QuestionQUESTION: Hi, I sent in a question about a mass molt. I heard that it is good to check and make sure that they are alive after a couple of weeks. So I found 1 crabs shell about 1 week ago, and I thought he changed. then I found him underground shelless and thought he was dead i started digging and noticed that as i saw him he was moving around. Then as a releif I realized, HE WAS MOLTING!!:) But I also have a worry, I touched his body, Not hard or anyhing though. Could that hurt him or Do something to upset his molt?!
Please Help Soon! Im Worried!!!!! -Bailey
ANSWER: Touching a crab will not hurt his molt but I am concerned that he was shelless, they generally don't leave their shell to molt.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Oh, I have seen a couple videos of hermit crabs out of their shells while molting , But I have some good news! I found a molted leg at the top of my tank! And I can see a crack of him through the side of the tank and he is active. And one more thing I didnt get to see his abdomen, Is he possibly in a small shell? Because I have also heard that they will go into a smaller shell. Is that what he is doing?
AnswerWhile they are briefly smaller after a molt, they are eventually larger as that is the purpose of a molt, to grow. In the future, there is no need to check on crabs during their molt as often you can interrupt their molt process and they will delay it. A few times of doing this can be very stressful on a crabs metabolism.
