Hermit crabs are often solitary and lethargic, especially when they are molting. Sometimes, it can be very difficult to tell if hermit crabs are molting, sick, or dead. However, as a rule of thumb: assume the hermit crab is shedding its skin before thinking it's dead, unless you have evidence to suggest otherwise. Read the tips below to diagnose and treat your pet hermit crab!
Step
Method 1 of 3: Checking for Signs of Life
Step 1. Sniff the shell for a fishy, foul odor
This is the best way to identify a dead hermit crab. If your hermit crab dies, its body will begin to decompose – and the carcass will give off a foul odor. If you don't have any odors, remove the hermit crab from the tank so you can smell it more closely. If there is a slightly salty stench, the animal is most likely dead.
Step 2. Assume the hermit crab is molting
Hermit crabs often change exoskeletons and this process causes them to lose limbs. The hermit crab is immobile for a while until it regains control of its muscles and its new exoskeleton manages to harden. If you disturb the animal during the molting process, you could endanger its life – so be patient. Prioritize the assumption that hermit crabs are molting before assuming they are dead.
Step 3. Watch for hermit crabs lying outside their shells with no signs of change
This could be a sign that the hermit crab is dead, or it could be just a remnant of the molting process. If you see something that looks like a hermit crab's body near its shell, take a closer look to see if it's just an old exoskeleton. Look at the contents of the shell of the nearest hermit crab, there could be a hermit crab that has just molted in it.
If you're sure the carcass isn't an exoskeleton, try picking it up to see if it's moving. If it doesn't react, the hermit crab is probably dead
Step 4. Move the hermit crab and watch its reaction
If you're not sure if the hermit crab is dead, move the body to a new location and note its position. Try placing the food on the opposite side of the tank so it will move. Leave the tank, then return to check its position a few hours later. If the hermit crab moves while you're away, you can be sure it's still alive. Otherwise, the hermit crab may be sleeping or shedding its skin.
Step 5. Pay attention to the buried hermit crab
It is perfectly natural for hermit crabs to bury themselves; this indicates he is molting or feeling threatened. Smooth the sand around its hiding place, then look for traces in the sand to see if it comes out at night looking for food. If your hermit crab has been hiding for weeks, you can sweep a small amount of sand around the hiding area to look for any foul odors.
Method 2 of 3: Caring for Hermit crabs that molt
Step 1. Determine if the hermit crab is molting
Your hermit crab may be molting if it emerges from its shell and doesn't move. Signs of molting include a sluggish-looking movement, reduced antennae movement, antennae that look disheveled and confused, an exoskeleton that looks fragile, and pale eyes (like cataracts in humans). Your hermit crab may stay in place for a long time, burying itself in the sand as a self-defense tactic.
- Small hermit crabs that grow quickly can shed their skin every few months, while large hermit crabs usually do so once a year. Take note of when your hermit crab sheds its skin to prepare for the future. If the hermit crab is new to you, or has never molted before, you should wait until you are sure.
- Wait a few days. If there's no fishy smell, it's likely that the hermit crabs are shedding their skin. This process usually takes two weeks. So you will have to wait for a while before you can know for sure.
Step 2. Look for “fat bubbles”
Watch if the hermit crabs eat more over the course of a few days. Before molting, the hermit crab will store excess fat and water in a blackish “bubble” – usually on the left side of its body, just below the fifth leg. However, don't assume her hermit crab is molting just because it's bubbling.
Step 3. Separate the molting hermit crab from the rest of the hermit crabs
Hermit crabs that are molting are very easily stressed and injured by other hermit crabs because they can't move and their new exoskeleton is still soft. If one of your hermit crabs in the tank is molting, transfer it to an "isolation tank" so you can complete the process safely and comfortably. It is very important not to disturb the hermit crab during this process.
If you only have one tank, build an "isolation cell" in it. Cut the tip of the 2 liter soda bottle, then sink the tip into the sand to protect the molting hermit crabs. Make sure the top of the “isolation cell” is open so that oxygen on the surface can fill the space
Method 3 of 3: Removing Dead Hermit crabs
Step 1. Take the hermit crab buried in the sand and throw it away when you smell a foul, fishy smell
To maintain cleanliness, remove the dead hermit crab along with the sand around it. Remove the hermit crab and the sand at the same time.
Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap after touching a hermit crab carcass
Step 2. Throw the dead hermit crabs in the trash
If you don't mind throwing away the carcass of your pet hermit crab, just put the carcass in the regular trash can and then throw it in the household garbage collector. Place the carcass in a sealed bag, carefully place it in the trash, then leave.
Step 3. Bury the dead hermit crabs
If you don't want to throw your pet hermit crab carcass in the trash, bury it in the ground. This is a personal choice and you have to do what feels right to accept the situation. Make sure you bury it deep enough so that other animals - dogs, cats, raccoons, etc - won't dig it up.
You can bury the carcass with the sand from the cage or tank. The sand may have been contaminated. Burying it is the safest way to dispose of it
Step 4. Do not flush hermit crab carcasses down the toilet
Flushing it down the toilet is probably the quickest and easiest way, but it's not good for the sanitation system. It is possible that hermit crab carcasses could contaminate water supplies. Bury or just throw your hermit crab carcass in the trash.
Step 5. Prepare the tank for the new hermit crabs to inhabit
If you want to replace a dead hermit crab, clean the tank first before looking for a new pet. Clean up any sand that may have been contaminated by hermit crab carcasses; clean the sides of the tank; replace the water with a new one.
