Is my crab molting?

[MyelzandHermie22]

So we’ve had our little Hermie for 27 days. I’ve asked questions on here about him being so sluggish and I’ve fixed everything. He has adequate substrate, temp and humidity are good. Dechlorinated water and marine salt water, variety of food, lots of plants to climb on, a braided rope and net for climbing as well as a coco fiber wall and cholla sticks for climbing. The only thing I need to change is his water dishes cuz they are only 1/2” and I need deeper but I’m still brainstorming on what to use since I only have a 10 gallon tank with limited space. He’s smaller than an inch tall though so that’s good. I also added a second level hanging basket filled with moss which he loves because he’s been in it for days we’ll probably a week or so. So my question is, can he be molting in this moss? I’ve seen him climb out on top of it twice. When they molt are they completely idle? Can he be molting and still climb up on top of the moss? I changed food and water last night and sprayed the tank including the moss and him and he wiggled around a bit. Is it ok to spray him if he’s molting? He’s just so inactive and we hardly ever see him!I put only 3 large pieces of dried coconut in last night so I can actually tell if he’s eating or not. I checked today and so far he hasn’t touched it. What’s going on? Is he ok?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CrabbyLover77]

He sounds ok to me, probably still just getting use to the new digs. If you've seen him up and moving around (and there's no exo up in the moss pit), he's not molting. It's possible he picks at his food here and there, but you just can't tell.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

[MyelzandHermie22]

So will the exoskeleton be attached to him? I don’t really understand how it works. Will one moment he will be a crab and the next moment he will be a crab with an exoskeleton next to him? Or will the weeks it takes for him to molt slowly his exoskeleton will come off of him? Can he move at all during this process or does he have to stay completely idle?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CrabbyLover77]

Usually, the actual molting takes place fairly quickly. It's the preparing to molt/the harding of the new exo after/building up strength, that takes the longest. If you're checking on him a couple times a day, you would likely see the exo if he surface molted. Just remember, surface molting isn't normal, and he would have to be isolated from any other crabs. When crabs dig under to molt, they don't move around from under the sand to the surface and back. They just molt, eat their exo, and hang out until their new exo is hardened. Then they come back up for food and water.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

[MyelzandHermie22]

Ok cool. Thank you for your help! So he’s the only crab in the tank. If he’s buried in the moss is it still considered a surface mold? From what I’ve read and the advice I received on here it seems like he’s maybe getting ready for a molt. I’m just so worried about him because he’s so inactive.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CrabbyLover77]

Yw! Yeah, because he's not underground, it would still be considered a surface molt. Since you've only had him a month, it's likely he may be getting ready to molt. That's why he's so sluggish. Don't be surprised if you see him disappear under the sub soon.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk