Keeping hermit crabs is becoming a fast-growing fad these days. They owe their popularity mostly to savvy entrepreneurs who thought of painting their shells with different designs. The hermit crabs don’t appear to mind living in an anime-themed home. Should the owner get tired of their hermits crab’s current shell design, they can easily swap the old shell for a new one when their pet hermit crab molts.

Hermit crabs, like most invertebrates (and all snakes) go through a process called molting. This happens when they grow bigger and need to shed their current exoskeleton for a bigger one. Other shelled creatures simply grow a bigger ring outer ring to accommodate their growing bodies, but since hermit crabs aren’t really capable of forming shells, they simply shed their old exoskeleton and try to find a bigger home.

All hermits crab owners should know that this is a very vulnerable time for their pets. They actually do best when left to their own devices. The only way the owner takes part in this delicate process is to provide a safe environment as well as optimum nutrition for the molting hermit crab. If you’re keeping a single hermit crab, then you can just leave it alone in its tank. If you have more than just one, you’ll need to have a molting tank set up. Handling your hermit crab is definitely not a good idea at this time; it should be minimized or altogether eliminated if possible. Any damage caused to a molting hermit crab is permanent and could possibly lead to its demise.

If you want a pet hermit crab you can ‘dress up’ often, buy one of the smaller ones. An adult hermit crab molts only once a year, while smaller ones do it twice or three times a year. Younger hermit crabs grow faster, which accounts for the increase in the number of molts in a year. Hermit crabs don’t have a season for molting; hence you can’t predict when they need new shells. You can, however, observe signs that your pet hermit crab is about to molt. They’ll often display an odd appetite. Some hermit crabs become voracious eaters while others stop eating altogether. They’ll also tend to be a bit sluggish around this time. Some hermit crabs may become discolored just before they start molting. A water sac may be formed under the hermit crab’s abdomen. A molting hermit crabs is likely to lose a few limbs in the process. This is no cause for concern as crabs can grow back these missing limbs. A sure sign that your hermit crab is about to molt is digging.

A shell-less, molting hermit crab is utterly defenseless and will dig a hole in the sand to hide itself. You won’t need to help, but as soon as you notice it starting to look for a nice place to dig, you should separate it from other hermit crabs and place it in a different tank. Hermit crabs have been molting for over thousands of years they know what they need to do. The most helpful thing a human could possibly do is keep is safe and give it lots of good food.