Noob Question on Hermit Crabs

[Bredfan]

Okay...I've searched all over, but can't find any info on this...

What is the life cycle of the dwarf hermit crabs in terms of their physical characteristics?

How are they born? How do their shells develop, or do they choose them? I've seen what I think are shell-less bodies in the bottom of my tank...are these just crabs that have died and been pulled from their shells by other crabs or is there a type of molt?

What spawned the question(s) is that I think 2 of my hermit crabs died - I can't find them. It started me wondering about these critters....

Any info on this topic would be great - thanks for the help!

 

[yote]

What your seeing is probably the molts.

 

[ErinCahir]

+1 yote.

 

[Slimkasey]

If you had extra shells, so they could molt they have, and that's what I found. Once they do molt they are extremely shy, they have to let the new exo-skeleton harden up, so they get out of any harms way. Just get the old molts out, and wait a couple of days.

 

[Bredfan]

This is the part of their physiology that I don't understand... do they "move" to a new shell? Do the climb out of their shell and grow a new one? If the shell is not part of the body, how do they grow? If it is part of the body why would I need extra shells? How does that process work?

 

[marcah]

as they grow they relocate to a larger shell..

 

[Bredfan]

So, I should ask the lfs for a few larger shells to drop into my tank? Sounds logical...

And...just to kick this dead horse... When they are hatched, they come with no shell, and must go find one to live in? Seems like a recipe for a pretty high mortality rate...

 

[moncapitane]

Wow, learned something today. Didn't know you could keep hermit crabs in the water. Though they couldn't breath but I was wrong. That is a very interesting thing to put in an aquarium. Just nothing I ever considered.

 

[Northstar24]

There are land hermits and water hermits, the OP is talking about the dwarf hermits that are used as a clean up crew in our tanks, not the larger land dwelling hermits you're thinking of.

To the OP - the get their shells from snails, who are able to grow them