Aww, so sorry to hear about Monica, rest in peace little crab!

Thanks Tammy!
Amy

Hon, you really should have read up on MOLTING before deciding Monica was dead. It sounds exactly like she had a surface molt, and the “crab” that fell out of the shell when you picked her up was actually her exoskeleton. Likely Monica, much shrunken at the moment, was hidden deep in the shell. If you had left her for a couple of days and allowed her to eat the exoskeleton, she would have expanded and probably would have looked for a shell that would fit her better.
I’m so sorry you assumed she was dead, SO many hermit crab owners make the same mistake, and its infuriating that pet stores do NOT warn about molting habits of hermit crabs.
Sadly, most of them know nothing about caring for hermit crabs to begin with, and people REALLY need to research a lot to find how to properly care for them.
I do hope you haven’t tossed Monica. Likely she would die from the stress of the whole thing, but there’s a chance she could still make it.
Best of luck to you, and please, read up on molting (just search “molting” on crabstreetjournal, dont do the web, theres horrible, misguided information out there).

Thanks for the info Crabbyjo, but I do believe she was dead. Her body literally fell apart.. in several pieces…. all over the cage. I have read about molting and don’t recall that part. We did lots of studying before we bought the hermit crabs. I could certainly be wrong though. Next time I will be sure to re-educate myself before I act though. Thanks for the help and I really hope we did not accidentally kill our crab by assuming she was dead.
Amy

Amy, my just-turned 11-y.o. is absolutely enamored of her hermit crabs. “Dilliam” (whom I did NOT name, LOL) was making all the signs to molt, when one morning we woke up to find him shell-less and curled up, with one of the other crabs above him, and missing a leg. We promptly covered him with moist shredded substrate (because that’s what was in the cage). We knew he was preparing and had prepared an isolation tank for him, but apparently she got to him first.

It’s been a month, and DD has left food and water out for him and kept his tank moist. It’s hard to tell if he’s alive or dead, but something is moving the substrate around and he’s the only one in there now! So we’re hoping that the other crab didn’t kill him while he was shell-less. He was actually smart for a crab (could go around things!) and friendly. Weird to find myself fond of a crab, but there it is.

We’re going to give Dill another couple of weeks and then gently move the substrate to see what’s going on with him.

Tracey, I hope Dill is ok and submerges soon! I’m feeling guilt that I might have misjudged Monica’s health, but when she literally fell apart I could only think one thing. When creatures fall apart in your hands you tend to believe they are no longer alive. lol
Amy

I would’nt worry too much. I had just the same thing happen with our crabbie :) I look in the tank and there is all this crab..debris..and I think “Oh how sad” and get ready to flush.. I mean make burial arrangements. Only when I pick up the shell out pops a much lighter, slightly smaller Hermie!! I nearly dropped him! so I wouldnt think yours would have slipped by you..

Thanks for sharing your experience Kris! I appreciate it!
Amy

My was molting and the skeleton fell already one day she is fine and the next day my bf picked her up she felt heavy but the whole crab fell of the shell is sebastian dead we throw him on the trashed but we changed our mind and put him back In the tank but we changed the shell… Is he dead? I’m gonna give him a couple days :(