Long Molt

[Mbailey]

Hi, my hermit crab dug down most likely to molt about 3 - 4 months ago and I haven't seen any signs of movement the whole time. Is this a concern or is it normal for them to take this long to molt? This crab is fairly new and I haven't seen her go through a molt before.

[JoeHermits]

Three to four months is on the long side for most hermits, even jumbos. How certain are you that it never emerged and then went back down?


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[Mbailey]

I guess I can't be one hundred percent certain but I made sure to remember what the substrate looked like when she dug down there and it has been completely undisturbed the whole time. Plus I put a couple small pieces of food on top of where she initially dug down and those havent been disturbed at all either. She is a jumbo though.

[Mbailey]

It was weird because she was uncharacteristically active for a week before she went under, but since then there hasn't been any sign of movement.

[crabocado]

That sounds typical to me - at least sometimes, I've noticed my crab move around quite a bit prior to a molt. I suppose they're in a "dispersal" mood to ensure they find a good place to molt.

[wodesorel]

Once they're molting they generally won't move until immediately before they come up. I wouldn't be worried just yet.