Molting Question

[rothers27]

I haven't had my crabs for very long, and when one started to change drastically (from being extremely outgoing and active), to limp and lethargic, I was worried he was sick. I kept checking on him and after a couple weeks he was just getting weaker and weaker. I isolated him and the next day he was half out of his shell and I assumed he was dead since he wasn't moving.

My husband also thought he was dead and removed him from his shell and we threw him away.

Then I noticed that Alex, my other hermit crab was acting the same way, getting lethargic and not coming out of his shell to walk around like he normally does when I would move him. I isolated him and the next day I notice he was half out of his shell but in a really weird position. I picked him up and it looked like it was a shell, so I assumed he was molting. (Of course, now I feel like a total murderer for throwing away my other crab who was probably molting! I'm just sick about it).

I isolated him and covered him with the coco fiber and much of his exoskeleton is off. BUT he still has one leg and his big pincher! I don't get it. Did he molt? Was I seeing things? I'm so confused. He is up in his shell and his big pincher one leg are still there. When I peek at him, he knows he is being bothered because he goes back up in his shell. Is it possible they will fall off later or did he not molt? I'm just so confused. Literally, the next day my other crab surface molted, Blazer, but it was so much cleaner. He was in his shell, his whole exeskelton was nearby, and now he's all white and hardening.

[JediMasterThrash]

if a crab molts, the exo will be hollow. The tips and pinchers are a thicker chitin and may look like a real crab leg, but if you look in the back they are hollow. The inner legs and body will be thinner, almost translucent, delicate, and hollow. Additionally, the newly molted crab will be left behind, there will be soft, light colored limbs on the crab, and he may initially appear slightly smaller than he used to.

Otherwise, it could be a lost limb, if limbs are off in front of the crab, but there is not a full set of soft light-colored limbs left behind. Lost limbs are indicative of a stress based death (and if you haven't had the crabs for long, it is likely from conditions in the pet store).

Even if a crab is molting, it generally will still respond to touch or motion. If it's completely limp, like you can touch it's stalks and no response, it probably is really passed.

[soilentgringa]

Hi. Surface molts are definitely an emergency situation and aren't normal. I'm concerned because all of your crabs are surface molting.
Please fill out these questions so we can help you address areas of concern with the crabitat. Thanks!
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hp?t=92457

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[rothers27]

So my hermit crab that molted died--- I put him underground and left him alone and a few days later he died (smell was bad). I'm not sure what happened to him, but I'm pretty upset about it since I did my best to make sure his conditions were perfect.

The second crab I have molting right now is another messy situation. He has been buried for several days, and today when I looked in on him, he was on top of the substrate, molting, without his shell. My other hermit crab actually had taken his shell! So now Alex is molting, without a shell, and on top of the surface.

I very carefully buried him and put several shells around him (in a different tank) with water and food. I'm hoping he makes it.

PS-- the conditions of my crabs are amazing.

[wodesorel]

Don't bury them!! That can suffocate them. When they bury themselves they make a small cave which allows them to breathe. We can't do this. All we can do it put a hut or dish over them to make a fake cave.

He also needs to be put into a shell immediately so he can molt properly. (Did he shed his exoskeleton? Is that why you think he's molting?) Without a shell he is going to die. They are not able to change shells underground unless they are completely healthy and there is room to move.

You need to dig him up ASAP, rinse him off in dechlorinated water so there is no sand on his rear end, and place him bum first in a clean shell and tap on him gently until he uncurls his tail and goes inside. Then get him under something that will protect him from the other crab and keep him in the dark.

[rothers27]

Okay, thank you. I've read so many different things about what to do with a molting crab. This crab, Alex, is in bad shape. I'm not sure what is wrong with him, but he is still alive. I assumed he was molting because when I found him he was laying on his side and his abdomen was rhythmically pulsating. Also, I did not know how or why he was out of his shell.

In any case, I put him in a shell, he's very fragile but he is still alive. I hope he survives all of this.

[wodesorel]

Other crabs will steal shells if they get the opportunity and there is nothing free that they like. You can double check your shell offerings with our picture guide to make sure they are ones they'll be interested in: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 24&t=92552

If the crabs are new it could be Post Purchase Syndrome: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 67&t=92531

I know you're saying your conditions are amazing and I'm sure they are! But if something is even a bit off it can cause big trouble. Please consider taking a moment and filling out the help questionnaire that soilentgringa linked earlier, it has all the info we need to be able offer advice to stop more problems from happening.

[Laurie LeAnn]

If your tank conditions were o.k. and you didn't handle them a lot then you can chalk it up to post purchase stress ( pps ) it happens when you take crabs from cruddy conditions and plunk them down into perfect ideal conditions. Most pet stores have their crabs with little or no proper substrate, very little water, no heat or a heat rock, May or may not have humidity. So they are very stressed. If this next crab passes and you try again..look for hardy lively in your face crabs..ones that want to come out at you when picked up.. now and days it's hard to find those..put them in your tank and then just feed and water..No touching, handling for a month. Keep them in a quiet low key spot. I covered the sides of my tank for months until they got used to people walking by the tank. My tank has been in the same spot since 2009..just different sizes. Like it was said you never want to bury or UN bury a crab if it's already down on its own. UN burying is only done if you hear them chirping loudly this could mean that their tunnel has collapsed or a crab is attacking them under ground while molting. It has happened because they smell YUMMY to other crabs.. when they come up from molting you might want to iso the crab for a day then bathe the crab in their water to get rid of that yummy smell. I have a crab that has ripped apart some of his friends..well I hope your luck turns for the better Because it is fun..you get HOOKED!

[rothers27]

It's true you get hooked! I do need more shells. The crab that initially pulled Alex out of his shell and left him for dead, later decided to go back into his original shell. Then I caught him trying to get Alex out of the shell I put him in (Alex is the dying crab). Now another crab I have switched shells. The problem is I can't find any shells. The shells they like are the shells that hermit crabs are already in. I've bought a ton of shells, but the openings are always too long. Where does one get shells?

[KellyCrabbieLove]

Dollar stores, craft stores, ebay, beach stores if you live near the beach, there are shell stores listed in the shopping resources links.

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[rothers27]

So Alex, my dying crab, was attacked and pulled out of his shell somehow and another crab stole his shell, leaving him for dead. I took the advice on this thread (THANKS!) and rinsed Alex off and slid the poor thing into another shell. Because he has only his big claw left, he is very fragile.

He stayed in that shell for a week, and was hanging in there when I noticed my healthy crab (who initially stole his shell) was on top of Alex's new shell's opening and rocking it back and forth. He would quit rocking for awhile and crawl inside the shell, come back out, and rock it again. I didn't think he would get Alex out of the shell, because this was a much larger shell, and only a tiny bit of Alex could even be seen (without his legs all he was a shrimp with a claw). I was nervous though so I hit Alex under a coconut. He stayed under there for another week. Meanwhile, my very shell crazy crab found Alex eventually. I heard some comotion in the tank, went over and picked up the coconut (seeing that there was tunnel next to it) and lo and behold, killer crab was happily moved into Alex's bigger shell and Alex was out of his shell again, laying on the ground naked. I rinsed him off and examined him. This time his body was very thick and white, very very puffy. There was no way he could fit back into his original shell, his body didn't even fit through the hole anymore he was so swollen. So I put him in a much bigger shell, and he hung in there for awhile (which was nice because then I could see his entire body and feed him) but eventually he gained strength and is now in the shell properly. The only problem is this is way too big of a shell for him and I don't think he can move because it is a very heavy shell. It was just the only shell I had at the time that I could fit him into.

He is still alive and still in the same state. Does anyone know what might be going on or what I should do?

[wodesorel]

He wouldn't be able to move around anyway because of the missing limbs, so as long as he's staying shelled it doesn't matter what he has on. He very much needs to be isolated from the other crab so this doesn't keep happening! You'll need to make sure he gets food and water every day so that he can store up energy to molt and regrow his legs. Has he been eating or drinking anything at all in the weeks since the initial attack?

[rothers27]

I've been giving him water and food daily, but I can't be sure if he is eating it. I'm going to assume he is. When he was out of his shell and wasn't quite fitting into the new shell I put him in, I was able to feed him directly and he eat a bunch of coconut. Then he managed to wrap his body into the shell correctly so now he is way up in there and I can't see what he is doing. None of the other crabs want the shell he is in so he is fine. I don't think the crab attacks have anything to do with Alex, it's just the shell that the other crab wanted (and it's only one other crab that does this). The other crab is in his ideal shell and I don't think he will ever change it.

[LadyMorrgian]

Keep in mind that molted and weak crabs smell really really yummy to other crabs. Just because he is in a shell that the others "don't want" does not necessarily mean he's safe. He needs to be completely isolated from other crabs untill he has healed compleatly. Another tank would be ideal, but if space or budget is an issue, a empty 2l pop bottle can easily serve as a barrier. I just cut off the top a bit so I have access, and cut the bottom evenly on the bottom, a large plastic tube is the goal, press down around the crab you need to isolate and slowly go down till I hit tank on deeper tanks sometimes it means 2 bottles to make it safe, but it work, at least for me. How ever it happens, that crab needs to be away from all other crabs if he is going to have a shot of making it past this. Just my 2¢ anyway.


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[KellyCrabbieLove]

I completely agree with LadyMorrgian. I have had attacks....

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