Do hermit crabs shed? This is the question, the answer to which must be known to every new owner of these exotic creatures. In fact knowing the answer to do hermit crabs shed is important because shedding or molting is an important part of the existence of the crab. All hermit crabs molt, although the frequency of molting might vary depending on several factors. The age of these exotic creatures and the crab's adaptability to the cage environment are important factors that decide the molting time for the crabs. Sometimes these exotic creatures molt unexpectedly without any apparent reason.
The molting or shedding is essentially a growing and adaptive process for these exotic animals. It is a natural process of shedding the chitin exoskeleton and growing a new one replacing it. Molting is more frequently seen in small crabs than in the larger crabs. The larger crabs generally molt only once a year, whereas smaller crabs might shed their exoskeleton twice, or even thrice a year. Molting is a long process, as it takes about four to eight weeks for the complete process. Although, this is the general pattern of hermit crab molting, yet these exotic creatures may start their molting quite unexpectedly as well. Any wounds on the crab body or any loss of legs/claws of the crab are also repaired and regenerated during the molting process.
During the 4-8 weeks of molting, the crab becomes highly vulnerable and highly sensitive towards disturbances such as attack by other crabs and any dislocation of their shell by impatient owners. It is for this reason these exotic animals prefer isolation in molting.
During this time, these exotic animals are largely invisible, as they prefer to dig a burrow in the moist sand adjacent to their external shell. All hermit crabs prefer a burrow in the sand for the sake of isolation and cocooning, and the crabs stay perfectly immobile during the whole molting process. Due to this long absence of any movement from these exotic creatures, it is a common mistake of many people to think that the crab has died. Unfortunately, such mistakes sometimes lead to the actual death of these exotic creatures as the anxious/disheartened owner might attempt to remove the crab/crab shell from the enclosure. Any type of external disturbance is completely forbidden while the crab is molting. It is best if you can transfer these creatures to an isolated cage or can set an isolated barrier around it within the same cage. The barrier is set up to provide safety to the crab from other crabs of the same cage. However, food and water should also be provided to these creatures and care should be taken that the molting crab is not disturbed in any way while setting up the isolation. The crab food should consist sufficient of the pigment carotenoid because the pigment helps these exotic creatures to retain its body color.
Another vital aspect to the do hermit crabs shed question is to know the different stages of molting. The molting is a gradual process and it involves gradual shedding of the exoskeleton and the regeneration of it on these exotic creatures. After the molting, the shed exoskeleton of the crab is considered a rich source of calcium for the molted crab and other crabs at the tank. Being able to identify the signs of a hermit crab going into the molting stage is important, because only then these exotic creatures can be gently dislocated into an isolated cage.
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