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| Say NO to Crabinacup sold at Walmart! Such humiliation and animal cruelty against hermit crabs must not be tolerated. |
| Say NO to the painted shells sold in many pet stores! Hermit crabs are not toys, nor are their shells. |
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| We truly appreciate your support! You may use the 90×90 icon above if you wish, but please upload it to your own server. |
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| A human consists of body tissue encasing his or her skeleton. Such a skeleton is called an endoskeleton (the prefix "endo" means "internal"). On the other hand, a land hermit crab consists of body tissue encased by its skeleton. Such a skeleton is called an exoskeleton (the prefix "exo" means "external"). The exoskeleton of a hermit crab does not grow at the same rate as its body, therefore the hermit crab must shed it periodically to survive. Snakes and scorpions also moult in order to grow in size. Do not confuse the process of moulting with a hermit crab changing the seashell that it wears. |
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| Moulting is an extremely stressful time for hermit crabs. Many hermit crabs in captivity die due to problems relating to moulting. As a survival mechanism, hermit crabs possess the ability to secrete a hormone that delays moulting for short time periods until they feel comfortable in their environment. However, if excessive levels of the moult-inhibiting hormone build up in the hermit crab's body, the hermit crab will die of stress. Many hermit crabs die in captivity due to this particular reason, because their owners fail to provide them with an ideal terrarium set up. |
| Below are some important points to keep in mind to encourage your hermit crabs to moult when necessary. |
| 1. |
Humidity maintained between 72% - 82% at all times: Hermit crabs will not try to moult unless they can breathe properly. |
| 2. |
Prolonged periods of darkness: Most hermit crabs will not moult unless they are in pitch darkness. This is why hiding places and a deep substrate must be offered to hermit crabs. |
| 3. |
Access to sufficient amounts of sea salt: Salt water is not used by hermit crabs for "bathing" alone. Sea salt is needed by hermit crabs to build up enough hydrostatic pressure in their bodies to crack and shed their exoskeleton. Check that the salt water is concentrated enough. |
| 4. |
Adequate warmth: This is still debatable. Although hermit crabs need warm temperatures in their normal daily life above the substrate surface, they are able to successfully moult and recover whilst buried in cooler regions of the substrate. |
| 5. |
Privacy: Avoid fiddling with the pre-moult hermit crab. Hermit crabs will be reluctant to moult if they are overcrowded. Moulters are very vulnerable to attacks by other hermit crabs, because they are very soft without their exoskeleton. Provide plenty of room for your hermit crabs so that they can be left undisturbed for long periods of time. Moulters have been mauled or cannibalised by their tank mates due to overcrowding. |
| 6. |
Ideal substrate: Most hermit crabs will bury themselves before moulting. The substrate must be deep enough for the hermit crab to bury itself completely. This is why substrate choice is extremely important. Some substrates are safe for moulting, while others are not. Gravel and wood shavings are examples of "bad" substrates, while sand and coconut fibre have supported many moulting hermit crabs. |
| 7. |
Nutritious diet: Hermit crabs will not moult unless they have sufficient energy to do so. They need to be fed a wide variety of foods to grow. Remember, proteins from meat are essential for growth. |
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| Not all hermit crabs will display symptoms if they are planning to moult soon. Although the isolation of moulters is not essential for their survival, it does eliminate the risk of them being killed by their tank mates. |
| 1. |
Presence of a dark, round sack of fat and water inside the hermit crab's shell. |
| 2. |
The hermit crab's eyes appear to fade in colour, like cataracts. |
| 3. |
The hermit crab's exoskeleton appears ashy and worn out. |
| 4. |
Change of the hermit crab's eating and drinking habits. Some hermit crabs will eat more, while others will not eat at all. |
| 5. |
The hermit crab sits in a water dish, particularly the saline one, for long periods of time. |
| 6. |
The hermit crab becomes dormant and unsocial. |
| 7. |
The hermit crab has a non-stop urge for digging. |
| 8. |
If the hermit crab was missing legs or claws, then a whitish gel bud will grow on the area where the limb was detached from the hermit crab's body. The gel bud will later grow into a full sized limb after a few moults. |
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