AHHHH! Overnight Surface Molt

krackersmom2 · 03-20-2008, 05:19 PM

I did a general surface clean and tidying up of the 10 galklon tank with my tiny-smalls last night. Everyone was accounted for and out and about as usual. Baby had recently molted and was still a little lethargic, so I dug him a little bunker and put a sand dollar over the top to give him some privacy. Keep in mind that Herbie was 100% active and perfectly fine....nothing unusual.
Well, I went to check on Baby a few minutes ago and found what looked like a ghost! I quickly realized as I picked the crabby up, that it was Herbie and he had kicked Baby out of his bunker and had done a surface molt

....That was the pinkest freshest crab I've ever seen....He just flicked his antennae and looked at me like...."What's all the fuss?" I did see him at the salt water dish late last night, but JEEZ! I got a water bottle and cut off the bottom and puched it into the sand around him because Baby came back to investigate and Flash has been the big bully lately. Now I'm half afriad of who is more stressed, me or him! Hopefully my discovery won't lead to his demise....Herbie is my most active Tiny crabby....He's molted a couple of times since I got him. Now I'm afraid to go check the 29 gallon.....

**HERMEZ** · 03-20-2008, 06:28 PM

ok lets hope - you did the right thing. Keep a close eye on the covering (making sure the other buggers dont knock it over). It is freaky when they are so pink and gooey huh? I am sure he will be ok

krackersmom2 · 03-20-2008, 08:20 PM

He wasn't all gooey, but he IS pink as a baby's bottom

. He's not retracted into his shell at all....is that normal? He looks alert though....I really thought Baby had died on me.....I couldn't see the shell until I started to pick him up and realized it was Herbie, not Baby. I just really hope I didn't freak him out too much......

**HERMEZ** · 03-21-2008, 07:00 AM

hmmm not in the shell? Maybe just still tired from shedding- let me know how he is today..

krackersmom2 · 03-21-2008, 02:18 PM

He's doing good today, but is still in the same position, mostly outside his shell. I moved the bottle just a tad and he moved a bit, so he's definitely alive. He almost looks as if he seriously outgrew his shell.....he's really puffy looking....I really think he was just molted when I found him...Still alive....fingers crossed!

hermie 5 · 03-21-2008, 05:34 PM

Oh I hope everything is going well for both of you. We seem to be over our stint of everyone loosing crabs. HipHipHorray.

MoribundMaverick · 03-21-2008, 08:24 PM

Maybe he's just trying to let the air hit him more so his shell will go back to its normal colour? He might be embarassed and think he needs to tan, so he's staying all outside his shell. At least, that's what I always told myself when mine did that. I think that's the fastest molt I've ever heard of, though!

krackersmom2 · 03-22-2008, 12:36 AM

It took me totally surprise because he was running all over the tank the night before the molt

.....It really freaked me out when I found him because I had only seen my crabbies after they came up from a molt ....or they were completely hidden inside their shell and I couldn't see their ghastly little body.....he does look like he needs a good tan....kind of looks like a "northerner" on our local beach.....so white you need sunglasses!

krackersmom2 · 03-23-2008, 01:03 AM

OMG

This is by far the strangest thing to happen in my crabitat, I just discovered that the shrimpy looking molter is in fact BABY, not Herbie!!! As you remember, I said that I discovered "Herbie" in the hiding spot where I had left Baby and I also remarked how "Herbie" seemed to have "outgrown" his shell suddenly because he was hanging out of his shell. Well, I found Baby's favorite shell tonight abandoned and thought that was strange because Baby and that particular shell are inseperable. I got to looking around and found a crabby in the shell that Baby originally came home in. I thought that's strange....this crab looks awfully small to be Baby...this looks like Herbie!

I quickly went to the covered bottle and raised it up and my worst fears have been confirmed....Herbie stole Baby's shell, forcing Baby to take Herbie's green turbo....since it was the closest and he was in fact going through a molt (only I though he had already molted). Since Herbie abandoned Baby's treasured shell, I put it in with Baby and he is already trying to get back in...he's a little weak, but looks like his exo is beginning to harden.....MY POOR BABY!!! No wonder he's been hanging out of his shell.....it IS too small.....He really didn't need the added stress of a shell battle....I don't know why Herbie did that when I have plenty of other appropriate shells?...the little bully!

MoribundMaverick · 03-23-2008, 09:59 AM

Oh! Maybe Herbie just thought he wanted Baby's shell,and took advantage of Baby being in a weak position?
I always hear about shell battles, but I've never experienced one myself, so I don't really know what influences them... I did have one hermie that always switched between two ugly painted shells (manora and Irish flag,) and a giant white one... but they were always uninhabited by the other crabs.

03-20-2008, 05:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
krackersmom2 (Large Crab) Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: South TX (near the beach) Posts: 1,128	AHHHH! Overnight Surface Molt I did a general surface clean and tidying up of the 10 galklon tank with my tiny-smalls last night. Everyone was accounted for and out and about as usual. Baby had recently molted and was still a little lethargic, so I dug him a little bunker and put a sand dollar over the top to give him some privacy. Keep in mind that Herbie was 100% active and perfectly fine....nothing unusual. Well, I went to check on Baby a few minutes ago and found what looked like a ghost! I quickly realized as I picked the crabby up, that it was Herbie and he had kicked Baby out of his bunker and had done a surface molt....That was the pinkest freshest crab I've ever seen....He just flicked his antennae and looked at me like...."What's all the fuss?" I did see him at the salt water dish late last night, but JEEZ! I got a water bottle and cut off the bottom and puched it into the sand around him because Baby came back to investigate and Flash has been the big bully lately. Now I'm half afriad of who is more stressed, me or him! Hopefully my discovery won't lead to his demise....Herbie is my most active Tiny crabby....He's molted a couple of times since I got him. Now I'm afraid to go check the 29 gallon..... __________________ 12 PP's: Spooky, Baby, Flash, Rocky, Herbie, Violet, Fester, Zeus, Neptune, Mars, Luna and Misterie R.I.P:Hercules and Apollo

03-20-2008, 06:28 PM	#2 (permalink)
HERMEZ Moderator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: NC Posts: 1,294	Re: AHHHH! Overnight Surface Molt ok lets hope - you did the right thing. Keep a close eye on the covering (making sure the other buggers dont knock it over). It is freaky when they are so pink and gooey huh? I am sure he will be ok __________________ 22 PP's~8 Rugs~9 E's~ 4 Straws~2 Indo's~4 Violas~ http://photobucket.com/albums/a96/Herm-EZ/

03-20-2008, 08:20 PM	#3 (permalink)
krackersmom2 (Large Crab) Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: South TX (near the beach) Posts: 1,128	Re: AHHHH! Overnight Surface Molt He wasn't all gooey, but he IS pink as a baby's bottom. He's not retracted into his shell at all....is that normal? He looks alert though....I really thought Baby had died on me.....I couldn't see the shell until I started to pick him up and realized it was Herbie, not Baby. I just really hope I didn't freak him out too much...... __________________ 12 PP's: Spooky, Baby, Flash, Rocky, Herbie, Violet, Fester, Zeus, Neptune, Mars, Luna and Misterie R.I.P:Hercules and Apollo

03-21-2008, 07:00 AM	#4 (permalink)
HERMEZ Moderator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: NC Posts: 1,294	Re: AHHHH! Overnight Surface Molt hmmm not in the shell? Maybe just still tired from shedding- let me know how he is today.. __________________ 22 PP's~8 Rugs~9 E's~ 4 Straws~2 Indo's~4 Violas~ http://photobucket.com/albums/a96/Herm-EZ/

03-21-2008, 02:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
krackersmom2 (Large Crab) Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: South TX (near the beach) Posts: 1,128	Re: AHHHH! Overnight Surface Molt He's doing good today, but is still in the same position, mostly outside his shell. I moved the bottle just a tad and he moved a bit, so he's definitely alive. He almost looks as if he seriously outgrew his shell.....he's really puffy looking....I really think he was just molted when I found him...Still alive....fingers crossed! __________________ 12 PP's: Spooky, Baby, Flash, Rocky, Herbie, Violet, Fester, Zeus, Neptune, Mars, Luna and Misterie R.I.P:Hercules and Apollo

03-21-2008, 05:34 PM	#6 (permalink)
hermie 5 "Preparing For First Molt" Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: michigan Posts: 133	Re: AHHHH! Overnight Surface Molt Oh I hope everything is going well for both of you. We seem to be over our stint of everyone loosing crabs. HipHipHorray.

03-21-2008, 08:24 PM	#7 (permalink)
MoribundMaverick (Micro Crab) Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Houston Posts: 117	Re: AHHHH! Overnight Surface Molt Maybe he's just trying to let the air hit him more so his shell will go back to its normal colour? He might be embarassed and think he needs to tan, so he's staying all outside his shell. At least, that's what I always told myself when mine did that. I think that's the fastest molt I've ever heard of, though! __________________ Tiffany (rip) = my hero. And so does Speck. Yea. Jerzy, Pip, Padre, Lady, and Jack.-- My PP's.

03-22-2008, 12:36 AM	#8 (permalink)
krackersmom2 (Large Crab) Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: South TX (near the beach) Posts: 1,128	Re: AHHHH! Overnight Surface Molt It took me totally surprise because he was running all over the tank the night before the molt.....It really freaked me out when I found him because I had only seen my crabbies after they came up from a molt ....or they were completely hidden inside their shell and I couldn't see their ghastly little body.....he does look like he needs a good tan....kind of looks like a "northerner" on our local beach.....so white you need sunglasses! __________________ 12 PP's: Spooky, Baby, Flash, Rocky, Herbie, Violet, Fester, Zeus, Neptune, Mars, Luna and Misterie R.I.P:Hercules and Apollo

03-23-2008, 01:03 AM	#9 (permalink)
krackersmom2 (Large Crab) Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: South TX (near the beach) Posts: 1,128	Re: AHHHH! Overnight Surface Molt OMG This is by far the strangest thing to happen in my crabitat, I just discovered that the shrimpy looking molter is in fact BABY, not Herbie!!! As you remember, I said that I discovered "Herbie" in the hiding spot where I had left Baby and I also remarked how "Herbie" seemed to have "outgrown" his shell suddenly because he was hanging out of his shell. Well, I found Baby's favorite shell tonight abandoned and thought that was strange because Baby and that particular shell are inseperable. I got to looking around and found a crabby in the shell that Baby originally came home in. I thought that's strange....this crab looks awfully small to be Baby...this looks like Herbie! I quickly went to the covered bottle and raised it up and my worst fears have been confirmed....Herbie stole Baby's shell, forcing Baby to take Herbie's green turbo....since it was the closest and he was in fact going through a molt (only I though he had already molted). Since Herbie abandoned Baby's treasured shell, I put it in with Baby and he is already trying to get back in...he's a little weak, but looks like his exo is beginning to harden.....MY POOR BABY!!! No wonder he's been hanging out of his shell.....it IS too small.....He really didn't need the added stress of a shell battle....I don't know why Herbie did that when I have plenty of other appropriate shells?...the little bully! __________________ 12 PP's: Spooky, Baby, Flash, Rocky, Herbie, Violet, Fester, Zeus, Neptune, Mars, Luna and Misterie R.I.P:Hercules and Apollo

03-23-2008, 09:59 AM	#10 (permalink)
MoribundMaverick (Micro Crab) Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Houston Posts: 117	Re: AHHHH! Overnight Surface Molt Oh! Maybe Herbie just thought he wanted Baby's shell,and took advantage of Baby being in a weak position? I always hear about shell battles, but I've never experienced one myself, so I don't really know what influences them... I did have one hermie that always switched between two ugly painted shells (manora and Irish flag,) and a giant white one... but they were always uninhabited by the other crabs. __________________ Tiffany (rip) = my hero. And so does Speck. Yea. Jerzy, Pip, Padre, Lady, and Jack.-- My PP's.

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