Hermit Crab out of shell! Help!

Question
Thanks Vicki, Got your e-mail and really appreciate your insights. I wanted to say that this was not a surface molt. Pearl, (my crab) was buried for more that two months.I did get worried a couple of times and did check on her to see if she was still alive.She has been out of her shell now for more than twenty hours. Is she in danger? I will take your advice and add more shells but she just doesn't seem interested in them at all.Thanks again for your quick response.
Susan Golddiesp@aol.com P.S. I didn't know that they will leave there shells if they are to hot. GREAT TIP!
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Followup To

Question -
Hi! I have a crab that recently molted.When it finished and unburied itself it acted like it didn't know where it was. It was very lethargic and I was worried.At first it stayed in the shell it molted in for a few days,but it didn't seem to be eating or drinking. I tried to make sure there was food and water as close as possible so it didn't have to go far due to it being so lethargic. Then I got up one morning and it was out of it's shell just siting by the food dish. I thought maybe the shell was to heavy so it left the shell behind in order to eat. I seperated it from the other crabs for safty and gave it a bunch of shells and food and wter. For five hours it just sat there. Finally it picked a shell and really strugged to get in it. When it finally did it picked a shell I thought was to small,but I felt it knew what it was doing so I left it alone and put it back in the main tank. For about three days it didn't move around at all so again I moved the food and water close.Then yesterday I checked on her and she appeared dead. She was still in her shell so I thought this just doesn't seem right since they usally leave the shell when they die. So I watered her down and I could see she would barely move; some little tiny movement so I just wasn't completely sure she was dead. Then she fell out of her shell. I asked my husband to come and look and he would say  I think she is dead you have to let her go. Tears! I just kept spraying her or I would touch her to see if there was any movement at all. I keep seeing tiny little movements but my husband was convinced that I had looked at her so long my eyes were playing tricks on me.So I finally decided she was dead. I put her in a box very gently and wraped her in some paper towles. I put the box in the trash can outside. About six hours later it was time for bed and I just couldn't stop feeling like I better check and just be sure she was dead. So at eleven thirty at night I ran to the trash can and opened the box and there she was sitting up and looking at me like why did you put me in here and leave me. I was just estatic! I ran in the house yelling shes alive! Much to my husbands surprise. Thank God she is alive.But now she is out of the shell and won't get in one. She is soaking herself in the salt water and I have seen her drink. I don't know if she is eating or not. I need to know if you know whats going on with her. Is she dying slowly or is she just not done molting or what? Should I be worried shes not in a shell? What should I do for her to insure she will make it through this. I just love her so much. Thank you for any insight anyone may have on this issue.
Susan
Golddiesp@aol.com

Answer -
After a molt they can be very lethargic. It's a stressful time for a hermit crab when molting. Usually if you seperate them, it's best to keep it isolated until it's hardened up and moving around like normal. When they molt, they need a calcium source and both waters.
As for being out of the shell. They can be picky. Make sure to offer many types and sizes of shells. Make sure they are sterile and nothing inside to hurt their abdomen. A shell can be too heavy,not the right fit or if it's too hot in the tank it will leave it's shell.
Im assuming this was a surface molt? Most hermit crabs will bury to molt. This offers them protection. What are your tank conditions like?
For more information feel free to check out my forum.
http://hermitcrabaddiction.net/forum/index.php
Thanks,
Vicki

Answer
I would try to place in a tupperware, some clean shells, dechlor water(just a bit to keep the crabs body moist) and the crab. Leave the tupperware inside the tank. Hopefully it will grab a shell and stay in it. I've had sucess with this method as have others.