Fresh molt in ISO - reintroduce food/water?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 9:49 am

I have a Lg PP that has been down in a KK ISO for 47 days. I removed the food and water dishes once I was sure he wasnâ€™t using them (more than a month ago).

I checked on him through the bottom of the KK this morning, and he has (finally!) shed his exo. Last check was approximately 3 days ago. I can still see bits of it on the bottom of the KK and I have seen slight movement. However, my limited view doesnâ€™t allow me to see how much, or even if, he has eaten the exo.

What I need to know is thisâ€¦.. do I add food and water dishes right now or do I wait a day or two longer to avoid disturbing him or tempting him away from eating his exo?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 12:26 pm

I would put the food and water dishes back in, since it's faster for them to make their new exo hard then to shed their old one. To avoid disturbing him, I would place it far away from the area he is buried. How large are your dishes compared to the KK? I'm sure though that after being down that long he should need some food and water. Eating an exo doesn't take very long. I had a large PP who was down for a month and once I saw that he molted, he was up in less than a week.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 12:50 pm

Thanks.... all done, nutritious food and fresh water are in place with minimal disruption.

Can't wait to see him!

Thanks for the reply,
Candi

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 5:13 pm

I would've kept them in there, so you should really put them back in. He needs water, even though he molted. He also might want something else to munch on besides his exoskeleton. Make sure you alos give him some salt water (NOT TABLE SALT).

blaze88 · Post by **blaze88** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 5:21 pm

In the future don't even remove them because he could come up at any time thristy or hungry.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 7:05 pm

As far as removing the food and water, I was just following the Crab is Molting! FAQ from the menu to the left: (correction = menu is on RIGHT, oops)

http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/pages/molting.html

Maybe it needs to be updated.

Candi

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 9:37 pm

Congrats on, what appears to be a very successful molt!
[smilie=clap.gif]
I don't ISO my molters, unless they are dug up or there is some other crisis. When I am forced to ISO a molter, I leave the water in the ISO tank, with a sponge, to keep the humidity up & the sand fairly moist. I do remove the food for a period of time, depending on the size of the molter. But, I leave a shell with crushed cuttlebone in the ISO tank, just in case the molter does come up for some reason. The cuttlebone doesn't get moldy, and it is a wonderful source of calcium....perfect for a new molter!