HCA: Hermit Crab Association

ok so I am new to the forum but have had hermit crabs for a while now..i just starting "crabbing" again in december and have some questions.. I have 3 hermit crabs which I believe to all be PP one medium-large, one medium and one medium small. The medium one "duane" has recently been digging alot.. so i have left him alone and just been trying to watch what he has been up to. Just a few days ago he crammed himself back into his little old shell that he ditched a while ago.. I hear that could be one sign of him getting ready to molt..i checked his old shell nd it was fine. now hes dug himself a tunnel nd is jus chilling in it.. My tank is a 10 gallon. with sand and coconut fiber..misted 2 times a day..fresh salt and reg water..plenty of food to choose from..they have a good diet.uth. and a moss pit they love.

so my questions: I do not have an isolation tank, will he be ok? I try and keep an eye on him so the others will leave him alone..but i dont think they even notice he is gone!

do hermit crabs stay in their shell when molting? I have looked everywhere for an answer but cant find out?

He should be fine molting in the main tank. Offering foods high in protein to them helps prevent any cannabalism. And yes, they usually molt with their shell on. Good luck to you & your molter

I don't have an iso either- some people say that it's better to have one but I think it's more of a stressor to the poor guy that's being isoed! I do have a spare tank and substrate for emergencies though:)

sararoseey wrote:I don't have an iso either- some people say that it's better to have one but I think it's more of a stressor to the poor guy that's being isoed! I do have a spare tank and substrate for emergencies though:)

Yeah I don't ISO them either, because I think it stresses the crab out to much. Also, the crab might change into a smaller shell in preparation to molt.

I do not ISO either. All of my crabs have molted OK.