HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I am posting again about an E that went down for a molt one week after we adopted her.

She buried under in late May/early June and we have not seen her since. She is in with our PP. I have been curious about how long to wait for the E to come up from her molt before I have reason to be concerned. I have been waiting it out but I am not sure what to do.

I was smoothing over the dirt on Wednesday morning, after our PP had been digging. In the substrate were two pointed leg tips...Is it likely that the E is dead and the PP found her legs? or is it possible that the PP happened to find two leg tips that the molting E just hasn't had a chance to eat?

There is not nor has ever been any bad smell coming from the tank but I do not think there necessarily would be unless a dead body was uncovered.

Should I investigate? Thank you for any help.

I am not an expert, but I think the PP was eating the E's exoskelleton. Though if a real expert posts an answer, listen to them, not me

They don't eat the leg tips usually after they molt (they like the other good parts of the exo instead) so it's likely the PP had just dug them up accidentally while digging. Has the PP molted before? It could even be tips from an old molt of theirs that they found. I find leg tips every once in a while. I wouldn't worry just yet. It's only been a few months, and that's still within the normal range for molting


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OK. I'll continue to wait it out, even though it is pure torture!

We've had the PP for many years and all I have ever found after her molts is a small portion of the large claw, so I am very confident they were not her own.