One sign of Molting is a Hermit Crab’s Brown Eyes – like these! Photo also shown on the blog, “Naturally Crabby.” There is a link if you scroll all the way down!
This is the Black Fat Pouch or Bubble a Hermit Crab may get when they are about to Molt!
One of the most unique happenings that an owner will experience with their Hermit Crabs is a molt. Very few animals, let alone pets, will molt or do something like it. But what is a molt? How will it affect my Hermit Crabs? And what should I do? Good questions, and a few that I didn’t know the answer to until recently! The day that I will get my Hermit Crabs is creeping closer and closer, and I am very excited! This is why I am reviewing my research, starting with this post! A molt is when a Hermit Crab will usually bury itself under the substrate and shed it’s exoskeleton, or
This is a Strawberry Crab whose color has Dulled because it is about to Molt!
it’s layer of hard skin, almost like a snake. This may take as little as a week to as long as two months! Almost all of my research on molting was taken from an amazing YouTube channel called Yadokari Nation with Caroline. If you would like to see the exact video I took most of my information from, or other great videos from her, here is the link: Guide to Hermit Crab Molting – Yadokari Nation In these series of posts, these questions will be explained.
So the first thing a Crab owner should know are the molting signs. Here is a list of the general molting signs that your Hermit Crab may display:
- Moving into a Smaller Shell
- Brown Eyes
- Duller Color
- A Fat Pouch Developing near the Abdomen
- Eating a lot at one point then none at all
- Digging a lot
- Acting Tired or Lazy
Keep in mind that not all of these signs will occur! If you would like to know the answer to the other molting questions, follow my blog, as another post will be coming soon! Thanks for reading! If you have any other questions about your Hermit Crab or Goldfish, let me know!
Talk from the Tank 