# is my blueleg Hermit crab molting or dying?



## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

OK, so this weekend I have seen 2 blueleg hermit crab pieces. how do i know if it is just a molt, or they are 2 dead crabs?? the shell is nowhere to be found, and i notice that the legs are not transparent. When your blueleg hermit crabs molt, do you notice that the molt is lighter in colour (more transparent) in the leg portion, or is it similar in colour to the legs when on the crab?


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

Sounds like a molt to me. You will find the molts not transparent at all unlike shrimp molts. It freaked me out too when I first saw one of those.


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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

thanks for your reply! 

it sucks b/c i know exactly how many B.L.HC i put in. 

but i only have 3 Hawaiian zebra hermit crabs. so if one of those molts/is killed, i will be able to account for all 3 very easily.

I will keep a look out.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I usually check where the eye stalks are, if it's hollow like tubes it's a moult. scared teh living hell out of me.


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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

Sunstar said:


> I usually check where the eye stalks are, if it's hollow like tubes it's a moult. scared teh living hell out of me.


ok that's a big help. i noticed there were no eyes. so i guess its a molt.

whew!!


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## Cypher (Apr 15, 2006)

I'm no expert but check your iodine levels, iodine is suppose to help crabs and shrimps during their molting stage.


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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

Cypher said:


> I'm no expert but check your iodine levels, iodine is suppose to help crabs and shrimps during their molting stage.


you are right, iodine helps them molt.

It didnt appear that they had an issue molting, so im assuming my iodine is in check.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

my iodine is low, so I apparently need to add some.


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

PACMAN said:


> you are right, iodine helps them molt.
> 
> It didnt appear that they had an issue molting, so im assuming my iodine is in check.


That's another reason why you should never take out the old moultings- they will dissolve into the water in a few days. My kids are always bugging me to take them out so they can look at them closely.


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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

50seven said:


> That's another reason why you should never take out the old moultings- they will dissolve into the water in a few days. My kids are always bugging me to take them out so they can look at them closely.


molts still in the tank 

p.s. one of my crabs decided to invest in a larger property. pics to follow when i have a chance later this week!


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

mine keep shopping for larger estates. then sometimes they swap shells for a few days
too tight, too loose, too tight too looose... wait it fits...


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

PACMAN said:


> molts still in the tank
> 
> p.s. one of my crabs decided to invest in a larger property. pics to follow when i have a chance later this week!


Yeah, that's sometimes quite hillarious, they sometimes take one that's way too big and then they stumble around for a couple days trying to drag it around until they give up and go back to their old shell...


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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

50seven said:


> Yeah, that's sometimes quite hillarious, they sometimes take one that's way too big and then they stumble around for a couple days trying to drag it around until they give up and go back to their old shell...


hahaaha that's exactly what happened. he took a larger shell, then decided it was too big, so went back to the old one. then later in the evening he went back into the bigger shell. now he's stuck with it since another crab moved into his old shell.

Man, he must have paid a lot of comission to his real estate broker!


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

At first I noticed every molt thinking it was a dead invert.. i was sad when my pom pom crab died...

but sure enough, everything was seen the next day or so...

After a while you will stop doing daily inventory on all your stock......


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