My First Hermit Crab Molt! A few questions.

[HermitCrabsRock828]

Hi! I'm REALLY excited! The reason why is today i was looking at my hermie tank and i realized one (Jayy) was missing. I thought maybe he was just hiding so i didn't think anything of it. A little later, i heard shuffling in the sand and then i realized that Jayy had buried himself! I think he may be molting because he lost two legs (no claws, thank God!) and i know that hermit crabs bury themselves when they molt. I just had a few questions. One, unfortunatley, i don't have an isolation tank just yet so is it safe for Jayy to molt in the same tank? I only have two crabs, Jayy included, if that makes a difference. Two, in what ways could i make him less stressed? And last, how can you tell the difference between a molting crab and a dead crab just because i don't know how Thanks!!!
PS- If you have any advice for me because this is my very first crab molt, please let me know!!!

[Careyenz]

The biggest and most important advice anyone will give you is to let nature take it course. You will undoubtedly be tempted to peek, and then worry because "it's taking so long.". Let Mother Nature take care of your crabbie! Of course you want to keep your tank moist, and have shells available for him to switch into when he resurfaces. I just had 4 molters come up, and three of the four changed shells with the first day. The fourth is still trying them on for size-obviously a female!

[DragonsFly]

Make sure your substrate is deep enough (at least twice as deep as your largest crab) and firm enough that he can make a good, solid burrow for himself (sand moistened to sand-castle consistency is ideal).

I have two crabs as well; one went down to molt and I had no option for putting the other anywhere else; a few days later she decided to join him in molting--the same thing may happen with yours. You'll hear "horror stories" about crabs eating other molting crabs, but if he is able to bury himself naturally, I expect that's less likely. Also, making sure you keep offering good, attractive sources of protein and chitin in the tank should help. Shrimp tails, freeze dried shrimp, sea sponge, and the "molter's favorites," organic peanut butter and organic honey. Keep these kinds of things available even if they both go down, since you can't predict when one or the other may come back up and be really hungry.

As for making him less stressed, maintaining proper conditions (temperature, humidity, air flow, day/night cycle) in the tank, providing a variety of healthy foods and behavioral opportunities (climbing structures, hideys, moss pits, extra shells), and leaving them alone to destress and/or molt are probably the best recipe for that. If you just got these crabs, the leg loss may be from previous bad conditions, but just in case, you should review the care sheets under "References and Links" here and make sure all your conditions are good, to prevent any further problems with him or the other crab.

As for how to tell if you crab is dead, you can look around on the board here; there are lots of posts about how to tell if your crab is dead. The bottom line is that, unless you smell a powerful smell like rotten fish, you should not assume the crab is dead. In fact, even if you DO smell this, first you should look for rotting food in the tank, because often they will bury food and it is this that is giving off the smell. If your crab isn't moving, and you smell that "decomposition" smell, and you are sure it is the crab and not anything else in the tank giving off that smell, then you can be pretty confident that your crab is no longer with you.

Good luck!

[HermitCrabsRock828]

Make sure your substrate is deep enough (at least twice as deep as your largest crab) and firm enough that he can make a good, solid burrow for himself (sand moistened to sand-castle consistency is ideal).

I have two crabs as well; one went down to molt and I had no option for putting the other anywhere else; a few days later she decided to join him in molting--the same thing may happen with yours. You'll hear "horror stories" about crabs eating other molting crabs, but if he is able to bury himself naturally, I expect that's less likely. Also, making sure you keep offering good, attractive sources of protein and chitin in the tank should help. Shrimp tails, freeze dried shrimp, sea sponge, and the "molter's favorites," organic peanut butter and organic honey. Keep these kinds of things available even if they both go down, since you can't predict when one or the other may come back up and be really hungry.

As for making him less stressed, maintaining proper conditions (temperature, humidity, air flow, day/night cycle) in the tank, providing a variety of healthy foods and behavioral opportunities (climbing structures, hideys, moss pits, extra shells), and leaving them alone to destress and/or molt are probably the best recipe for that. If you just got these crabs, the leg loss may be from previous bad conditions, but just in case, you should review the care sheets under "References and Links" here and make sure all your conditions are good, to prevent any further problems with him or the other crab.

As for how to tell if you crab is dead, you can look around on the board here; there are lots of posts about how to tell if your crab is dead. The bottom line is that, unless you smell a powerful smell like rotten fish, you should not assume the crab is dead. In fact, even if you DO smell this, first you should look for rotting food in the tank, because often they will bury food and it is this that is giving off the smell. If your crab isn't moving, and you smell that "decomposition" smell, and you are sure it is the crab and not anything else in the tank giving off that smell, then you can be pretty confident that your crab is no longer with you.

Good luck!

Thanks so much! I got Jayy (the molting one) recently, and i had bought him with the leg loss. The other, Andy, i've had for almost a year now, and he is in good shape. I got Jayy as soon as i found out that hermit crabs are very social and cannot live alone. I was thankful that Andy made it that far by himself. But now they are both really bright and active and they are great company to eachother.

[DragonsFly]

I'm concerned if you have had Andy for almost a year and he has not molted. How big is he?

[HermitCrabsRock828]

I'm concerned if you have had Andy for almost a year and he has not molted. How big is he?

Andy is about 3 inches (horizantally) and 2.5 (vertically). However, i did this with a 12 inch. ruler, so i don't think it's exact. He is a jumbo, i think. He's about the size of my palm, maybe a little bigger. He has never molted ever since i got him and isn't showing signs that he may molt soon. I got him last june. All my requirements are met in the tank. Except for a humidifier, which i am getting this weekend. I use play sand that is about 5.5 inches deep. I use a heat lamp and a heat pad. I have saltwater AND freshwater pools deep enough for both crabs to submerge in, and a bunch of other stuff. I checked and pretty much all my requirements are met besides the humidifier which i am getting this weekend. Should i be concered that he hasn't molted yet?
PS- i am getting his shell measured with a shell measurer this weeked, so i'll let you know when i get my exact results. Then with his shell size you should be able to get a better idea of how big he is.

[DragonsFly]

Okay, since June is only 8 months; that's much less than a year, and if he is a jumbo, that's probably not too long.

There is a hermit crab sizing chart you can print out (I think it is in the "References and Links"?). Just print it on a regular piece of printer paper, and then you can put Andy in the middle of it and it will give you a size reference you can use to refer to him. I think it's better to size the crab than the shells, since some kinds of shell will be bigger overall but have a smaller opening than others, which may be a smaller shell when you measure the whole shell, but have a bigger opening, if that makes sense. Plus, some crabs like to wear shells that to us seem like they would be too big for them, while others will stick with a shell that we think seems too small, sometimes for a long time.

Anyway, it sounds like things are going well. And don't worry that Andy doesn't seem to have company now that the other is down molting--I think they actually know the other crab is there even under the sand (after my first one went down, when the other one was still up, she would spend the day sitting on top of where the first one was under the sand, until she decided to go down and molt herself). And it may be that Andy decides to molt now in a few days, too. It is apparently fairly common for one crab's going down to molt to trigger others to do the same.

[HermitCrabsRock828]

Okay, since June is only 8 months; that's much less than a year, and if he is a jumbo, that's probably not too long.

There is a hermit crab sizing chart you can print out (I think it is in the "References and Links"?). Just print it on a regular piece of printer paper, and then you can put Andy in the middle of it and it will give you a size reference you can use to refer to him. I think it's better to size the crab than the shells, since some kinds of shell will be bigger overall but have a smaller opening than others, which may be a smaller shell when you measure the whole shell, but have a bigger opening, if that makes sense. Plus, some crabs like to wear shells that to us seem like they would be too big for them, while others will stick with a shell that we think seems too small, sometimes for a long time.

Anyway, it sounds like things are going well. And don't worry that Andy doesn't seem to have company now that the other is down molting--I think they actually know the other crab is there even under the sand (after my first one went down, when the other one was still up, she would spend the day sitting on top of where the first one was under the sand, until she decided to go down and molt herself). And it may be that Andy decides to molt now in a few days, too. It is apparently fairly common for one crab's going down to molt to trigger others to do the same.

Thanks And now i feel much better that i have been reassured that Andy will be just fine (and may molt soon, aswell!) I just can't wait until Jayy resurfaces and i get to see his pretty new self And his legs will be back! YAY! If you don't mind my asking, how long would it take for a small or medium hermit crab to molt. I think Jayy is a small, but i'm not sure if he is a small or medium. I think he may be in the middle somewhere.

[DragonsFly]

How long it takes for a crab to molt depends on the crab; usually the smaller ones molt more often and faster than the larger ones. Since he probably will be using this molting to regrow his legs, it may take a bit longer than just a normal molt would for him, also. There's really no way to know for sure. Patience is an important character trait for a crab keeper! Finally, don't despair if he doesn't get both his legs back all perfect the first time; he may need to come up, eat some good food and save up resources to molt again to get them both back correctly.

[CrabbyMom33]

What size tank do you have for your crabs? I was just wondering because even with only 2 crabs it would be best to have larger than a 10 gallon, or plan for getting something bigger since you have a large/jumbo. Also, when they do decide to molt they dig around a bit and having a little deeper substrate would be good, but you probably shouldn't add any while Jayy is down to molt. Good luck with the molt and like DragonsFly said, just be patient because it may be a while.

[HermitCrabsRock828]

What size tank do you have for your crabs? I was just wondering because even with only 2 crabs it would be best to have larger than a 10 gallon, or plan for getting something bigger since you have a large/jumbo. Also, when they do decide to molt they dig around a bit and having a little deeper substrate would be good, but you probably shouldn't add any while Jayy is down to molt. Good luck with the molt and like DragonsFly said, just be patient because it may be a while.

Thanks And i have a 10 gallon as of now, but i may be getting a bigger tank pretty soon. Thanks for the advice