My son's hermit crab has been out of his shell and sitting on a wet sponge for 3 days. What's going on?

Question

Is he molting? Should it be taking this long? I am keeping his cage covered and dark. He has plenty of empty shells to change into. He is small-medium sized.

Answer 1

um if hes not moving he may be dead...

if not dont touch him..

they are sensitive when not in there shells...

or go ask the pet store..

they have hermit crabs

Answer 2

he is molting... when a hermit crab molts it needs to move into a bigger shell...if he is a medium size hermit crab then you need to gave him a few large shells to go into, if he is small then you need to give him medium shells.

Answer 3

well have you seen him move? If not there is a chance he is dead cuz i had a hermit crab and right after they come out of there shells they have to find another one quick

Answer 4

They come out for two reasons to change shells...Which is usually done over night when no one is up...Or they are ready to die...Sorry but your is dead.    

Answer 5

This is not a sign of moulting. Hermit crabs do not ditch their shells when moulting.

When a hermit crab is ready to change shells the animal does so in a matter of second. They don't leave their shell then wait around to find another, and if the shell is too small they will stay in it if no other shells are available. Hermit crab's don't just leave a shell because they want to change shells.

Abandoning the shell is a sign of stress. It could be from a number of things. If the animal is new it may be stressed or ill from it's transport from the wild, to a pet shop, then your home.

It may also be sick because of lack of humidity, chlorinated water, and salt water.

It could be also suffering form a poor diet. Most commercial foods are packed with preservatives.

If anyone smokes or uses scented products or strong cleaners near the animal this may have damaged the gills.

It could be mites, check for small moving white or red dots on the animal or shell.

Stress can be caused by any number of things. If you're keeping the animal in a humid warm environment with a varied diet and safe fresh and water dishes deep enough for the crab to crawl though. And keeping in it in a habitat with other crabs its likely the stress is from the animal's time in a pet shop.

Answer 6

He needs another shell. That means that he has outgrown the current shell. Maybe he thinks the other ones in his cage are still too small. Or, maybe he's dead, or sick. Good luck.  

Answer 7

Maybe you should uncover the cage. With it dark, maybe he feels like he doesnt have to move into the safety of a new shell?

We have had 2 hermit crabs. They didn't do anything like that, but you could try what I suggested and see what happens. Hope I could help. :)