What is molting exactly? i dont fully understand what it is. also, i would like to know how often molting occurs. i have just gotten my new friend and do not know too much about him. it would be very helpful if i could get those questions answered.
Hello Trista! Here are the basics of molting: We have backbones and vertebrae and bones that are on our insides, crabs, and many other animals however, do not have backbones, but they have armour outside their body. This group is called the Arthropods, and many invertebraes are arthropods. Their armour cannot grow with them, so they must 'shed' this armour so they can grow. At this stage the animal is soft and prone to danger. To prevent the danger, and for the 'Molting hormones' to trigger, a Hermit crab usually burrows, so you should have a deep layer of substrate (ideally a mix of coco-husk and regular beach sand) so they can burrow. It must have 'sand castle consistancy' so there are no 'cave-ins'. He must not be disturbed. Disturbing him may lead to fatal consequences. Molting has no particular time limit, so if he takes a while, do not worry, he is only dead if you can smell a strong fishy odor. Generally, the larger the crab, the longer it takes to molt, as there is more 'armour' to 'shed'. Generally, and this is Mr and Mrs average, molting USAULLY takes 1-2 months, more on the 2 side in my experiences. Hope it helped. Regards, Stevo.
