Sally Lightfoot molt?

[fishfanny79]

I was wondering how you can tell the difference between a dead sally lightfoot and just a molt...
I went camping over the weekend and when I came back, I had one or the other on my sandbed. Now since I wasn't home to notice it immediately I don't know what it first looked lik. If it was dead the cleanup crew did a number on it. Unless it's a molt...it has no eyes etc. When I look at it through the light, it almost looks see through and not dark in color like the sally was, which makes me think molt. But then again its sorta heavy. If it IS a molt, how long before he will come back out from hiding again?
Any ideas or tips to see if its a molt or a dead crab? (it's still in my freezer pending a decision to autopsy or not) If it is dead, it will be my first casualty...

 

[cross]

:yes: i had one of my sallys molt and it looks exactly like him, theres no difference, even looked meaty...

but you'll have to look and wait for him to come out. same with shrimp, its very wierd, they molt the exact of themselves. can you see if hes in your tank?

 

[tliss]

My sally has molted twice. Once there were just crab pieces all over the tank, but the second time there was a full shell upside down in one of the caves in my rock. I freaked out and went in to get the "dead crab" out, and as I reached in I noticed the sally on the other side of the tank! The molt left behind was exactly like a second crab so I'm sure your crab is somewhere in your tank hiding. You should see it soon!
Tom

 

[beachrat]

I had two Lightfoot crabs. One molted and a transparent shell was left after the molt and a "new" Lightfoot crab. The other crab appeared to try to molt but just died clutching a rock. I thought maybe he had molted but when I picked up the shell of the crab it was heavy and smelled bad.