HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hello, Two of my crabs went down to molt, one came up (my first molt ) and one is still down, though he went down later and I wouldn't expect him to be up. Anyways what worries me is that starting today there was a bad smell all in the tank :/ if he's dead I'll be so sad because he's our first crab that didn't die right when we got him and we have had him for about a year now. Is there hope?

Did the smell start right when the first one came up? If so you might have a stinky molter. It doesn't happen often I don't think but when it does they really reek.

Stay at home mommy to 4 kids (Ana 11, Joseph 9, Alizabeth 6, and Christian 2) 8 cats, 5 hermits, 4 little molly fish, 3 ferrets, 2 parrakets, 2 Oscars, 1 red eared slider, 1 cockatiel, 1 goldfish and 1 bone headed pittbull.

Actually yes i noticed the smell the day after my crab came up

It's possible that it's a stinky molter...I think the last one I read about they just opened the tank and aired it out for a bit while spraying often to keep the humidity up till the smell toned down a bit....not sure though :-/

Stay at home mommy to 4 kids (Ana 11, Joseph 9, Alizabeth 6, and Christian 2) 8 cats, 5 hermits, 4 little molly fish, 3 ferrets, 2 parrakets, 2 Oscars, 1 red eared slider, 1 cockatiel, 1 goldfish and 1 bone headed pittbull.

Well I hope that's all it is because I don't wanna loose what's really our first crab

Can you just smell the crab that is up? That'd tell you for sure if it's him or the other. I'd smell him


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the crab that's up doesn't smell bad if i bring her close and smell her... D:

Wellll if I had my detective hat on, I'd suspect the one that came up of the originator if a gruesome scene down below. However, I don't own a detective hat.
So how bad is this smell? I smelled it off my friend's tank once. Their crab was very relaxed looking, like it was just enjoying a glass of lemonade on the porch. Its legs and eyes were peeking out of the shell, but all a bit dull and dusty looking. But the smell, and let me take a moment to do my best to describe it, was like a salty fish died for 2 days, then had a cat come by and pee on it, and baked in direct sunlight on a hot summer day.
If I smell anything other than that smell, I'd say it's a stinky molt. It not only smelled of death, but of wasted, peed upon, no turning back death. I'm hoping your smell doesn't smell like that.


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well, I know the smell of dead fish well and of dead crab, and it doesn't quite smell like that. It did at first a little but it definitely cleared up a lot. Also if its related my crab both before the molt and now looks pale gray closer to the top but at the tips of the feet is red.

The smell of my stinky molter started when she came up and only lasted about an hour. She didn't smell, but the stink was coming from her tunnel...gag

If it cleared at all i think it was just a molt. I think the death smell would need to persist for longer, if not initially grow stronger


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YYWW wrote:Wellll if I had my detective hat on, I'd suspect the one that came up of the originator if a gruesome scene down below. However, I don't own a detective hat.
So how bad is this smell? I smelled it off my friend's tank once. Their crab was very relaxed looking, like it was just enjoying a glass of lemonade on the porch. Its legs and eyes were peeking out of the shell, but all a bit dull and dusty looking. But the smell, and let me take a moment to do my best to describe it, was like a salty fish died for 2 days, then had a cat come by and pee on it, and baked in direct sunlight on a hot summer day.
If I smell anything other than that smell, I'd say it's a stinky molt. It not only smelled of death, but of wasted, peed upon, no turning back death. I'm hoping your smell doesn't smell like that.


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So descriptive. Lol

KellyCrabbieLove wrote: So descriptive. Lol

LoL i was on a mission!


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Good news :D
The other crab came up earlier today so he's fine!
yay, thanks for telling me about stinky molters because i would have been really stressed if it wasn't so.
thanks again, cheers :)

Yaaaayyyy happy ending!


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