Molting

Before I begin this blog post I just want to say that posts may not becoming regularly. My laptop will no longer turn on even if it is charging on the cord - it basically went kaput on me. Unfortunately I'm using my mother's very slow computer, and in the mean time I'm not sure if blog posts will be up once a week. I am currently looking at a new Asus laptop (I love it, just saying), but I'm not sure when I'll be getting it. I'm hoping within the next two months due to school.

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Taking into consideration that Lily and Kermit are now both down for a molt (to my assumption) I will dedicate this post to the ins and outs of hermit crab molting.

Many of you may be asking yourself "what is molting?" Well, molting is the process of shedding their exoskeleton. They may molt for many reasons, but most commonly is that either their exo is too small or they are molting to regenerate limbs they have either broken/lost. They can molt very frequently, or not often at all. Smaller crabs tend to generally molt more often than larger ones, although I'm not entirely sure why. I do believe it's because they must grow, but that may not be the case.

Before your crab molts, you may notice a few signs. These signs would include: increased digging behavior (although if they only dig down during the day and eat at night then they're only destressing), their body turns to a ashy/grey color, increased appetite/thirst before they go down to dig, or they will grow gel-limbs before they go down to molt. Don't worry if you begin to see molting signs - crabs are masters at this. The only time you would have to worry is if you either find another crab attacking the molter or you smell a strong fishy scent (ultimately means death).

When you realize your crab is down for a molt, leave him/her alone. All you need to do is just keep the humidity/heat leveled in the tank and keep the tank dark as well as check the water and food (I use food that can last long without being replaced when they are down molting). Don't worry that they aren't eating - when they shed their exoskeleton they will eat it to absorb all of the needed minerals it supplies. Being left alone is their friend and you want to make sure there is as limited of stress as possible. They will come up eventually - but it can take up to two months, sometimes longer depending on the crab.

If you do, however, find that there are problems, it is always good to have an ISO tank. This is a simple tank that doesn't need much cleaning. All you need is 6-8 inches of substrate, a hide or two, a climbing toy, food/water dished, and a supplier for heat. You can move your molter into the ISO tank and place a hide atop of it, covering the opening with a shell and then covering the tank with a towel to keep it dark. They will be safe there.

Well that is all the information I can provide on molting. I found my research by this article as well as from my own experience. I hope you all enjoyed reading!