Hermit Crabs Molting?

[archndevil]

I got some hermit crabs as part of my clean up crew a week ago today. Within the last couple of days i have seen their body with claws detached from there shells and some gooey stuff floating behind. I am unsure of wheter or not these crabs molt or if they are fighting. Do hermit crabs molt ? and how much of their body will they molt? Will they fight with other crabs in the tank? Thanks

[LeslieH]

- Yes, they molt. All crustaceans molt.
- The exoskeleton covering the entire body is molted. It will be soft and have a different consistency because prior to molting many of the constituents are re-absorbed by the crab. It takes a while for the new exoskeleton to harden so the crab hide out during the process.
- Yes, hermits will fight with other crabs.

[Kgoarmy17]

Usually hermits fight for larger shells :D

The moltings can be quite tricky as well.

I had a Calappa gallus(Rough boxing Crab) once who would molt, but the molting was so realistic and had fleshy parts inside. I thought he died. A few days later we would see him again around feeding time. During the day they bury themselves in the sand to where just the eyes are left out. He tricked us quite a few times. ; /

Keep an eye on the number of hermits you have, and I would collect the parts so it doesnt affect your water chemistry in fact it is a dead hermit.