HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Maui, the most vibrant pink ruggie has just molted last night. The exo is quite intact:




This C.violascens has crooked legs & dented BP since the new libs were caught by the old esoskleton ( I had to crack the old exo to free the BP ) :

WOW, Mokulele!!! Beautiful coloring of her exo.....can't wait to see what color she is when she begins to harden again. Awesome pics, but why do you think she surface molted?

One of my larger violas has a twisted back leg, that occurred with his last molt. I suspected that it was either from resting against the glass of the tank, or perhaps he got caught in his exo. Since I didn't see him molting against the glass, I would have to think that it was a stuck-exo situation.

Very vibrant colorings. I can't wait to see what color the Ruggie becomes as it hardens.

You've got some amazing crabs. I can't wait to see what color the Ruggie ends up once hardened.

*Kathy* wrote:WOW, Mokulele!!! Beautiful coloring of her exo.....can't wait to see what color she is when she begins to harden again. Awesome pics, but why do you think she surface molted?

THANKS ... yes, Maui molted on the cozy surface of my quarantine tank.
I still have 4 more patients in that tank.

This is Taveuni. I bought him from Karangbolong Beach (Sunda Strait) in October 2005. After his third molt, he gets bluer and bluer ( lost his orange tone ):




This picture was taken few days after I bought him in 2005:

Nice!

Another patient came this afternoon - a white ruggie:

Wow

Here is Maui, after 4 days hardening his new exo. But I still isolate him in the quarantine tank:

Is it just me or is the top of that hermie, green???

Out of curiosity, do all your crabs pull surface molts? Do any of them dig down?

Wow! Amazing pictures and amazing colors! Such a beautiful mix you have there!!

Congrats on the successful molts!

Tetracolor wrote:Is it just me or is the top of that hermie, green???

Actually, it's grey.

Raen_83 wrote:Out of curiosity, do all your crabs pull surface molts? Do any of them dig down?

Not all ... some of the molters in the isolation tank do dig down.
When I suspect some crabs are about to molt, I move them to the isolation tank. Some just continuing their 'hibernation' under the upside-down half coconut shell then shed the exo; some dig into the sand.

That's really interesting. I'm always shocked by surface molts as it's not the best method for survival should they pull one outside the safety of a tank with a caring owner. lol I'm undergoing my first molt where a crab did not fully dig down and even that is unnerving to me. They must take years off your life! lol

Maui's update ( per 26FEB08 ) - the pink color has been stronger & brighter: