Molting: The tough cycle all hermit crabs go through

Did you know that hermit crabs molt? Well, they do. Nature takes care of it in the wild. As a pet, crabs can die through this without the proper care. Many first-time crab owners lose their crabs because they don't leave them alone and may throw away the shedded exoskeleton. So what do you do when your crab is molting? Take a look at my directions and it'll seem easy.

Step 1: Is my crab molting? 

Signs of a pre-molt crab are:

Your hermie may dig around the tank, looking for a safe place to bury himself. They need to dig deep to protect from predators during this time.

The crab will eat and drink like there's no tomorrow. When crabs molt, they need lots of extra energy during the process. They lose loads of nutrients, carotene, calcium, and energy once they shed their skin. Thus, you can't get rid of the shedded exoskeleton. They must eat it to regain lost nutrients and will die if they don't have it available. So if you catch a crab stuffing himself, offer him lots of food and prepare for a molt! 

The crab will be less active than usual. Hermit crabs need to rest to save energy before they molt and will bury themselves and rest after eating lots of food.

If a crab is pre-molt, bathe him in a bowl of saltwater and create and Isolation Tank. This is a private tank where your crabs go when they are molting, being too aggressive (I explain more about behaviour later in the blog), or have just got back from the pet store and are having a hard time settling in and need some space to get used to "home". A 5 gallon or 2.5 gallon makes a good iso tank. It needs a heater, humidity gauge, food, water, saltwater, and shells. You probably won't need to use any toys, though. Be sure to provide it with at least 6 inches of digging material (calci-sand, coconut fiber, sand, crushed coral, etc.). Once the crab has stored up energy, he will bury himself. Once he has done this, he will usually shed his skin down there and bring it up the next day. Then, he will eat it. Some crabs "surface molt", meaning they will not bury and shed their skin above the substrate. One of my crabs, Finn, is going through the molting process now and he decided to surface molt, then I knew all of you needed the info on molting. Once you see the exoskeleton above ground, then mist the tank and leave the crab ALONE. You need to trust that the crab can do it himself and make sure others leave him alone as well. Not just pets and other crabs, but people, too. If you notice a strong fishy odor coming from the tank, you may need to have a crab funeral. Sadly, not all hermit crabs survive the molting process. But all you can do is mist him and make sure he has food and water. 

If your crab molts without you knowing, make a divider out of plastic or cardboard to separate him from other crabs, who will turn into crazy cannibals when they smell a molting crab. Make sure it is deep enough so they cannot dig under it, but make it tall so they can't climb over it either.