good molt=good momma

Jedi_Sena · Post by **Jedi_Sena** » 22 Aug 2006, 07:35

When we have successful molts, does that mean that we have provided a good environment?

Jaci · Post by **Jaci** » 22 Aug 2006, 08:22

i'd like to think so. it means they are healthy. before i found this forum i had 3 hermies (butters, tweek, token) none of them molted. i didn't know about molting until this forum. all of them have passed away. shelley and timmy i got after and shelley had an unsuccessful molt, i'm not sure why. but she died midmolt. timmy wasn't healthy when i got him, so he passed away a couple weeks ago.

Jedi_Sena · Post by **Jedi_Sena** » 22 Aug 2006, 08:29

Well, the girl that gave them to me said that they never molted in the year that she had had them. I think it is more probable that she never SAW them molt, but then again they were in poor conditions and I know they can hold off for a while. Anyway, the molted within a couple of months in my care. I had done a lot of research (altho' still on a steep learning curve). They both made it and one regrew a leg. Then I got two more. One of my originals died unexplainably, but was always somewhat weak. Then one of my new pair died from a bacterial infection, which I can hardly blame on myself because 3 others emerged from a mass molt picture perfect.
I just wonder if good molts is a sign that you're on the right track, just like bad molts might mean you need some adjustment in your setup or care.

Jaci · Post by **Jaci** » 22 Aug 2006, 08:36

i dont know if it's possible to not molt and still be alive for that long. congrats on rescuring them. sounds like they needed to molt but weren't in the right environment. bc so much is unknown about hermit crabs, there are some diseases that they can get that causes them to die. don't blame yourself on any of your hermies that pass away.

coopsmom · Post by **coopsmom** » 20 Sep 2006, 00:46

I like to think the my number of successful moults vs. unsuccessful is a sign that I am doing a pretty good job. I have one crab that was nickel sized when I got it, and is now bigger than quarter size. She has traded up shells 3 times. She is the queen of the tank, also the most social, she does some crazy stuff and I am always having to figure out where she is since she changes shells almost daily, back and forth between 2 or 3 of the same size.

I have only had one unsuccessful moult and it was one of my weaker crabs. I have lost a few that were not moulting for unknown reasons. My crabs have a pretty standard environment, although I use forest bedding mixed with calci sand and that seems to be to their liking, I have not used strictly sand before.

iluvhermies · Post by **iluvhermies** » 20 Sep 2006, 11:12

I was looking through my hermie journal today and I have bought 80 hermies. 23 have died only 2 or 3 where while molting. the others were shortly after I brought them home. I have had 23 molts. Some where ones that have molted more than once. I have 12 that are buried right now.

hermiesrokmysox · Post by **hermiesrokmysox** » 22 Sep 2006, 10:27

80!!!!!!!!! how many do you currently have, and isn't it ahrd to keep track!??

Anyways, good molts means they are healthy, good san/substrate, humdity, food/calcium.

CONGRATS

iluvhermies · Post by **iluvhermies** » 23 Sep 2006, 11:33

If you have one that makes it through a molt it means they are strong and should be ok. I have 50 right now. I had a vrey disappointing discovery last night. I was getting ready to clean up and give them a bath and it smelled fishy in the tank so I started to dig through the sand. I discovered that I had 8 that were buried and others that had come up ad changed shells on me. Well of the 8 that were buried 6 of them were dead. My sand had be wet so I let it dry out and I guess it got to dry cause they were all pretty stiff and dried out. I had to soak their shells to get them out of them. It was very sad. I did find one who had left her shell buried and came up and found a new shell. I also found out who 2 more were that I did not know who they were. I got to do a total clean too. Had food and lots of old limbs buried in the sand. It was time it had been 7 months since I got to clean it totally.

hermiesrokmysox · Post by **hermiesrokmysox** » 25 Sep 2006, 01:48

awwwww that's so sad! sorry about the losses, but i am glad 2 were successful.