HELP!!!
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ilovehermitcrabs!
- Zygote
- Posts: 17
- Joined: 05 Apr 2009, 03:32
- Hermit crabs: 4
HELP!!!
my hermit crab molted maybe 3 to 4 weeks ago and he hasn't eaten ANY of his exoskeleton what do i do?
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Wai
- Administrator
- Posts: 2921
- Joined: 01 Nov 2004, 14:12
- Gender: Male
- Hermit crabs: 6
- Total gallons: 45
- Total tanks: 1
- Location: Victoria, Australia
- Contact:
Re: HELP!!!
How big is your moulter? Are you absolutely sure that the exoskeleton was shed three to four weeks ago?
My advice would be to do nothing. Just patiently watch and see what happens. You can't force a hermit crab to eat its exoskeleton.
My advice would be to do nothing. Just patiently watch and see what happens. You can't force a hermit crab to eat its exoskeleton.
Wai
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ladybug15057
- Coenobita
- Posts: 3098
- Joined: 03 Mar 2008, 04:12
- Gender: Female
- Hermit crabs: 82
- Total gallons: 305
- Total tanks: 7
- Location: Southwestern Pa., U.S.
Re: HELP!!!
I realize this is a little late, but thought I would mention it anyway.
Do you have any freeze dried baby shrimp exo's or other chitin containing foods? Any high calcium foods?
It is thought that if and when a molter doesn't eat their exo there is the possibility that it has come across something toxic and why they are not eating the exo. The only time I had a molter not eat or barely eat their exo was a couple months after I began to use 1/2 play sand in our tanks They had developed a whitish film on their exo's. After researching play sand and how harmful it is I swapped out all play sand in the tanks. Within a month of bathing the hermies a couple of weeks the film left and once again all molters began to eat their exo's.
Question too, was/is this a surface molter? Is your substrate damp or dry?
Do you have any freeze dried baby shrimp exo's or other chitin containing foods? Any high calcium foods?
It is thought that if and when a molter doesn't eat their exo there is the possibility that it has come across something toxic and why they are not eating the exo. The only time I had a molter not eat or barely eat their exo was a couple months after I began to use 1/2 play sand in our tanks They had developed a whitish film on their exo's. After researching play sand and how harmful it is I swapped out all play sand in the tanks. Within a month of bathing the hermies a couple of weeks the film left and once again all molters began to eat their exo's.
Question too, was/is this a surface molter? Is your substrate damp or dry?
Marie (aka ladybug15057)
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