Newbie's Guide to Hermit Crab Molting
Author: D Swain
Crabs have to shed their exoskeleton to regenerate lost limbs and to account for their increasing size. This is known as molting. If you own one, there are a few things you should know about hermit crab molting. This article will share with you some of the most important things you need to know.
Isolation
Molting is very stressful and life-threatening episode for your crab. If you have more than one, you should put the molting crab in an isolation tank for safety purposes. The tank should have plenty of moist sand as they bury themselves during the
process.
Handling
As mentioned earlier, hermit crab molting is very stressful. Therefore, you should leave him alone. After he has buried himself for molting, you should never handle him. Give him time to get more energy and for the new exoskeleton time to harden before you bother him. You also shouldn't bathe him during this time.
Frequency
All crabs molt at varying frequencies. More often than not, smaller ones will do so more often than their larger counterparts. This is largely due to the fact that they grow faster. They will usually molt every few months or so. Larger ones usually molt about once a year.
Moisture
Moisture is extremely vital to the health of your crab. However, it's even more important during the process of hermit crab molting. If your crab has trouble getting rid of his old exoskeleton, he may die. Having adequate moisture available will help him shed this old exoskeleton more easily.
Shells
Hermit crab use old snail shells for protection and water storage. Your crab will be larger after he molts, so he will need a shell that's larger than his old one. It's best that you provide him with multiple larger shells so that he can pick the one that he likes best. Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/newbies-guide-to-hermit-crab-molting-726467.html
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These are some of the most important things you need to know about hermit crab molting. There are many other things you need to know about hermit crab care. So, click here to continue learning about how to take proper care of pet hermit crabs.