HCA: Hermit Crab Association

He disappeared for *at most* a week and a half to two weeks. I just noticed him a couple of days ago in a different shell. *If* he molted, would there be an exo or some remnants of it? I didn't find anything like that.

I did notice his legs were needle sharp but he is very tiny and it seemed like the smaller crabs I get have sharper nails??

Can you tell by the photos whether or not he recently molted?

He doesn't look very hairy and his little needles don't look very long. Perhaps he was just having fun digging, or maybe he was de-stressing.

Possibly. When they're that tiny they don't change much from one molt to the next. The tinies can be up and molted within a weeks time, and I never find much of an exo left once they're done. (I've always wondered if the larger crabs come and finish the tougher bits since it's not nearly as thick as their exo in comparison.)

Was he missing tips of some of his legs when you got him? For whatever reason the new growth on small crabs is usually bright red the first time they regrow it during a molt. The replaced portions will start to blend in and eventually disappear with subsequent molts. That could be a way to tell when he has molted.