Hermit Crab has mites and is moulting at the same time, I think

Question
Hey there.  I have a 2 year old hermit crab.  He moulted about a year ago and just this morning I noticed he has burrowed again.  He seems to have also lost a piece of his leg.  AND there seems to be mites seemingly overnight. Any idea what's going on here?  Can I move him out of the crabitat to sterilize everything while he's moulting?  IF he's moulting?  Could he just be burrowing to avoid the mites?  Any help would be much appreciated.

Answer
I usually don't recommend digging up a possible molter, but in the case of mites I would. Do it as gently as you can and try not to cause too much stress to him.

As for cleaning it's best to throw out the substrate and start with fresh. Wash all plastic items and bake any wood items after soaking in double strength salt water. Make sure to get the corners of the tank as mites can hide there.

For more information on mites please feel free to visit this website. www.hermitcrabaddiction.net/forum