HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I am new to crabbing. I have had 3 crabs and have been trying to learn more about them. I am very confused about everything I read. In particular about molting. One of my crabs has gone missing. Could this mean a molt? I carefully have located him by gently poking around with my index finger. I have done this because I read that if he indeed is molting I need to barricade him off from the others so needed to know exactly where he was. Should I be sheltering him immediately? Do I supply food, water both regular and salt, extra shells in the barricade? Will he shed his exoskeleton above the sand or with him?

Actually, you don't have to barricade him off. You only need to barricade them off if they molt on the surface, or you can iso them if they decide to do that. Under most normal circumstances, if a crab digs under it will molt undisturbed. Sometimes if another crab isn't getting enough protein they will dig and eat molters, but this isn't common. I've had numerous molts without barricading them off and many others have too. In the wild there is no one there to barricade them off. As long as you have deep enough substrate and its the proper type/wetness he should be fine.

Keep in mind since you found him while he was underground its likely if he wasn't already molting that he'll move.

Thank You! what you said makes more sense. I must have been getting confused with molting on the surface and the need to iso. When he does come up will the other crabs do anything? Are they weak/lethargic when they resurface? and how do you know if they are no longer OK?

Most likely the other crabs won't bother him. Usually when they come up they are either the same as when they went down, or really really active. They are sometimes lethargic before molting. Also you may or may not notice them eating a lot after a molt. I know my one large crab was pigging out at the mineral supplement/worm casting dish for weeks after she came up from molting.

As far as if they are ok, do you mean if they've passed on under the substrate? Its hard to say, a large crab will probably smell, I say probably because if the substrate is deep enough this isn't always the case. I've had a few crabs that all I've ever found was their shell underground. I can only assume they either died and decomposed completely, or they were eaten.

The whole concept of molting was intimidating when I first started crabbing. I'll admit, I had no idea what to expect. But it was actually really simple. The crabs did all the hard work Basically, when they dig down, the best thing you can do is just leave them be. I haven't experienced a surface molt yet, so I don't have any personal experience on that one. As long as your tank doesn't begin to smell like rotting fish, they should be alright. It does take time, however. I've found that waiting for them to resurface is the hardest part. :c

Thank you again, and yes I did mean if he passes. I have read that it is a huge % that they might not even make it. I honestly did not see any signs. In fact this crab was my most active and rarely ducks under his shell when we handle hm. He did have a missing claw though, his small claw. I guess I didn't notice it at the store when we purchased him and noticed a few days later. I only witnessed him eating once since we've had them (about a month).
I didn't even know about what they really needed until after I bought them. I discovered this sight in the need to understand how to prepare the substrate. I learned real quick the pet stores don't know anything. The habitats I saw had the fancy substrate that barely covered the ground. Now I understand why my crabs died as a kid so quickly. Who knew!

Thanks again