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This little crab probably doesn’t
need this big of a shell yet!
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A lot of people enjoy keeping hermit
crabs as pets – but there are a lot of things you need to know
beforehand. One of the most common questions a novice hermit crab
owner finds him or herself asking is probably this: Why does my hermit
crab need another shell? Not a lot of people understand the whole
molting process. That is no problem, however, because it is easy
to learn about the hermit crab's need to change shells.
Hermit crabs go through a shedding
process in order to grow, like some insects do. Shedding the skin is
known as “molting”. After the
molt, the crab is larger and so needs a larger place to live. The shell
they are in isn’t theirs – they have borrowed it from a sea snail!
When a crab gets too big for its shell, it has to move into a larger
one. For the majority of hermit crabs, they will need a larger shell
every eighteen months or so. However, certain small hermit crabs
may molt more frequently than this. If at any time between their
current molt and their last molt they have lost any limbs or claws, they
will grow back during the molting process! Neat!
While the hermit crab is in the process
of acquiring another shell, you need to leave him be – the poor
‘naked crab’ that is between shells will be soft and vulnerable.
The crab can be very sensitive and delicate during this time, so you do
not want to put him in danger. After being in his new shell a bit they
will harden up and can be handled again.
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