Congratulations Icky!

Icky, my Hermit crab of a year and a half now just molted. Molting is the process hermit crabs and other antropods go through when they out grow their exoskeletons. They burrow into the sand for about a month and store lots of food and water. Then it'll take a week or so for the hermit crab to get out of it's shell and another 10 days for it to regrow his exoskeleton.

 

I'm pretty proud of the little guy. I had noticed he has been pretty quiet in the past week and gave him a bath on Friday night. I checked his cage on Sunday morning to find what looked like a dead Icky hanging out of his shell. It wasn't! It was his exoskeleton. I almost tossed the whole cage out before I noticed his little naked claw hanging out under his hard shell. Whew.

 

And to think of the hard life he has had -  His friend Steve dying early on to unknown causes, then almost being abandonded after weeks of neglect. Flies and bugs were crawling into his cage before I got to him.

 

His cage is clean now. I got him some carribbean blue sand, a new water sponge and made him a log cabin which he is quiet fond of. Sometimes during the day he hangs out on top of it, taking in the view, enjoying some fine hermit crab food, probably thinking about Steve. At night he'll crawl underneath it to sleep.

 

He likes to work out too. He'll pick up and toss around his log now and then. I've seen him benching that thing with one hand. Takes after his owner.

 

We're throwing a pirate party for him this weekend - Seriously. And if anyone knows a good place to get hermit crab gifts and accessories - drop a line.