Hermit Crab Molt!

[Tarantel]

My hermit crab Shelly molted today! I picked her up and saw that she was hanging out of her shell. Upon closer inspection, this was just her old exoskeleton and I realized she had molted. She has a cagemate, Herbert who has not yet molted under my care; will he hurt Shelly now that she is in her vulnerable state? Will she be fine staying in the terrarium with him? (ten gallon glass terrarium/aquarium)

 

[pavel]

Until someone more knowledgable than me happens along, I would play it safe and remove him while she hardens up.

 

[Tarantel]

OK, how long does it take for a crab to harden? And what should I put Herbert in?

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Just put herbert in an enclosure similar to the one you have. A smaller aquarium will be fine temporarily. If I recall correctly, they take quite awhile to harden up. Wait until your hermit crab starts acting normally before adding Herbert back.

Oh and leave the molt in. The hermit crab will eat it.

 

[spydrhunter1]

Just put herbert in an enclosure similar to the one you have. A smaller aquarium will be fine temporarily. If I recall correctly, they take quite awhile to harden up. Wait until your hermit crab starts acting normally before adding Herbert back.

Oh and leave the molt in. The hermit crab will eat it.

Yes... leave the exoskeleton, it has vital nutrients. The hardening phase depends on the crab, the small one a few days, extra large ones can take weeks.

 

[mrbonzai211]

That was VERY dangerous picking him up. Also, hermit crabs should under no circumstances molt above ground. It's extremely risky. Unless they are sick or stressed they will never attempt to molt above ground. I'm assuming you might need to make a few changes to your habitat. I've been crabbing for 6 years and I've kept 7 different species and belong to the HCA (hermitcrabassociation.com)

Suggestions:
-Minimum 5 inches of eco earth substrate. A healthy crab will spend 65% of his life underground. When they molt, they burrow down and will do it there. You may not see them for weeks or even months. For instance, my jumbo, who is the size of a baseball, stayed down for 5 months for a molt.

-No "hermit crab food", I use organic fish flake food, freeze dried krill, organic fresh or freeze dried fruits and nuts. Most preservatives in store bought food contain chemicals that are also used in bug poison.

-fresh salt water (not conditioning salt, real ocean salt) and fresh water bowls separate.

-cuttlebone to replace calcium after molts

-75% humidity and 75 degrees CONSTANT

In all honesty, hermit crabs are one of the hardest pets to keep. In the wild they live to be 30-40 years old but usually only make it a few months or a couple years in captivity. They are very demanding and not cheap at all. Very often they will survive but not thrive.

If you only change a few things, PLEASE give them proper substrate. They need to burrow and cannot molt properly without it. Also, make sure they have the proper humidity and heat. Hermit crabs breath through modified gills, in dry environments they blister and the crab slowly and painfully suffers until it dies... this death is slow and can take several weeks.

Please post pictures of the eyes, feelers, and shield (the big claw) so I can properly ID your crab species and suggest better changes specific to that species.

Anything else, please PM me.

My colonies include:
8 florida purple pinchers--Coenobita clypeatus
12 ecuadorians--Coenobita compressus
6 ruggies--Coenobita rugosus
4 strawberry hermit crabs--Coenobita perlatus
1 Coenobita cavipes

---------- Post added at 01:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:22 AM ----------

.... oh and you don't need to remove ISO the crab. They are highly social and won't harm one another unless the conditions are wrong. In fact, at night you may hear them communicate via a chirping sound The only time i've observed violence against a molter was when they weren't being provided protein and calcium. When an owner doesnt supply this they will get it from the sources they have: each other.

In long established colonies, I've even observed crabs stand guard for weeks on end at the spot where a friend has gone down to molt to protect it. Crabs can build attachments to individuals in a colony that ive only seen replicated by mammals. Very interesting to observe, but be prepared because hermit crabs are the most demanding pet you will ever own.

To summarize: DO NOT TOUCH THE MOLTER!!!! IT WILL KILL HIM!!!