Hermit Crab Didn't Eat Exoskeleton after Stressful Molt-Has Been a Week-Please give advice!!!!

[honeyblackdog]

Hello all!

I am babysitting some hermit crabs for a friend for a few months while she is in short-term virtual classes at our college. I have never had hermit crabs before, and these are her first ones. About a week ago, I woke up one morning and found one lying on their side on the surface, limp, with her legs kind of tangled, but still in her shell. I (being a newbie) picked her up and she kind of drooped out of the shell. I thought she was dead, and almost threw her away (!!!!) but luckily before that I did more research and realized she could be molting. I put her back in the tank, and isolated her with a clear plastic tube that I made by cutting off both ends of a two liter soda bottle (that I cleaned first obviously)-I got those directions from a post on this site. As I am only babysitting them I don't have an isolation enclosure. That night, there was a lot of commotion going on in the hermie enclosure, so I woke up and I couldn't believe what I saw!!!! One of the other non-molting hermies had dug up the tube and stolen her shell!!! She was lying on her back, naked and pink with her exoskeleton all around her and he was wearing her old shell!!! I, again being a newbie, freaked out. I left here where she was (in a corner) and used cardboard and duct tape to build a sturdier isolation wall around her. I put a small water dish in and a few shells to choose from and left here the heck alone. I knew she probably wouldn't make it, but after mistaking here for dead before, I wasn't going to take here out unless she started smelling! She was kind of twitching for awhile, but then, miracle of all miracles, she picked her butt up and put it in a shell!

That was about a week ago and I've pretty much just refilled her water, given her food options and left her alone in her little iso room. She's moved a little, and kind of come out and explored with her antennae, but she hasn't walked or anything. She also hasn't touched her exoskeleton, or as far as I can tell any food at all. She is dull grey, not shiny red, but she is no longer pink which I guess is a good sign. How long should I leave her exoskeleton in there? What else should I do for her to encourage her to eat or drink? If I buy an isolation enclosure would it be safe to move her at this point? Please help! She is such a fighter, I really want her to live!!!

Note: I have been in contact with their owner this whole time, but they are her first hermit crabs too so we are both really just playing it by ear and trying to do our best.

[wodesorel]

Some crabs do have an extended recovery period before they start eating their exo, but a week is a little long. Is it directly in front of her so she doesn't have to move to get at it? My biggest worry is that her mouthparts may have been damaged in the tussle when she was still moist and malleable post-shedding. So long as these guys can eat and their abdomen hasn't sustained damage, they can usually recover with assistance from us.

I would suggest keeping her in the dark if at possible. That darkness is part of their molting cycle, and it might kick start her into exo eating mode. They should normally be eating only that exo right now as it would all that is available while underground, and they can absorb moisture from the substrate with the hair on their claws for drinking. Nothing else should be needed at the moment, and keeping her undisturbed will also help her relax.