QuestionQUESTION: Hello there i need these answers ASAP please!
A few days or weeks ago a hermit crab died of mine... its leg had fallen off and it was totally dry and dead ...we waited to see and nothing so we threw it away now im left with only one my very hermy...hes been having some problems and im scared i dont know whats wrong can you help me!...heres my problems well for starters one day he didnt come up for 24 hours so we thought he was dead and took the whole tank out and put in garage with no lights or anything...my mom was about to throw him out yesterday but she saw him picked him up and he started crawling all around her so we put the tank all back fresh food and water even through in a small grape or too and i thought he was dead again when i go home and picked him up he wouldent move... so i put him back... a few hours later he started eating and drinking and climbing all around... like whats wrong with this hermit crab im thinking...now this morning i checked on him (this is right now its morning right before my school) i looked in tank and what i saw both amazed creeped disgusted and well just plain scared the hell out of me...hes under the food bowl with some kind of body on him thats totally grey...im pretty sure they dont shed there skin but theres some kind of head looking grey thing near him its really ugly and messed please email me back and im cheking after school and if its still there im thinking something weird killed him so pleas please email me back my hermys life is in your hands!!!
thanks bobby
ANSWER: Actually hermit crabs DO shed their exoskeleton in a process called molting and when you see it for the first time it can be very alarming, in fact it can look like your crab is dead.
Leave him and his exoskeleton right where they are, he will need to eat it to regain his strength and nutrients.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hey thank you so much for ur info...i just realized that he was moving and hes all good hes still getting it off i think...also i think that my other one wasnt actually dead he was just also molting =( so i think its still alive in the landfille ='( wow that really hurt....anyway if u have any other important info i should know to keep my crabs from dieing and happy please tell me ...also i always was told molting was when they change shells not shed there exoskeletons ...what is it called when they change shells and when do they do it and how do i know if they are?o they change shells after shed exo or what? thankx so much please email me back asap!
AnswerYou can visit my website for some basic care info. (There's just too much to put here) www.naturallycrabby.com OR try www.crabstreetjournal.com for a TON of great info. The best food info still comes from www.epicureanhermit.com.
Sorry about having to wonder if your other crab was alive, it does happen here and there for newer owners and you just have to move on and try to do the best you can for the little ones in your care now.
Shell changing is just shell changing and they can do it near the time of the molt or any other time. They don't leave their shell to molt and don't necessarily change their shells at molt time. Heck, I've got a crab that was in the same shell for 2 solid years!
The easiest way to know that they've changed is to recognize them by shell and when you find that shell empty on the floor of the cage and a new one missing you know you've got a shell changer.
