HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I was checking up on my hermies today, and when I picked up Harper's shell I noticed a bunch of leggies and a hollow pincher lying where she had been! I didn't smell anything bad, but I put her back in her place right away and put some EE on top. Is she molting, or is she beyond hope? Did I mess things up by touching her? Sorry to freak out, but I'm new to this and I'm worried for her!

Sounds like the crab had finished molting. For the most part, they will recover from such a disturbance, provided you leave the crab alone from here on out until the crab begins to resume normal activities (which can take weeks, depending on the crab's size and how well the crab recovers during the hardening process).

I am wondering, what kind of substrate are you using and how deep is it?

I use EcoEarth substrate. It's a couple of inches deep, probably should be deeper, but since I'm in a dorm right now I don't have the means to add more. It's plenty moist, though, especially where Harper is burrowed. I put a plastic bottle around her with the lid off last night to keep the others from bugging her, though she's gotten this far without them touching her.
The thing that weirded me out is that I expected to find bits of exo that were gray or colorless, but the pieces I found were crab-colored. The BP was definitely hollow, which is what tipped me off that she might be molting and not stressing, though. It also kind of scared me that all I found were legs, but I guess it's possible she's already been eating the exo?

When you say put put some EE on top, do you mean you covered him? If so, I wouldn't do that. Crabs make tunnels that humans can't replicate, so covering him doesn't provide any benefit at all to him

I just sort of sprinkled some EE on top of her pretty loosely; I could still see the top of her shell. I haven't checked up on her today, but I put a bottle over her last night because I could hear some chirping, and I was afraid J.D. might bother her while I was sleeping.

It's possible that the crab might be already eating the exo when you found the crab. So the crab might have been already finished with the more vulnerable part of shedding the exo and is already on the way to recovery.

Exoskeletons, by the way, that are shed by land hermit crabs do retain most of their color much in the same fashion as tarantulas do -
(photograph of an old crab, now long since deceased)

Here's another of my currently living female crab, Carryl, picture taken in 2007 -



For now, I wouldn't worry to much.

Whew! Good to know! I hope she is doing alright. I will keep you guys posted on when she surfaces. About how long should I be looking to see her again?

Alright, she is not buried but I put a cocohut over her so she is not exposed. She hasn't moved today, though. Reason for concern? Or is that normal?

Sounds normal.

Still no sign of movement. How long should I wait before I assume the worst?

Roselynn_Thornwood wrote:Still no sign of movement. How long should I wait before I assume the worst?

Generally, I would wait longer. But for your peace of mind, I would pick up the crab and check if the crab is still alive by gently nudging the tips of the legs and the claw to see if the crab is still moving.

As a long time crabber, personally I would only find out if my crab has passed on (underneath the sand) months later when I do my annual tank deep cleans or if I had noticed a crab stay buried for about, say 6 months or so.

Heavens be praised, she is fine! I went to pick her up, and I felt her draw back into her shell. I shall leave her alone from now until she comes up of her own volition. Until then there is some banana, shrimp, and cuttleboney goodness in her food dish waiting for her whenever she's hungry. I guess I'm just a huge worrywart!

That's nice to hear.

It's a huge relief. The other two are under as well, so perhaps there is a whole molting party going on. Heck if I know. I can tell Harper's been moving, though, because she's buried herself a little, and there are chew marks in the banana.
It's hard to be patient and wait for the others to surface, as I've got a new adoption in ISO right now who's ready to join the main tank ASAP. It would be best to wait for them all to come up before introducing him, right?

Ideally, yes, it would be preferable to introduce the new crab when all the others are out and active in the main tank.