Occasionally it may become necessary to peform "surgery" on a hermit crab who is having difficulty molting. The procedure is risky and should only be peformed by someone with a steady hand and patience.
The procedure is recommended only to adults who have had much experience in successful hermit crab molts.
The procedure can best be explained in a FAQ format:
1. How do I know if I need to perform surgery?
If a JUMBO hermit crab has visibly been trying to wriggle out of his old exoskeleton for 6 hours or more (and especially if the exoskeleton is coming off in pieces rather than as a whole) AND if you witness him growing weak, surgery may be necessary. (It is not recommended that you perform surgery on a hermit crab that is smaller than a baseball, since crabs of this size are too small and fragile for large human hands.)
2. What is necessary to peform surgery?
Most importantly, an adult with good eye sight, a steady hand, and patience is necessary. A bright light, spray bottle, tweezers, and small Swiss Army knife scissors are a must. Tiny bonsai tree sheers may come in handy as well. Sterilize all equipment by running items under very hot water. Allow the tools to cool before using them.
3. What do I need to know before I begin?
If you assume the responsibility of being a surgeon, you must be willing to work slowly and carefully. You must carefully examine all of the hermit crab to clearly distinguish between the old purple exoskeleton and the new exoskeleton (which will be soft and pink until it hardens into a dark purple).
Furthermore, you must understand that beneath the old exoskeleton should be your soft-bodied hermit crab. If you encounter orange-gel rather than a pink, soft-bodied crab, DO NOT PERFORM SURGERY on those parts. You hermit crab has not properly developed in that region. Perhaps in time this status will change and you will be able to peform surgery on those particular parts.
Surgery of this fashion must be painstakingly slow. Limit yourself to no more than 30 minutes of surgery per day, so that both you and your hermit crab can recover from the procedure.
4. Where do I begin?
You will need to closely examine the crab's exoskeleton for any cracks or holes that you can slowly make bigger. Using tweezers and miniature scissors, carefully break off tiny bits of exoskeleton. DO NOT attempt to "slide off" old exoskeleton. If it were possible, the crab would have been able to successfully do this himself. Instead, you must slowly remove bits of exoskeleton. In my experience, it took approximately 14 hours to remove a jumbo hermit crab's exoskeleton in this manner.
Remember that your hermit crab's health will be severely jeapordized if you perform surgery quickly. Surgery is a stressful time for hermit crabs (and their caregivers) so limit yourself to 30 minutes or less per day.
Obviously surgery can only be peformed on a hermit crab who is somewhat extended from his shell. If your hermit crab is reluctant and chooses to hide in his shell, DO NOT attempt to remove him. You may encourage him to come out by giving him a bath in luke-warm water.
As you operate, remember to mist his appendages with water. This will keep things moist and more flexible. It will also cool him from the heat which could generate from a bright lamp you may use.
5. What should I do with the pieces of exoskeleton I've removed?
DO NOT DISCARD THEM! Hopefully when your hermit crab has the energy, he will eat them. If he has not yet regained energy, collect the pieces in a plastic bag and store them in the freezer. They must be preserved in this way to prevent decay. When your hermit crab has enough energy, it will be vital that he consumes the shed exoskeleton to regain nutrients. If the exoskeleton smells fishy, it has already been infected with bacteria. In this case, discard it.
A hermit crab can live without eating his exoskeleton, but he will be at a disadvantage. You can attempt to "make up" for this loss by sprinkling crushed cuttlebone onto all of his food until his next molt. Dried brine shrimp is another great source of calcium. This will add missing calcium to his body.
6. What else should I know?
Between surgeries, your hermit crab will obviously have to remain in isolation. Keep him warm, in humid air, and away from other hermit crabs. Offer him water multiple times a day and consider bathing him frequently.
If he is very weak, consider feeding him honey or apple sauce (sprinkled with crushed cuddlebone powder) on the tip of a cotton swab. These stimulations should brighten the hermit crab's outlook and offer him energy. If your hermit crab is so weak that he cannot move his mouth parts, consider bathing him in white grape juice that is room temperature. White grape juice is full of nutrients and its color will not stain your hermit crab's shell. After this, always bath him clean in water.
In time, your hermit crab will harden his new exoskeleton and it will become purple. If you have any questions, please email me at hermitcrabhappy@hotmail.com
The procedure is recommended only to adults who have had much experience in successful hermit crab molts.
The procedure can best be explained in a FAQ format:
1. How do I know if I need to perform surgery?
If a JUMBO hermit crab has visibly been trying to wriggle out of his old exoskeleton for 6 hours or more (and especially if the exoskeleton is coming off in pieces rather than as a whole) AND if you witness him growing weak, surgery may be necessary. (It is not recommended that you perform surgery on a hermit crab that is smaller than a baseball, since crabs of this size are too small and fragile for large human hands.)
2. What is necessary to peform surgery?
Most importantly, an adult with good eye sight, a steady hand, and patience is necessary. A bright light, spray bottle, tweezers, and small Swiss Army knife scissors are a must. Tiny bonsai tree sheers may come in handy as well. Sterilize all equipment by running items under very hot water. Allow the tools to cool before using them.
3. What do I need to know before I begin?
If you assume the responsibility of being a surgeon, you must be willing to work slowly and carefully. You must carefully examine all of the hermit crab to clearly distinguish between the old purple exoskeleton and the new exoskeleton (which will be soft and pink until it hardens into a dark purple).
Furthermore, you must understand that beneath the old exoskeleton should be your soft-bodied hermit crab. If you encounter orange-gel rather than a pink, soft-bodied crab, DO NOT PERFORM SURGERY on those parts. You hermit crab has not properly developed in that region. Perhaps in time this status will change and you will be able to peform surgery on those particular parts.
Surgery of this fashion must be painstakingly slow. Limit yourself to no more than 30 minutes of surgery per day, so that both you and your hermit crab can recover from the procedure.
4. Where do I begin?
You will need to closely examine the crab's exoskeleton for any cracks or holes that you can slowly make bigger. Using tweezers and miniature scissors, carefully break off tiny bits of exoskeleton. DO NOT attempt to "slide off" old exoskeleton. If it were possible, the crab would have been able to successfully do this himself. Instead, you must slowly remove bits of exoskeleton. In my experience, it took approximately 14 hours to remove a jumbo hermit crab's exoskeleton in this manner.
Remember that your hermit crab's health will be severely jeapordized if you perform surgery quickly. Surgery is a stressful time for hermit crabs (and their caregivers) so limit yourself to 30 minutes or less per day.
Obviously surgery can only be peformed on a hermit crab who is somewhat extended from his shell. If your hermit crab is reluctant and chooses to hide in his shell, DO NOT attempt to remove him. You may encourage him to come out by giving him a bath in luke-warm water.
As you operate, remember to mist his appendages with water. This will keep things moist and more flexible. It will also cool him from the heat which could generate from a bright lamp you may use.
5. What should I do with the pieces of exoskeleton I've removed?
DO NOT DISCARD THEM! Hopefully when your hermit crab has the energy, he will eat them. If he has not yet regained energy, collect the pieces in a plastic bag and store them in the freezer. They must be preserved in this way to prevent decay. When your hermit crab has enough energy, it will be vital that he consumes the shed exoskeleton to regain nutrients. If the exoskeleton smells fishy, it has already been infected with bacteria. In this case, discard it.
A hermit crab can live without eating his exoskeleton, but he will be at a disadvantage. You can attempt to "make up" for this loss by sprinkling crushed cuttlebone onto all of his food until his next molt. Dried brine shrimp is another great source of calcium. This will add missing calcium to his body.
6. What else should I know?
Between surgeries, your hermit crab will obviously have to remain in isolation. Keep him warm, in humid air, and away from other hermit crabs. Offer him water multiple times a day and consider bathing him frequently.
If he is very weak, consider feeding him honey or apple sauce (sprinkled with crushed cuddlebone powder) on the tip of a cotton swab. These stimulations should brighten the hermit crab's outlook and offer him energy. If your hermit crab is so weak that he cannot move his mouth parts, consider bathing him in white grape juice that is room temperature. White grape juice is full of nutrients and its color will not stain your hermit crab's shell. After this, always bath him clean in water.
In time, your hermit crab will harden his new exoskeleton and it will become purple. If you have any questions, please email me at hermitcrabhappy@hotmail.com
This jumbo had difficulty molting. After 6 hours, he grew exhausted. Surgery was performed for a total of 14 hours over two weeks to free him of his shed exoskeleton, thereby preventing an untimely death.
