HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I've had Bunny and Chestnut since April (more or less). And during that time they haven't molted for me yet. I've bought two other ones n May and both of them have molted for me successfully. What I don't understand is how the other two are comfortable enough to molt for me and survive through the process yet Bunny and Chestnut won't molt?? There's been no drastic changes or whatever to pinpoint what prevents them from molting during those couple of months I've had them... And I mean aside from the cold, Snail has managed to molt a second time for me and is doing well :S What's up with that? Is this a normal thing for some of your hermits? Or are my babies odd?

some only molt once or twice a year, it depends on size and age. plus crabs that molt right away after being put in a new tank is usually to help them get healthy again, it might just be because your crabs are just fine and healthy or maybe they dont need to yet

that is a little on the odd side. Could you tell us some more about your crabs and your set up? Such as size of crabs and species. What size tank, what type of substrate and how deep.

I have an E that I got in April that just finished his first molt with us. All of our other crabs had molted at least once. I was really worried about him since he hadn't molted, but when I did a deep clean, he went down and came back up just fine. Still hasn't changed out of his awful painted shell though.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Sand and EE. Around 2.5 inches.

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read? Have an accurite gauge now that's located in the middle part of the tank.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? 60 watts heat lamp

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)? Both treated water, salt and fresh.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? Several diff kinds. A ton of food from Suebee's and HCP.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? All are PPs. April and May.

7. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 10 gallon tank with a screen lid. Half is covered with foil and some of the space is covered with a towel.

8. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 4: all in a median rage of medium.

9. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? A couple... maybe 6 right now.

10. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? Nope.

11. How often do you clean the tank and how? I just scoop out what I see.

12. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? No.

13. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? No.

it could be your substrate is too shallow and they don't feel comfortable molting. In my opinion with mediums they should have molted by now and there might be a problem. The extra larges and jumbos can go 6 months without a molt but mediums should be every 2 or 3 months. Try adding another 2 or 3 inches of substrate.

Ok, so I have since renovated my tank and have more sand now. Still no sign of digging on their part... what's wrong with them??

I have a large that only molts every 8 to 10 months. (I've had him since May of 2010 and he's only molted three times with me.) He's definitely not a big crab by any means, but he goes twice as long between molts as crabs twice his size.

As long as the conditions are right, your other crabs are molting, and they aren't showing signs of stress it may be just they way they are. You had said something prior about the cold in the tank - What is your temp and humidity? That could affect their molting cycle if they are too cool or too dry, and it could be that Snail is the toughest of the group compared to these other two.

My temp and humidity fluctuates over time. On good days, my temp is 72F with humidity there as well. The two that have molted was during winter time so they also had to deal with these tough conditions...

Do you mean you get highs of 72F? Because low 70s is much too low for crabbies Unless you mean you get lows of 72F

?? I don't understand the high and low 70 you're saying. It is 72 on good days. I have trouble getting the right conditions in my tank and have gone through a ton of questions and trials in here and in my tank. So far I have a UTH as my heater source. It wasn't supposed to be that way but since my bulb exploded I am wary on going down that route again.

You could try a ceramic heat emitter. They work almost as well as bulbs. 72 is much too low.

I have three Flucker's 5.5" domes that I've been using for a couple of years now and have had no problems. (I like that brand as it's a completely ceramic base.) A low-watt bulb under 50W won't get too hot and shouldn't cause you any problems. As long as the bulb doesn't touch a metal screen and it doesn't get sprayed with water the likelihood of another explosion is very low.

Ultratherms would be the best UTH to go with for heat, but I believe that ZooMed is also rather decent. If one UTH isn't enough you should consider getting a second one or a larger one. Look at the wattage of the UTH rather than the physical size as a judge of how much heat it will put out.

Depending on the brand you're using you may be able to insulate it. Anything that will reflect or hold heat into the tank would be a huge help. (ie, aluminum foil under the tank lid or on the ends of the tank.)

Yep I did just that wodesorel UTH is a 22 wattage and it was the largest one that would fit my entire back. I've also placed a towel over it to keep the heat in. Half of my lid is also covered in foil. I've done the best as I can
This is a 10 gallon tank only so a ceramic one isnt the best option for me I think. Since I have a huge amount of sand at both ends it will make it difficult for me to use another uth.