Understanding Crab Molting and Hermit Crab Shells

Molting is how hermit crabs grow! Just like how a snake sheds its skin, a hermit crab will shed its exoskeleton:) a hermit crab will dig and burrow under the substrate, and spend anywhere from a few weeks to multiple months molting! Length and frequency in molting can depend on size. A larger hermit crab will generally molt less often, but for longer. And a smaller hermit crab will generally molt more often, but for shorter amounts of time! After shedding their exoskeleton, they will eat it. It’