Surface Molt/Naked Crab

[Links]

sorry to interupt and sound worse case but could the crab have been killed by the others pinching off its abdomen?

[IsolatedShadow]

sorry to interupt and sound worse case but could the crab have been killed by the others pinching off its abdomen?

Maybe? I'm not sure, but either way a crab exo would be hollow too! If there's meat in the body then that could very will be a dead crab

[Julsie]

sorry to interupt and sound worse case but could the crab have been killed by the others pinching off its abdomen?

I don’t think so because i isolated the molting crab in a box in the tank so the other crabs couldn’t get him. I immediately isolated him as soon as I saw him out of his shell above ground


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[Julsie]

The crab in the shell (scallop), does it have an adbomen? (Ita long greyish squishy thing, usually wet.) If soz then no. Its not its exoskeleton of a moulting crab since an exoskeleton wont contain the adbomen.

If it is the crab, try to get it reshellled ASAP. Wash out crab and shell to remove debris prior to reshelling. I found great success in inserting the crabs adbomen by uncurling it on/in the shell, and then a few gentle taps on the head forcimg the crab to retreat into the shell. With any luck, the crab shpuld stay.


Once done so, keep isolated in a small container to restrict movement. Offer plently of mineral and protein rich goods (bee pollen, honey, shrimp, cuttlefish bone, egg yolk) and monitor closely.

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I will check when I get home if theres an abdomen. Ive never picked up a crab before out of its shell im kinda grossed out + I don’t wanna kill it ); but thanks for the advice i’ll see if someone can help me


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[Julsie]

Oh my gosh so I just got home and for this whole time (literally a month) I thought this was my poor crabbie who did a surface molt. I scooped up this old exoskeleton thinking it was him the whole time. I just poked around to find an abdomen and it crumbled apart. Was this why there was no smell? Is my real hermit crab somewhere burrowed safely?
Is this definitely old skin? Is it safe to throw away?


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[DevilNDisguise]

Oh my gosh so I just got home and for this whole time (literally a month) I thought this was my poor crabbie who did a surface molt. I scooped up this old exoskeleton thinking it was him the whole time. I just poked around to find an abdomen and it crumbled apart. Was this why there was no smell? Is my real hermit crab somewhere burrowed safely?
Is this definitely old skin? Is it safe to throw away?


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I would be surprised if the hermit crab shed its exo and then proceeded to bury itself. They're supposed to molt it off and then eat it for the nutrition they've lost. They're very fragile and weak after they've molted, so I feel the process of all that digging after the fact wouldn't be an easy task for them.
In any case, never throw away their exo, as they need to be able to eat it.

I will let someone else provide more input on whether or not they believe this is the exo, though.

[curlysister]

I agree that a crab would not shed their exo and then dig under the sub.

Unfortunately, I think this is a deceased crab. Sorry to say it.

[Julsie]

I agree that a crab would not shed their exo and then dig under the sub.

Unfortunately, I think this is a deceased crab. Sorry to say it.

Going on almost 2 months and the crab still has no smell (even up close) my crabitat did not give off that awful stench as if something had died. Someone told me to check for an “abdomen” and I did not see one on that crab. When I very first discovered him surface molting he was very much alive and had that bright blue abdomen part of his body and I could see him squirming. I left him alone but tried to shelter him with objects surrounding him and a few days later he hadn’t moved (I don’t think) so i scooped up the substrate underneath him and put him in a little box in the corner of the tank. He remained in that box until today I could no longer wait so I poked around his edges and his limbs crumbled apart and I discovered no abdomen part of the body (to be honest it looked like a dead skin to me it is very hollow) do you think possibly the other crabs could have ate him while he surface molted and I wasn’t able to find out in time? Or do you think he escaped and found shelter somewhere else in the substrate? It’s so odd


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[Links]

I’m not totally sure but I would assume an exoskeleton would appear more thin and translucent and not contain as much red color I see in these pics. I’m no experienced crabber but I have to agree with curlysister. I’m sorry.

Edit: after looking at pics of exoskeletons it’s difficult to say your pics could be an exo. Where would the abdomen have gone? Hopefully that’s an exo.

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[Julsie]

I’m not totally sure but I would assume an exoskeleton would appear more thin and translucent and not contain as much red color I see in these pics. I’m no experienced crabber but I have to agree with curlysister. I’m sorry.

Edit: after looking at pics of exoskeletons it’s difficult to say your pics could be an exo. Where would the abdomen have gone? Hopefully that’s an exo.

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Lol well thank you I have no clue I’m honestly baffled I don’t know what to think. I still have him in the tank but if he’s passed away should I take him out?


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[aussieJJDude]

If it doesnt have an adbomen and is falling apart, yes. Its not an alive crab.

To me, it just looks like exo remains. You have what looks to be an EE 'mix' for substrate, so it may be possible he burried? Is he hiding in a shell (when moulting they can hide further into shells and look vacant) or in a hideyhole?

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[Julsie]

If it doesnt have an adbomen and is falling apart, yes. Its not an alive crab.

To me, it just looks like exo remains. You have what looks to be an EE 'mix' for substrate, so it may be possible he burried? Is he hiding in a shell (when moulting they can hide further into shells and look vacant) or in a hideyhole?

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It could be possible he is burrowed down ive read in some cases that it’s okay to look for a molting crab if you think it’s dead or found remains (a case like this) I have only ee right now with some sand mixed in but I bought the bad sand I bought back in October and haven’t gotten new play sand to mix in (i also need more ee) but all my other crabs even my largest still can burrow and they’re not molting right now. Should I very easily and calmly search for him and put my other crabs in an extra tank so I can look for him? There might be at least one shell i’m not finding that I had extra so he could be in one of those if not i’ll look at the other ones inside and search


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[aussieJJDude]

If you do want to dig, I dont think there's much of an issue. Especially since all your known not MIA crabs are up, so its not like your going to stumble across moulters. I usually reccomend people to go with their guts in circumstances like this.

If you do dig, let us know of the outcome!

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