Why did my hermit crab change colors

Question

ok i have 3 hermit crabs 2 from a fair and the other one from pet smart the one i got from pet smart was normal colored dark purpel w/tan w/grey and now its like a pastel orange with a little darker than pastel purple on a couple of spots and i was thinking maybe it shed it's skin or maybe just the size of it the shell that it's in is like 1" and it goes pretty far back so it's like itsy bitsy please help oh yea i baught my hermit crab june 24th hope this info helps!

Answer 1

The only time that I had bought a hermit crab that was purple, it ended up dying. All of my other crabs are orangish. Perhaps now it's just healthier--it might be the change in diet or change in climate. Be sure you have plenty of shells with round holes that it can change in to.

Answer 2

I think that it is most likely about to molt..How is your setup? You need to make sure that your substrate is atleast about 3 inches deep, because they like to burrow and dig, and most of they time they will remain buried until they are ready to molt..sand is the best substrate, although you can use forrest bedding(coconut bedding) but it molds easily and attracts bugs..My crabs have molted a couple of times but have not changed shells yet..but do make sure you offer some different size shells incase it needs to change shells..it may be in a shell that is too big for it, but it is hard to say without seeing it..and also i have read you really shouldnt handle them a whole lot or bath them while they are molting..so i would say just keep and eye on it and see what is going on..it may become real lethargic over the next few days, and you may not notice it eating..this is all normal for molting so no worries..good luck=)  oh sorry I was also going to say that my crabs have looked a pailer color right before they molted..that is why i said they are probably molting..another thing is if it does molt you are supposed to leave the skeleton in there, because they eat it for nutrients and stuff..gross huh?and if you already knew all of this stuff sorry..just trying to help=)