I throw away molted exoskeletons; Am I a horrible crab mom?

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TitanStorm
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I throw away molted exoskeletons; Am I a horrible crab mom?

Post by TitanStorm » Fri Feb 28, 2025 11:18 am

So, my purple pincher Triton molted just two days ago. He's on the mend now and is back to his normal hungry, chipper self, but I've recently been faced with a dilemma. So, between the four hermit crabs I've had, I've had four moltings, and you'd think that someone who has witnessed that a few times would get used to it, but no. I still need my little brother to reach in and take out the exoskeleton for me because it freaks me out so much. I know you're supposed to leave the exoskeleton in the tank for them to eat for the nutrients and all, but I just can't. As I'm writing this right now, I'm shuddering just thinking about the sight of the exoskeleton. Is it really so awful and horrible to just throw it away? I mean, they've seemed to recover just fine after molting (except for my Phorcys getting murdered post-molt), so I don't know. Am I just going to have to man up? Please advise!
Keto -- Purple pincher hermit crab
Triton -- Purple pincher hermit crab
Daisy -- Goldendoodle
Ernie -- Goldendoodle

🕊 In Heaven 🕊
Phorcys -- Ecuadorian hermit crab
Nereus -- Australian hermit crab
Hairy -- Golden retriever
Izzie -- American shorthair

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curlysister
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Re: I throw away molted exoskeletons; Am I a horrible crab mom?

Post by curlysister » Sun Mar 02, 2025 12:42 am

Your crabs should be burying themselves to molt, and you really shouldn't see the exoskeleton at all.
What are you using for substrate?
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers

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