Help Anyone Have Land Hermit Crabs Please Read

[LIL860]

Went to check on them last night and one was nearly out of its shell. I carefully picked it up and put it into a separate tank this afternoon it is still the same but seem to have come a bit further out of its shell. It is not moving at all dont think it has died as it dosnt smell. Can anyone with hermit crabs please help has this happened to anyone before. Thanks

 

[Erised]

I've never kept hermit crabs before, but is it possible your crab is molting? It does sound like it is, in which case that what is coming out of the shell is simply it's old 'skin', not your crab. You might want to read through this to see if it sounds the same:
Molting Process

If this isn't what's going on, I hope someone who has got hermit crab experience will be able to help you out

 

[LIL860]

The picture looks exactly like my crab lets hope he is molting. He is on top of the sand though.

 

[LIL860]

Anyone else

 

[afishdude]

i used to keep them, go to your lfs and buy him about 5 new shells all bigger than the one he is in now. by tomorrow he will have switched shells. if you dont, he will leave that shell and die from not having one.

 

[LIL860]

Ive put 2 larger shells in with it he still isnt moving at all. Could he be dead dosnt smell fishy though.

 

[afishdude]

give him a small dish of water about 1" deep that he can exchange shells in.

 

[LIL860]

UPDATE

He is still the same not moving at all but dosnt smell fishy as of yet. Do they beome dormant before they molt???

 

[afishdude]

pick him up, does he fall out of the shell?
try poking him and seeing if he moves
try blowing on him.
is he alive?

 

[LIL860]

Picked him up and he wasnt moving fell out of his shell ,abdomen is very squishy looking. Arnt they supposed to be hard. Does it sound like he has died

 

[afishdude]

yep sounds like it. how long has it been since he moved? lol
i dont know what to tell you, you should be able to tell if its dead or not.

 

[LIL860]

Last moved 5 days go picked it up and it fell out of his shell not moving at all now smells slightly fishy i think it has died. Havnt had it long about 3 months the other three i bought with it are thriving and my larger two ive had for a year now are as well. Perhaps it was just a weak one out of the batch. I read somewhere that they can suffer stress when in the pet stores and that can eventually kill then even after a couple of months. Will leave it another coule of days just to make sure.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

it, uh, sounds pretty dead.

 

[Betta_luver]

If theres a fishy smell then its probably dead. Check out www.hermitcrabassociation.com

 

[PlecMama]

Aww, I'm sorry if it died, hermit crabs are very cool. I was hoping by the end of the thread it was going to be ok