How long does it take for a hermit crab to molt and when does it need to change its shell?

Hermit crabsIt usually changes its shell when it grows up, because it needs to have enough strength to start a "war".

Hermit crabs have conch shells, shells, snail shells, and even bottle caps as their homes due to the harsh ecological environment. When the hermit crab is born, the body is relatively soft, easy to eat, and when it grows up, it must find a suitable house for itself, so it attacks the conch and kills and tears the conch. Then get in, hook the top of the snail shell with the tail, support the inner wall of the snail shell with a few short legs, and crawl with long legs outside the shell, holding the mouth of the shell with a large chela.

In this way, it moved into a new home that was eco-friendly and sturdy.

Hermit crab growing environment.

The highest density of hermit crabs is often found in the intertidal zone of coral reefs.

In the upper part, turning over the rocks in the stagnant water, you can often find a lot of bare-palmed hard-shelled hermit crabs and fine chelated hermit crabs, which move quickly and will quickly escape and hide. In addition, because the ecological conditions in the tide pool are relatively mild, they are not affected by the impact of waves, and they can retain water at low tide, and most hermit crabs will gather at the edge of the tide pool or under the rocks in the pool.

It is mainly produced in the Yellow Sea.

and the coastal edges of the Southern Sea and the East China Sea, where they generally live in sandy beaches and rocky crevices along the seashore. Hermit crabs use the snail shell as a parasite, and usually crawl with negative shells, and when frightened, they will immediately shrink their bodies into the snail shell. As the crab grows larger, the hermit crab will look for a new shell to replace.

There are dozens of known species of hermit crabs, and the more common species along the coast of China are the square-wristed hermit crab and the ctenophorus crab. The square-wristed hermit crab is slightly larger than the ctenophorus hermit crab, and the maximum diameter of the hermit snail can reach more than 15 cm.

The existing shell can't hold itself when it's time.

1. Change the shell when the snail shell does not fit.

For hermit crabs, the snail shell is like our human clothes. The clothes are too thin to wear in, too fat to fit properly, and have difficulty moving. Similarly, the snail shell is too narrow for the hermit crab to live; The snail shell is too fat, and although the hermit crab can live there, it is heavy on its back and has difficulty walking.

That's when you have to change your shell.

2. "Catch up with the fashion" shell.

The shell replacement of hermit crabs is not only based on the size or weight of the shell, but also from the perspective of the new and old shells and the integrity of the shells. Scientists have found that hermit crabs also seem to be "fashionable", and they care not only about the size of the "clothes" on their bodies, but also about the style. If they are worn and fitted, and the style is old, they still have to be replaced, especially for bad shells with holes and cracks on the body, they should be replaced as soon as possible.

Hermit crabs shed their skin and left their shells.

Hermit crabs want to grow and molt at regular intervals. "Molting" and "shell replacement" are not the same state. Molting is when a hermit crab sheds its old carapace from its body, while the muscle tissue grows and gradually hardens, forming a new carapace.

Shell reshelling is when a hermit crab crawls out of the shell it is carrying on its back and moves into another empty shell. When it is found to be less active, and often hides in the basin or nearby sand to obtain water, and constantly digs the sand repeatedly to hide, this is a sign before molting.

The hermit crab lives in the armor of its predator, but because of this armor, it has to run around on its back, even making its right chelicerae larger than its left chelicerae, or its left chelicerae larger than its right chelicera.

Hermit crabs often live in the shells of dead mollusks to protect their soft bellies, hence the name.

There are more than 500 species of hermit crabs in the world, most of which live in the water and a few on land. There are also some hermit crabs that no longer live in the carapace, but have developed a hard shell similar to a crab, also called a hard-shelled hermit crab, and the famous coconut crab belongs to this category.

Hermit crab molting: Generally speaking, small individuals shed their shells about 2 3 times a year, and large individuals shed their shells about 1 2 times a year.

Individual size: (approximate size) Ultra-small.

Marble size below) small.

Glue bottle lid size) medium-sized.

table tennis sized) large.

Tennis ball size) 2-3 times 2-3 times 1-2 times 0-1 times per year.

Hulling time (hiding) 2 weeks 1 month 1 month 1 month 1 month 1 month 1 month 1 month 2 months 2 to 3 months.

Small individuals will grow more after shedding their shells, and as their bodies get bigger, they will grow smaller, but in general.

The overall growth rate of land hermit crabs is very slow. Malnutrition or a broken leg before shelling to regenerate, the growth will be small.

The number and magnitude of shelling ultimately depends on the environment, temperature, food, age, etc. Newly reared individuals may be exposed to sudden environmental influences and be the first to shed their shells in a short period of time. As they get used to the new environment, they will be shelled at a longer interval.

Hulling Season: The following are the individuals in the household, the distribution of hulling time (the month in which the husking was completed), and the number of days in hiding.

There are many crab lovers who also say that autumn is the peak season for shelling, but according to Ji Lu in 2007, it seems that the Spring Festival is the peak season. However, I would like to have more detailed and accurate information, and refer to more individual shelling cases, as 5 individuals alone do not represent the peak season for land hermit crab shelling.

Shortened shelling cycle: The shelling cycle of land hermit crabs will also be shortened due to sudden reasons, such as shelling in order to regenerate broken legs, and large parts such as chelicerae will be reshelled in a short time when they have not fully regenerated after one shelling.

It is also possible that when they move into larger shells, they are turned over for a short period of time to make their bodies fit the size of their shells, causing their bodies to grow dramatically.

Possible causes of accelerated peeling: Broken one foot and one chela.

Peeling interval: 7 months 3 months 3 months.

Hermit crabsFailure to molt will cause half of the body to get stuck in the shell, which can lead to death in severe cases.

Dead hermit crabs emit a strong smell; Dead hermit crabs will have their bellies black and begin to develop mildew. How to remove hermit crabs: Tweezers can be used.

Clip it out of the shell; Or rinse the hermit crab with running water for a period of time, and use the water pressure to flush it out; Hermit crabs can also be picked out with toothpicks.

What problems should be paid attention to when raising hermit crabs?

1. Hermit crabs can be kept in glass tanks, sorting boxes, reptile pet boxes and other containers, but the principle of breeding is to try to let hermit crabs have enough space to move.

2. It is recommended to spread a thick layer of bottom sand at the bottom of the container, such as coral sand or coconut soil, because hermit crabs will hide in the bottom sand for a long time in the process of molting.

3. Hermit crabs will discharge their feces on the sand, so the bottom sand should be rinsed once a week.

4. When feeding, you should also put some objects in the container that can be avoided by hermit crabs, such as stones and wood, because hermit crabs are relatively timid animals and like to hide under stones or wood during the day.

Since you've already gotten in, don't take it out, I'm afraid it will affect you. It will bury itself in the sand to avoid being disturbed, and generally hermit crabs that do not change their shells will not run in to disturb it. Just look at it and don't let the others bite it.

When it comes out on its own, take a look at the sand to see if there is still an old shell buried in the sand.