HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have two crabs. Shelly is my first one and hermie is the other. Shelly is a little bigger than hermit and after I bought hermie, both crabs dug under. I didn't think it was a problem but I realized that they dug hole right next to each other. Today, I got a 10 gallon tank and so I went to dig up the crabs to put them in their bigger home. But as a dug up Shelly, I heard a quiet hiss mixed with a squeak. I looked into her shell and there's a crab in there, but I looked back into her hole and I saw a lifeless crab body. I'm not sure if it's shellys molted skin or if it's the other crab. I'm kinda scared but I'm just assuming that Shelly just molted. So I put her back carefully next to her exoskeleton so she could eat it and then buried her like they were before. I just want to know if Shelly molted of if my other crabs is now gone. Please help!

Okay, first and foremost, in the future, you should never dig up crabs. It sounds like your crab has molted. You need to isolate your crab, and let it eat it's exoskeleton (which is it's old skin). Do not handle the crab during this sensitive time. No other food or water is needed - it needs heat & humidity 80/80 and just needs to be left alone. It would be really tasty to your other crab, so make sure you keep it isolated.

ISO by putting them in a small container in the tank or sticking a soda bottle cut in have into the around them, with the cap off for air exchange.


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GotButterflies wrote:Okay, first and foremost, in the future, you should never dig up crabs. It sounds like your crab has molted. You need to isolate your crab, and let it eat it's exoskeleton (which is it's old skin). Do not handle the crab during this sensitive time. No other food or water is needed - it needs heat & humidity 80/80 and just needs to be left alone. It would be really tasty to your other crab, so make sure you keep it isolated.

Is she molted if her shell is still on?

Hermiearth wrote:ISO by putting them in a small container in the tank or sticking a soda bottle cut in have into the around them, with the cap off for air exchange.


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I used a big spoon to lift up the crab and a lot of sand around it and I gently placed it into my ISO container full of sand

Good job. I hope they make it.


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Yes, they molt by shedding their exoskeleton.
Article regarding molting: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 23&t=92527

Edit: Make sure you give the crab it's old exoskeleton to eat

GotButterflies wrote:Okay, first and foremost, in the future, you should never dig up crabs. It sounds like your crab has molted. You need to isolate your crab, and let it eat it's exoskeleton (which is it's old skin). Do not handle the crab during this sensitive time. No other food or water is needed - it needs heat & humidity 80/80 and just needs to be left alone. It would be really tasty to your other crab, so make sure you keep it isolated.

Is it normal that shelly hasn't moved at all since I moved her into the ISO tank? She hasn't eaten the rest of her exoskeleton.

EuxirAino wrote:

GotButterflies wrote:Okay, first and foremost, in the future, you should never dig up crabs. It sounds like your crab has molted. You need to isolate your crab, and let it eat it's exoskeleton (which is it's old skin). Do not handle the crab during this sensitive time. No other food or water is needed - it needs heat & humidity 80/80 and just needs to be left alone. It would be really tasty to your other crab, so make sure you keep it isolated.

Is it normal that shelly hasn't moved at all since I moved her into the ISO tank? She hasn't eaten the rest of her exoskeleton.

It's possible. Just try to be patient. Molting takes a lot of energy and a lot of time.


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I just reread your original post. I did not realize you reburied the crab and exo. Is everything covered in dirt from when you redug them up?

Edit: if it is, I would very gently rinse it in dechlorinated freshwater.

Never rebury. When they dig they build caves so they have air to breathe. I'm so sorry I missed this initially.
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GotButterflies wrote:I just reread your original post. I did not realize you reburied the crab and exo. Is everything covered in dirt from when you redug them up?

Edit: if it is, I would very gently rinse it in dechlorinated freshwater.

Never rebury. When they dig they build caves so they have air to breathe. I'm so sorry I missed this initially.
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I didn't not exactly rebury her as I knew she might suffocate. I gently placed her into the ISO and put just a little bit of sand around her and a little on her shell to see if she moved.( if the sand was off of her shell, I'd know that she moved) but update, she ate the majority of her exo and she even switched shells. I relieved she switched shells because I bought her with a painted shell and I've been wanting her to switch to my natural shell. But now that I know she is in her new shell, she hides whenever I'm near. Is it okay if I try to interact with her now or should I wait? She also doesn't have any visible hairs from the molt. Kinda strange. Buts she's definitely more active

That's great news! You will be able to see the hairs when she is in the light. When majority of exo is gone, and she is moving around great, you can add her to general pop by gently dipping her in the freshwater of the crabitat


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