how can i tell if my hermit crabs were really dead?

Question

i use to have two hermit crabs. they were really molting when we thought it the first time, but since my brother is lazy and didnt dispose of them, we found they were molting. then they died a couple of days later. wher they molting agaian, or were they really dead?

we got rid of them about a year ago.
the same thing happend to my friend but she still refuses to belive it was still alive when they buried it!

Answer 1

WHen crabs are molting many times they can look dead. Crabs can molt every week in some cases, usually the smaller ones. There would be a strong odor of decaying fish if it were dead.
When crabs are molting they are under a ton of stress and should never be disturbed... chances are they were not kept in proper conditions and were disturbed and then died. Hermit crbas need very specific conditions in regards to temp and humidity as well as foods and tank conditions and items used within it. We own and operate a Land Hermit Crab rescue and educational facility and own 42 rescues right now.. they are all very happy and healthy and are great pets. We have spent years researching and studying Land Hermits and love to help owners and future owners with all of their problems, conserns and questions. Our site is http://www.geocities.com/hermitcrab_rescue/ if you or anyone would like to check it out. We are a not for profit rescue and offer all of our services free of charge.

Answer 2

There are a couple of ways to tell the difference between a molting crab and a dead crab. A dead crab will smell fishy. A molting crab may have a smell but it is often more of a chemical smell. The molted exoskeleton that the crab sheds will not have an abdomen. If your crab has come out of it's shell and looks dead look into the discarded shell and see if there is still a crab in there. A shed exoskeleton has been mistaken for a dead crab more than once even by experienced crabbers! Your best bet is to keep the crab in your tank for a week and see what happens. A molter will rest for a few days and then begin eating their exoskeleton. This is a very important step so make sure that their exo stays in there with them. As a last resort, if you believe the crab has died and the shell is empty, submerge the shell in dechlorinated water for several minutes, if it's truly empty nothing will happen but if there is a crab tucked way back in there, they will emerge and try to get out of the water.

Good luck!

Answer 3

if the hermit crabs looked like they were crumbley or disinegrated they were probably dead, if not the might have been still aline because usually hermit crabs do not molt in that short of a time.

Answer 4

did it come completely out of the shell and dry and totally not moving and smelly...then they have died...but don't act too quick because they may still be molting! smell is the key

Answer 5

if they fall out of the shell they are dead. live hermit crabs will try very very hard to stay in the shell

Answer 6

Good question. My hermit crabs always crawled out of their shell then didnt move so I threw them away. My daughter's second one didn't come out, but it didn't move when she touched it. I hope someone can answer this for ya.

Answer 7

I faced the same problem, and the key really is the smell.

Answer 8

i had one that i thought was still alive, but it turend out it wasnt. id wait a while, and then decide on if they are atill alive

Answer 9

Might be dead

Answer 10

They were dead if they smelled bad.