Someone killed my crab

[Gujustud]

So I came home today, to find my blue legged hermit crab.. ripped in two.



I found his new shell that he took over about 1-1/2 weeks ago, empty, and I found half his body near the front of the tank.

I'm suspecting the damsel. He's such a big guy, and that crab was small. My bigger red scarlet is still okay, hiding in his cave.

Another thing I've noticed ever since getting the damsel is that I keep finding my snails on their backs. I'm wondering if he's knocking them over.

However I'm still sad to see one of my hermy's dead already. Not dead, killed... murdered...

[martym]

I would suspect a hitchiker crab doing the work more that a damsel. But I'm probably wrong. I have found a crab after 8 months that I never new I had. It had a snail in his claws and was taking it back to his hide out. I know some hermits will keep picking at snails to get them to release from what ever they or on in hopes that they will turn over so they can eat them. JMO

[Quinn]

I would suggest that it is neither, as I would be suprised that you would find a body. I suggest you may be dealing with a molt, or perhaps the animal died of natural causes.

[LostMind]

I would think that it was a molt as well. They look JUST LIKE a hermit crab should look when its dead :P

if something killed it, they woulda ate it most likely.

[kuatto]

with the molt,isn't it only the claws that are found,not the whole crab,ie,the eye stalks and soft body?

Jim

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by kuatto

with the molt,isn't it only the claws that are found,not the whole crab,ie,the eye stalks and soft body?

Jim

whole thing pretty much


Steve

[Gujustud]

Good thing I posted this in the newb section, because I feel like a idiot.

"he's alive!"

I went downstairs after a couple hours, and noticed that his shell was not in the place I last saw it. It was moving!!!

He's still alive... but man that freaked me out. I read up more on molt... very cool! Didn't know they do that...

It was the front shell, legs etc that I first saw.

[psiico]

I usually see some legs and a bit of fluffy something hanging off the back. First time I saw it it worried me too. First time my porcelain crab molted I thought it was dead, too. Here's a funny pic I snapped one night of a hermit with "no pants" on.