Molt Fever!
Beans molted again on October 14, 2006. He last molted in March 2006. I bet that molting feels good for crabs...... 
posted by Angel @ 7:20 PM
13 comments
Let's Talk Crabs!
Everything you have wanted to know about crabs, but were afraid to ask! These are all photos that I look myself. Click on any photo for a larger view..... ENJOY!
Friday, October 20, 2006
Beans molted again on October 14, 2006. He last molted in March 2006. I bet that molting feels good for crabs......
13 Comments:
Angel,
I'm so glad I found this page, you are really great with the camera. I am a new crab owner and think my little tiny baby crab (billy) is molting, I didn't wanna disturb him so I cut the bottom off a water bottle and carefully edged it around him, but will he wanna change shells immediately? should I get a bigger bottle or try moving him to a iso cage like you've got? sorry this is so wordy, you just seem like the right person to ask! Happy Crabbin'
Thanx
-Becca
Thanks Becca! Sorry... it ONLY took me FOUR months to reply now... oops!
I think what you did with the water bottle was probably best. It's always a hard decision to know what to do when you are experiencing your first molt. I sectioned off a part of my crabitat when Beans molted so that no other crabs could get to him. I provided him with fresh water/food daily and extra shells. After he ate all of his exoskeleton and was moving about regularly I took away his separator. It took approximately 10 days.
how can you tell when they are going to molt??
andria,
well.. i have been able to tell by a few of their symptoms. Sometimes they may sit very still for a few days, or bury themselves for awhile. I also have one crab that likes to sit on the edge of the water basin for a few days too. They will often get an "ashy" or gray-looking color to their body and eyes.
mine have been changing to a yellowish color. i have 4 babys and when i got them they where a green color. only one of them are still a green color. but the other 3 are turning that yellow color.
i also have 3 big ones and there are 2 of them that LOVE hanging out in the soil. and one of them are also turning yellow. so im getting really scared.
im sorry im asking alot. but i dont know what to do. And your really good about these things.
I cant say as though I am familiar with my crabs turning a yellowish color... sorry. I am not really an expert, so I dont know what to tell you..... I hope that they are healthy and doing ok!
well they are still running around and have energy. and i have everything they need. i have good food, water, salt water, i give them a bath daily.
i clean there cage regularly so i dont know what im doing wrong. like is said before i have had 3 of them since christmas.
i thought my hermit crab, Sebastian was dying when my mom found him this afternoon. she blatantly said, i think he's dead. mind you, i'm a pregnant hormonal wreck and that didn't help. I then, not realizing he was molting (my first hermit crab and molting experience) spritzed him with water. he was forcing his shell out and i didn't know. i then put him down and his shell fell off after 5 minutes of blubbering. i isolated him and placed him in the calci-sand and placed his exoskeleton with him. I hope he'll be okay. My care book said NOTHING about the actual process. Oy vay, my stomach is still in knots, 6 hours later.
thanks for the pictures. i'm feeling a little better now about the process. GREAT PHOTOS TOO!!
If you give the crabs a deep moist bed of sand, they will NEVER moult on the surface. They MUCH prefer to be in a dug in cave, in complete darkness. In fact, the light actually inhibits moulting.
Actually, my PP has done 3 surface molts.
Hey Angel. I could really use your help! I have my crab in the ISO tank because I thought he was sick because he's become more lazy, he used to be my most energetic crab of the 3. But anyway, all day now he's been coming more and more out of his shell and he's just sitting there like he's dead but he doesn't smell at all. I could compare his color to that exoskeleton in this picture. I don't know what to do? I read that it helps for them to be in darkness so that's what I did and it's warm and moist in there, I'm just really scared because I've never had a crab molt before and I'm really worried because he's coming more and more out of his shell???
Carolyn, just keep in mind that molting is not always something that happens in just one day. If he is molting it could take quite a few hours. Just let him/her be and let it take its time if it molting. Instincts will kick in and your crab will be just fine if it is molting. Just ensure humidity and clean food/water. Let me know how its going!
angel i loveeee ur pics and ur really helpfull but i have one question for u hopefully u can get back to me soon cuz im freaking out lol. ok my hermie milton is half way out of his shell, and i have never seen any crab molt yet so this is all new, but i dont know if he really is molting because he kind of stinks, BUT i picked him up to see if he was dead (dumb i know) and he kind of twichted SOO IDK IF HE really is dead or just molting!!! PLEASE HELP ME !!!!! :O
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