Q&A for How to Know when Your Hermit Crab Is Dead

Yes, they do. Never take away their old exoskeletons; they need them to harden their new skins.

Hermit crabs are omnivorous. In the wild, they are scavengers and eat anything they can find, from carcasses to parts of windflowers. You can buy hermit crab food that contain carnivorous and herbivorous food in pet stores. It is also good to change up their diets with different types of foods.

You may stroke the crab lightly to encourage him to move. If he still doesn't but is alive, just let him be until he is ready to move.

Maybe, but it also may be molting. If you look long and closely enough, you might see it slightly jerking or wriggling its body out of its old skin to the new one.

Nope. A dead hermit crab generally comes all the way out of its shell. Your hermit crab could just be molting.

No! If they are resorting to cannibalization then they are not receiving enough food or the correct food. Also, dead crabs should be removed from the tank.

Sometimes when a crab loses limbs, it means the crab is under a lot of stress and they simply do just that. However, if it is injured and it's losing limbs, it may not see keeping them as worth the trouble. Try relieving the stress your hermit crab may be under by ensuring the correct conditions are available to it.

Yes. Hermit crabs are tropical, and require an environment above 68 degrees. If the temperature drops below this, turn on your heat source. For smaller tank sizes, a heat mat supplies adequate heat.

If molting, it is not likely he is dead. It takes up to four weeks for a crab to molt. Molting is like hitting puberty for them; it is a long, delicate, and stressful process. Give him a couple of days and then check him out.

Leave it alone. It is just shy and nervous. Try adding new things to its habitat to maybe coax him/her out.

Yes, but you should consider getting a bigger shell for your hermit crab. When a crab molts, it mean that it is growing.

No! Painted shells are toxic no matter what the pet store says! Crabs like to dig and mess with their shells, paint chips off and can make the crab sick or injured.

It's hard to say, but crabs know when they need to molt and will begin the process in their own time. Expect the full process to take anywhere from 4-8 weeks.

Yes, just make sure the other hermit's parts aren't still in the shell. I use my old shells all the time and they transition just fine.

You should probably pick it up with something and put it near its shell. The hermit crab should move into its shell, but if it doesn't, keep putting it in different positions near the crab. If this doesn't help, then your crab may be dead. Crabs will pinch to show that they are afraid or uncomfortable, and ripping it from its shell may have killed or injured it. However, the crab could also just need help changing shells.

Your hermit crab may prefer a particular spot to either climb, hang out, or bury themselves in. Just keep an eye on it and make sure it can still access food and water when necessary.

Try to find a shell that is around the same size as the shell that broke in half. Put it next to your hermit crab and encourage it to move in. Be patient and try different arrangements with the crab and the shell. If it does not move in or move at all for a long period of time, it most likely passed away during the time its shell was broken.

Yes, most of the time.

It's probably just stressed from moving. Let it be for a while. If it continues to shake, it might be sick.

Most likely, she is molting. Check for a smell to make sure she is not dead.

This is completely normal. Hermit crabs molt around every eighteen months, and the molting process can take up to four weeks.

There is no way to know for sure, but try again and watch them all this time.

If your hermit crab hasn't moved in a while, isn't molting, but doesn't smell rotten, or fishy, he most likely might not be dead, if you pick he/she up off of the sand, and it doesn't react, or if you see that the multiple antennae that they have don't wiggle around a little bit, then he might have passed away. However, if you see them move, it's not dead! It could be a sign of molting, or it could be a sign of it feeling threatened.

They are tropical crustaceans, that means they need heat to mimic their natural habitats.

Then you may not need a heater, but you should have one just in case. Get a thermometer and a hygrometer to monitor the levels. Just because it is a tropical country, doesn't mean that the temperature is always going to stay constant.

Yes, most likely it is molting.

Hermit crabs are quite social. You should get some replacements for your dead crab.

Not necessarily. Your hermit crab may be sleeping, because they are nocturnal, or it could be ready to start molting.

You should have a heater regardless of where you live, it helps regulate temperature. Just make sure you turn it down/off when the weather is very warm.

Hermit crabs are not the most active. Sometimes they try to move when they think your absent or not looking. Try picking him/her up and relocating them to the other side of the cage. Make sure they have a place to hide, food, and a sponge.