How often will my crab molt? How long should he be in ISO?

[Hannah]

Hermit crabs usually molt about once every 18 months. Tiny hermies crabs wil molt more often than that, medium hermit crabs will molt about as often as that, usually more often, and jumbos will molt less often.
The amount of time that your hermie is down depends on its size. If the crab is tiny, they can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. A medium hermit can take from a couple of weeks to about a month and a half, maybe longer. A jumbo hermie will be down for a couple of months and maybe longer. The bigger the crab, the longer the molt. Make sure to keep the ISO dark and quiet, the crab will feel more comfortable. You can put him back in the main tank when he resumes normal activity and behaviour.

[Riven Liether]

One of my Es, Asuka, molted without me even knowing it. She was only down for a few days to a week, which it why I never noticed. So, yeah, it does depend on size.

[Hannah]

Yup, I have also discovered that my crabbies come up faster when it is dark. Two of my hermies were down for a while, so I put them in my closet, experimenting to see if this would really work. The next day I checked on them and there was a little pile of sand indicating one had come up.

[I_love_my_hermie23]

so if one hermit crab is molting u have to take it out and Put it in a differnet Tank?????????? and then Place it somewhere Safe and dark How do u know when its about to molt...(do they have white Tips after the molt) or b4

[iluvhermies]

Some of the signs of molting are:
Changes in behavior, looking dull or very sluggish when walking, Exo color fades, suddenly eating or drinking excessively, Sitting in water dish for hours(usually salt water) Digging alot, Eyes cover over (like cataracts) A molt sac of fat and water inside shell.

If you can catch them you can move them to another tank. If they dig down before you fins them DO NOT DIG THEM UP AND MOVE THEM. I have never moved any of mine into ISO for a molt but some crabs and dig up a molting crab and harm it because they do give off a smell while molting. They get the dark black tips after they have molted.

[I_love_my_hermie23]

Well i thought they get white tips cuz i was reading and it said that hermit crabs get white tips b4 the molt and both of my hermit crabs have white tips and one of then has been moisting the sand and then Went in a Cornor (not in the wet sand)

[hermiesrokmysox]

I think PPs sometimes nautrally have white tips, just all the time. I know that ebfore a molt tehir exo gets dull and slightly ugly sometime, haha. after a molt they should have shiny shirp nails at each "foot".

[I_love_my_hermie23]

really are nautraul like that wow i thought it may be cuz they might start to molt

[pizzie]

George molted in January, the day after Mother's Day, and today I went looking for him and he has molted again!
he is getting REALLY big! I think he could reach an Octave on the piano after the Mom's Day molt!
George is the exceptionto the size-time guides rules!

[krabby_katie]

Wow, that's a big crabby. Yeah, Jorgen has those black tips. They're really sharp, and they hurt sometimes. He's starting to get more coloring now. I fed him more peanut butter. I'm still mad at Hubert for eating Jorgen's exo! Oh well, it looks like Jorgen's going to make it, so that's all that counts really.