Naked crabbie, please help

[rob.liz]

Hi I am a relatively new crab owner and haven't yet gone through a sucessful molt. My smallest crab is naked, and hasn't moved for a while he kinda looks like he just turned to stone. He had been displaying moulting signs previous to his streaking, and while he does smell funny it isn't the strong fishy smell of death, I have experienced that already. he has a bunch of shells to choose from including his old one, and has been kept isolated, warm humid, and dark.

the end question is; Is he dead?

[Jaci]

one of my crabs is doing the same thing (my first molt). how long has your hermie been out of his shell? mine just got out today, an hour ago actually. i put him in ISO with 3 shells including his old one. he crawled out of his shell and was in a corner of the cage when i found him. he's not a digger, so it surprised me, but his eyes have been dark grey for a couple weeks. is yours also above ground? my crab is also small and i was told they molt within 2-3 weeks after they leave their shell. if a smell is noticed and/or his appendages fall off that is a sign of death. however if it is within the 2-3 weeks they do not move and can seem dead. i'm keeping an eye on tweek. let me know how yours goes! i hope what i learned helps you.

[krazykrablady]

so do crabs come out of their shells to moult or stay in a shell? this is all so confusing! I'm nervous to experience a moult for the first time!! and to think I just noticed today that the larger leg section on Jilly looks odd..

[Jaci]

this is also my first moult. i assume they come out of their shell, moult, eat the exo....then i don't know. this is where i get confused. tweek has shown some signs of moulting for a few weeks and just yesterday came out of his shell. he hasn't dug any holes, nor is he digging any now that he's in ISO. he moved a little after putting him in ISO (walked from the inside the hut to his 3 choices of shells to the sponge to the side of the hut where he is resting now. i'm nervous because sometimes they leave their shell if they're stressed and won't go back. i also heard that they can look dead before they moult. i don't know if this is true or not. this is what someone in epicurean_hermit forum told me:
How often:
A micro will molt ever 2 to 4 weeks
Small Hermie- 4 to 8 weeks
Medium hermie- 2 months to 6 months
Large hermie-6 months to 12 months
Jumbo hermies - 12 months to 18 months

Molt times
a small hermie --- 4 to 6 weeks
Medium hermie--- 5 to 8 weeks.
Large hermie ----- 2 to 3 months
Jumbo hermie ---- 3 to 4 months.

I'm assuming that i'm supposed to wait 4-6 weeks with him in ISO, but I heard, on here, that it shouldn't take longer than 3. i'm so confused!

[krazykrablady]

yikes! I hope everything works out for the lil guy! thank goodness there's sites like this where we can find the info we need so we're not running around freaking out! haha!

[Jaci]

well unfortunately i lost tweek this morning. however my remaining 2 are digging like crazy all of a sudden. i'm hoping this is a better sign than the ones i had with tweek. i will bury him this weekend on my boyfriends farm. we've buried all of our crabs in a field dedicated to deceased family pets.

[krazykrablady]

sorry to hear!

[Jaci]

ok lemi (1 inch long shell) was under the sand for 2 days, but he came up this morning and was in the hut. then he came out, went to the sponge, then started digging by the shell he's picked out. then he came up a couple hours later. i'm so confused as to what he's doing. he's been slower in his movements, i'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. bebe (3 inch long shell) has been digging also but only for about 1/2 an inch down, then settling in and sleeping. i'm assuming she's digging for fun, but i'm unsure what lemi is doing. do you have any experience in this area? i'm hoping for a molt but i'm also nervous because so many other people who have had unsuccessful first molts. I just don't know what to do.

[Wai]

Lemi may be searching for his preferred moulting spot, that is if he is going for a moult in the first place. Just keep an eye on him for more moulting signs.

[Jaci]

do they normally stay down for days if they're digging for fun or digging to find their preferred molting spot? i've noticed that both bebe and lemi have been completely under the sand most of the day yesterday and so far today. they crawl out of their shell, dig, and molt right?