinking or moving before getting busy with burrowing.I contacted Tammy at HCP to ask about this and she advised it was normal for it requires alot of energy for jumbos to pull a molt this is why they go down for 2 months.
I would hope this would go in the archive threads as we do not have much info on jumbo behavior.

The molting timelines are in the stickied file in the molting subforum.

So far the only differences I've noticed between jumbos and crabs of other sizes, is that they tend to be darker in color, more placid, don't molt as often but spend the longest underground. Other than that, they behave the same way the smaller guys do.

If anyone else with jumbos (or older crabs in general, like 10 plus years) has noticed any behavioral differences, let us know!

I find the 6 month molting sack significant.I find the 4-5 days of non activity months before molting significant when my jumbos are very active and have big appetites.
I find posting on this site since the change over to be difficult if you have actual long term knowledge and experience to share.

[soilentgringa]

I wanted to give some info I have learned about jumbo molts. I have had 2 of my jumbos for 7 years they started as smalls.I keep logs of their molts and noticed the changes when they reached jumbo size. So that others with jumbos do not get concerned during their pre molt behavior you should know they can have a molt sac for 6 months or more and will go through periods (4-5 days) of not eating,drinking or moving before getting busy with burrowing.I contacted Tammy at HCP to ask about this and she advised it was normal for it requires alot of energy for jumbos to pull a molt this is why they go down for 2 months.
I would hope this would go in the archive threads as we do not have much info on jumbo behavior.

The molting timelines are in the stickied file in the molting subforum.

So far the only differences I've noticed between jumbos and crabs of other sizes, is that they tend to be darker in color, more placid, don't molt as often but spend the longest underground. Other than that, they behave the same way the smaller guys do.

If anyone else with jumbos (or older crabs in general, like 10 plus years) has noticed any behavioral differences, let us know!

I find the 6 month molting sack significant.I find the 4-5 days of non activity months before molting significant when my jumbos are very active and have big appetites.
I find posting on this site since the change over to be difficult if you have actual long term knowledge and experience to share.

I'm sorry that you feel that way. I value the knowledge and experience of veteran crabbers. I also spend hours researching and reading academic studies as well.

There are many myths that are still prevalent in the community. There are also outdated care methods. If I feel that something isn't accurate, I'm going to speak up. If I'm wrong and someone has evidence or sources to support that, I will happily admit that I was. I am human, I make mistakes.

Please don't think at all that I don't want to learn from crabbers who have been around for a while. I spend at least a couple of hours a day reading and looking through old threads and trying to gather as much info as I can. It would be amazing if some of the longer term members of this forum were more active, but I understand that life happens and priorities change.

Please don't feel that your experience isn't valuable here.

[CallaLily]

In my experience, seeing a molt sack on any sized crab is no guarantee that they'll dig down or molt soon. Even smaller crabs may have one anywhere from days to weeks to months before digging down. Some crabs seem to almost always have one.

I've not noticed the inactivity leading up to a molt in my XL - Jumbo crabs. Mine all have gorged on food, maybe had a soak in one of the water dishes, and then dug down. The only major difference I've noticed so far when comparing much larger crabs to smaller ones is that the very big ones don't dig often outside of when they need to molt. And of course they stay under longer and go longer in between molts.

Not arguing with your experience, just mentioning mine.