We have a molter!

[aslansgirl89]

Well, Shallan has completed her second or third (can't quite remember because they both hide constantly! Lol!) molt with me this past week in the 2 years since I got her and Kaladin is going to be right behind her because both of them were down! It makes me feel so good that I am taking good enough care of them that they are molting regularly and without issue these last 2 years (almost exactly, I got them early November of 2017). I had hermit crabs as a kid and I was so misinformed about them that I constantly had them out of the tank, didn't give them salt water, and just generally didn't take care of them very well, I had well over a hundred of them from the age of 10-18 because they kept dying. The longest lasting ones, I kept maybe 12-18 months at the most and when they did molt, they surface molted in the middle of the night because like a dumb kid, I dug them up to play with them when they would bury. When I got to be 18, I decided that I didn't want them any more because I couldn't keep them alive. So, as you do, I grew up and went to college, met a boy and got married. We had a betta fish that lived for 3 years and then passed away and then we decided to get a baby betta and we ended up having 3 of those because we just couldn't get them to fully mature and when the last one died my husband looked at me and said, "Do you want to get some hermit crabs? You talk so fondly about them from when you were a kid." So I agreed but this time I decided to come into it having done my research. I have learned that they need salt water, it's best not to handle them too often, and above all else, never ever dig up a buried crab except in the case of an emergency. I would have to say that I am doing pretty well since this is Shallan's 2nd or 3rd molt with me and Kaladin's 4th or 5th time (He's a bit smaller) molting with me! I am excited to see what the future brings for us with these nifty little creatures in our home!

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[DevilNDisguise]

That's fantastic! I'm happy to hear they're doing so well.

[aussieJJDude]

Congrats.


I understand the betta situation... the amount of in breeding hasnt been kind to these fish, and genetic inferior stock leads to reduced lifespan and generally more sickly fish. I kinda gave up on them after my last boy died a couple of years back, and will only buy from a private breeder where I know the age of said fish, and genetic history.



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[aslansgirl89]

Congrats.


I understand the betta situation... the amount of in breeding hasnt been kind to these fish, and genetic inferior stock leads to reduced lifespan and generally more sickly fish. I kinda gave up on them after my last boy died a couple of years back, and will only buy from a private breeder where I know the age of said fish, and genetic history.



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That's a good idea actually, I hadn't thought about it until now but the one that we had that lived 3 years was actually bought at a small town pet shop and the other 3 were bought at a chain store. I think that I may try to find a smaller pet shop near me to buy my future hermits at too because I remember when I was younger that the hermit crabs I got at the smaller pet stores lived the longest.

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