how often are they supposed to molt?

Jaci · Post by **Jaci** » 15 Feb 2006, 06:33

i have had 2 of my 4 crabs for 6 months. neither one of them have molted yet, is that bad? they are very small and i've read where the smaller ones will molt more often than the bigger ones. please help! am i doing something wrong?

Post by **Wai** » 15 Feb 2006, 22:58

Relax!!!

It's normal for crabs not to moult for a few months. However, it is VERY important that you watch out for your hermit crab's nutrition. If you aren't feeding them enough nutrients such as calcium and protein then they are likely to hold back.

Jaci · Post by **Jaci** » 16 Feb 2006, 05:13

Hm. Well right now I've got grapes in there. Their other food is Crab Island Fruit and Flower Crab Food. Their treats are Hermit Crab Variety Bites which includes coconut, wheat, calcium carbonate, fish meal, krill, carrot, zucchini, sunflower, lettuce, brine shrimp and lots of other stuff. Their food gets switched out every day. Did I buy the right stuff? And, if they start to dig, is that a sign that I should remove the other crabs from the cage?

Post by **Wai** » 16 Feb 2006, 18:21

Most hermit crabs dig for fun, so it's not always moulting. Look for other signs, such as inactiveness or suddenly eating non-stop. You should also give them meat and eggs for protein and iron. Check the food list.

Jaci · Post by **Jaci** » 17 Feb 2006, 06:07

this is obviously will be my first molt, so I have so many questions. I have one crab, Bebe, whom I've noticed when I put her back in the cage after letting her walk around a while, will head straight to the food dish. she doesn't spend a lot of time there, but she's been going there more often than before. Would this qualify as "excessive eating?" Bebe is still very active. Also another one of my crabs, Tweek, has something above one of his eyes. I've watched him wash himself and whatever it is won't come off. I read the "Pre Molt Signs" and ashy exo and grey eyes are a sign. Does this thing above Tweek's eye mean something? I'm sorry about all these questions, I'm just nervous because I don't know what to really expect with molting. Will the crabs show all the Pre Molt signs or just a few? If they show 1-2 is that significant enough to separate them? What if two of my crabs show signs for molting?

Jaci · Post by **Jaci** » 17 Feb 2006, 08:27

ok, sitting here i was wondering how we can tell the difference between inactivity and a crab who is dying. i had a crab who became inactive, so i put him in the ISO container and he didn't move for 3 days. he was loosely in his shell, but did not fall out. i put my fingernail on one of his legs and gently pulled. at first it came out but didn't fall out. however, as the day wore on, he still didn't move, so I pulled on his leg again and it came out further. i put him back in the ISO tank, and when he hadn't moved that night, I figured he had passed away.

krazykrablady · Post by **krazykrablady** » 17 Feb 2006, 16:38

one of my crabs had been sitting near the water dishes for almost 2 days, mostly hanging out of his shell... saddly to say, I came home and he was completely out of his shell dead in the water dish

I'm very nervous as to what's going to happen during my crabs first molt, let me know how it goes for you!

Jaci · Post by **Jaci** » 18 Feb 2006, 03:18

well i've noticed tweek has been acting lethargic lately and he has something over his right eye that won't come off, so i've put him in the ISO tank just in case, since that's one of the signs of a moult. he has his own food, sponge and hut. i'm planning on keeping him in the ISO tank for a few weeks, no contact, just to see how he does. i will keep you in touch bc this will be my first moult (if that's what's going on) also.

Post by **Wai** » 18 Feb 2006, 20:50

Hermit crabs don't always fall out of their shells when they pass away. Sometimes a leg or their abdomen is still hanging onto the shell inside thus preventing them from falling out when you hold them upside-down.

Jaci · Post by **Jaci** » 19 Feb 2006, 01:48

really. i didn't know that one. i just assumed that they fell out. well, we buried Butters yesterday. I have another question. Tweek, the one that has that thing over his eye and has been acting weird, seems to have become more active since I put him in ISO. I noticed that my other 2 will be awake and out of their shells when i picked up the hut. Tweek wouldn't be and it took him a while to actually wake up and come out of his shell. when he did he would just look around and clean his claws, he wouldn't really walk around. that's another reason i put him in ISO. did i do the right thing? does that qualify as "lethargic"? i'm so confused.