Could he be molting again?

[tnt4eva]

I got Speedy in early/mid November. He was a teeny with a missing little pincher. He molted and came up with a brand new LP. I was so proud of him doing it all in one molt!! It was fully functional, but it didn't look 100% normal. It was a funny shape.

After a few weeks, he looked very pale all of a sudden and wasn't moving around as much. He's disappeared for a few weeks now.

Is it possible he's molting again?

Also - I bought another teeny at the same time I got Speedy. He had a missing limb and went down at the same time as Speedy's first molt. He hasn't been up since. Given how little he was, I don't think a molt should have taken this long How long til I should assume he died?

[sugarselections]

It's very possible that your crab is molting again. Since he's small he'll molt often anyway plus any type of missing limb/deformity/injury will make a crab molt more quickly. He may be molting again because he wants to completely repair that pincher.

My advice is to never give up on a crab that's underground. I once had an Indo who stayed buried continuously for eight months. I found her when I did a deep clean and was amazed to find her still alive. Also, I recently thought I lost my baby Quito (the tiny Ecuadorian pictured in my avatar). He's very small and was under for four months and I was sure he was dead. Then just the other day I saw him running around the crabitat again.