Tunnel Collapse?

[lovemycrabbies]

So one of my instagram followers asked me what happens if a hermit crabs tunnel collapses while he/she is under molting. They (and I) where wondering if they would just dig a new path out. I have heard that sometimes crabs can become trapped when this happens and need rescuing or do not survive, and I have also heard that they will sometime drop their shell because it is keeping them trapped. I was just wondering if any more experienced crabbers could answer this question better than I can. Thanks! -Kate

[HermitCrabby_LHC]

Sometimes they get stuck and die, sometimes they drop their shell, and sometimes they.find their way out.

[Crabber85]

Typically when a hermitcrab is molting it is doing so in a molt pocket which is specially carved and shaped to hold up under a good bit of weight whereas a tunnel usually doesn't get the same kind of attention as it's just meant to be a pathway and as a result are not as stable as the pockets.Tunnels will collapse when the sub dries out too much or when there is too much weight on the surface of the sub leading to a critical failure which can trap the crab which can lead to the crab dieing but most often ends with the crab either tunneling it's way out with shell on or in even rarer instances with the shell off.

[dylan644]

Most likely if the molting pocket will collapse with a soft body crab inside, the crab will fail to harden and die. I had this happen with my last PP. My sub was moist, but surface digging from the straws in the corner cause the pocket to collapse, trapping and killing my crab. If the crab is hardened enough to dig, it will most likely reappear on the surface. If it is still softer, the color may look drained or washed out because the crabs exso was hard enough to dig out, but now fully dried and hardened.

[lovemycrabbies]

Okay, thank you all for the replies!