Molt & stay the same size?

[Donna M]

Can a crab molt and not get bigger? My crab Buddy came up after 7 weeks or so, and I know he's molted (I saw the exo, and he's now got very pointy legs and he's more hairy, etc) but he appears to be exactly the same size! He used to be the dominant one, but now that my other crab molted and got larger, Buddy is more submissive. Buddy checks out other shells occasionally, but hasn't changed shells since I got him a year ago.

Is this common?

Thanks,
Donna M

[alli'smommy]

I've only seen a definate size change in one crab. The others don't seem to grow much. I figure maybe it's a slow process--they probably are larger, but not real noticably!!

[Yadokari]

Originally Posted by alli'smommy

-they probably are larger, but not real noticably!!

This quote sums it up. Unless you take pictures and make a good match, you won't notice the size until 2-3 more molts, then you go "Whoa, he/she is bigger now!"

[krackersmom2]

The only time I thought I saw a size change was when Baby had his shell stolen and I thought the shell theif had molted.......usually you really don't notice much because they grow in small spurts.....Smaller crabs molt more often, so after a year's time, you may notice some difference. I have also experienced changes in personalities after molts. Dominant crabs becoming passive and vice versa.

[HERMEZ]

Absolutely they can stay the same. I had more than one crab stay small for a year or more- I am like what is your problem? Then all of a sudden grew huge on the last molt- some will grow by leaps n bounds- I figure its up to the crab to deternine what it wants to do, I cant imagine why they want to stay small

[Hildegarde]

And I thought there was something wrong with my eyes. Most of mine seem to stay the same size after a moult. But one crab, Tang, came up a little bigger, but seems to have really grown after he was done moulting. This happen with anyone else's crabs?

[Donna M]

Thanks for the info because I had no idea they could grow so slowly at times.

And Hildegarde, my one crab got larger after his molt, and sometimes I swear he's still getting bigger. Or maybe he just looks so big after looking at his counterpart, who molted but didn't get any larger.

Curious creatures, aren't they?

Thanks,
Donna M.