dead hermit

ljn0221

ljn0221

Member
ok i have a 29 gallon tank i just came home from my friends and showing him the tank then i looked and saw a dead hermit crab i look at him closer and he was my favorite

he was one of those left claw ones but my question is he was split in half.?? it happened during the day to cause i was waching him in the morning
i have 2 percs in there
1 damsel
1 firefish
 
krishj39

krishj39

Active Member
That REALLY sounds like it just molted. They have exoskeletons, which means they shed their skin/skeleton when they outgrow it. If you pull that exoskeleton out you'll find that there it is empty inside. Tomorrow morning you'll probably see a slightly larger favorite hermit crab wandering about.
False alarm, no worries.
 
ljn0221

ljn0221

Member
no im sure he was dead i took him out last night and it wasnt the molt i did find his shell and was empty
 
ctgretzky9

ctgretzky9

Member
Split in half sounds like a molt. I know you checked his shell...did you have other shells in there he could move into?
He may very wel be hiding somewhere in the tank too if you didnt have additional shells for him to move into. They depend on the shell for protection, but can live outside of it.
Drop some more shells in there and see what happens.
 
S

skysmom

Guest
I agree with everyone else. Just wait and see, put the shell back and see what happens. look at what you thought was the dead crab and see if the part that should be in the shell is still attached to the outer portion. If it is, then yes, your crab is most likely dead. However, if it's not, then I would wait and see cause they only molt the outer portion of their body.
 
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