molt crisis or no?

crablab · Post by **crablab** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:27 am

Hello I have 6 pps one who is currently down for a molt its about what you would call a medium crab. This particular one has had claw issues. Well I was doing some soil shifting under one of the water dishes and came across him but stopped as soon as I realized and covered back up. Well I can see on the bottom of the glass underneath that he looks like a pile of mush(legs and such) theres no movement soooo I'm a smidge concerned he's dead or got stuck under the dish he dug under but don't want to uncover again....should I wait.....How long do molts take I should know but to tell you the truth they usually just go through it and I don't count.Also do you NEED to remove them when they molt or can they stay where they are? They usually burrow under the water dishes and such. Thanks.

Crabber85 · Post by **Crabber85** » Mon Mar 03, 2014 2:17 pm

It's never recommeded to dig up a molting crab as this is a death sentence.Hermitcrabs haver differing molt lengths depending on size and for a medium your looking at four weeks to just over a month depending on need for molt, dietary issues and so on.What you see of the crab from the window he left you is completely normal and should slowly begin to dissappear unitl all that is left is the leg tips and pinchers as these are too hard to eat the crab will just leave them.I'd just hold out for the next three weeks then check back on him and see if he's made any progess with eating the old exo if not then there might be a slight issue but for now I wouldn't worry to much.If you have any more questions please feel free to ask as that is what we are here for.

crablab · Post by **crablab** » Thu Mar 06, 2014 12:58 pm

Thank you so much for the advice I'm gonna just wait it out and hope for the best! Fingers crossed!