Do hermits molt their shells?

gemini9 · Sep 21, 2014

I was working with my tank yesterday, when I saw the remnants of some green crab legs and body. I only have one hermit crab in my tank which is green, so I immediately thought... "Oh no! Hercules has died!" :sad: I was distraught. Poor Hercules. But just today, I saw him. Hercules. Alive and well, walking around. How could this be, if I found his body? Do hermits molt\shed their skins or something?

oh:

KoleTang · Sep 21, 2014

Yes, they molt their exoskeletons from time to time.

gemini9 · Sep 21, 2014

Oh wow! And here I thought poor Herculese bit the dust. Awesome.

Squishie89 · Sep 21, 2014

Most crabs and shrimp molt as they do not have stretchy outsides like we do, so when they grow they have to molt their exoskeleton.

MuseCrazy · Sep 25, 2014

Did you leave the exo in there or take it out? It is better to leave it in, the crab will eat it to regain the calcium lost.

gemini9 · Sep 26, 2014

I threw it away. I thought it was a dead crab.

NanaReefer · Sep 26, 2014

MuseCrazy said:
Did you leave the exo in there or take it out? It is better to leave it in, the crab will eat it to regain the calcium lost.

Where did this bit-o-info come from?

MuseCrazy · Sep 26, 2014

NanaReefer said:
Where did this bit-o-info come from?

I keep land hermit crabs. All crabs eat their exo, and other calcium sources before and after molts. Even isopods do it to regain calcium lost.

Dalmatia · Sep 27, 2014

I heard that shrimp also like to eat their exos too

ethridge78 · Sep 27, 2014

I have seen it also.

gemini9 · Sep 28, 2014

Gross. Could you imagine if people would eat their shed skin cells? Lost hair and clipped fingernails? :neutral:

NanaReefer · Sep 28, 2014

gemini9 said:
Gross. Could you imagine if people would eat their shed skin cells? Lost hair and clipped fingernails? :neutral:

You just had to go all there right? Ugh!

gemini9 · Sep 28, 2014

Yeah. lol why buy vitamins when you can restore your lost nutrients the natural way

Msmith2813 · Sep 28, 2014

Haha, awful mental picture!

NanaReefer · Sep 29, 2014

Msmith2813 said:
Haha, awful mental picture!

Awful isn't the word! BLAH!!

liquidg · Sep 30, 2014

Pretty much all invertebrates and more shed/molt!
One of my pet cuttle fish I raised had a long shed recently, it looked a mess for two days.
The first time I saw a complete shed/molt was in the late 70s, one of my pet painted crays took it self out between its old carapace and tail over 10 mins, it looked like real hard work.