Hermit crab will not come out of shell even during bath

[creativeusername]

We were going to take two of our crabs out of isolation and put them back in the bigger clean tank. Upon our weekly rounds of spot cleaning food out of tank and checking on crabs we discovered one of the crabs near a piece of molded food as well as mold on the outside of his shell. We dumped the play sand out of the isolation tank, moved the healthy crab into the main tank, and then gave the mold one a bath. We gently got the mold off the shell with a tooth brush and left him in the water for no more than a minute or two tops. The crab showed no movement during the whole process and didn't even come out of the shell. He appears tightly in the shell but just flat out won't move at all. We put him back in the isolation tank with play sand, extra shells, food, and water but I don't know what else to do. I don't want to keep picking him up or poke him with anything...I feel like he got mold food poisoning or something. The last time I saw him being normal was Wednesday...

[soilentgringa]

I would give him some time. If he is tightly in his shell and refusing to come out, he is probably just stressed by all the handling and not wanting to be bothered. Offer high energy foods and maintain optimal crabitat conditions. If he didn't make it he would be limp and falling out of the shell (in my experience) and would have a dead shellfish stench.

[creativeusername]

Would the mold have caused any of it? Our hermits are rarely ever handled except when we need to move them or the rare bath occasions like today. I'm confused why didn't move during the bath unless it was because we scrubbed the mold off his shell. I'm just worried he has molded walnut food poisoning or something

[singlemomwithcrab]

Mold isn't harmful to crabs. It's just that we might be allergic to it. Rest easy.

[YYWW]

I watched one of my crabs pick and eat a piece of moldy wood. He's still going strong. SHRUG


Crabbers unite!!!