Stub legs!

Questions about unexpected problems.
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ErnietheHermie
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Stub legs!

Post by ErnietheHermie »

I bought a new hermie yesterday, and he is just about the smallest hermie I have ever seen. About the size of a dime! He is missing the bottom tips on all but two of his legs! I feel so bad for him! Do crabs usually molt when they are missing parts, or do they still molt every 18 months regardless of lost limbs or not? Also, if he is the size of a dime he is probably ready to molt for the first time soon huh? Any predictions on how old he might be?
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erikleeson
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Re: Stub legs!

Post by erikleeson »

A crab that size is very young. They usually only regenerate limbs if they are completely removed, tips will probably not be regenerated. A base ball size crab is probably at least 20 years old. A golf ball size maybe 8 - 12, and a dime should be extremely young, like maybe under 5 years old.

I have a crab that has a shell opening of 3/4 cm. He is so small you won't believe it. This guy could maybe even be a juvenile crab! Probably not. Crabs become adults at age 2 when they are able to breed but its just a thought. If they are missing the tips of the legs I don't think it gives them extra challenge when walking but everything should be fine not much to worry about.
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ladybug15057
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Re: Stub legs!

Post by ladybug15057 »

There is no time line as to when hermies will molt regardless of their size. The hermie molts when they outgrow their exo's, this can be for some once a month up to a year or somewhere in between. CrabWorks has had Jon & Kate now for 32+ years, and they are starting to molt about once a year, and they are Jumbo's. Yet our jumbo's here molt every 6 months, with my daughers Shelly having a spurt a year or more ago where she was molting every 3 months?
As for the missing tips on the new hermie you have it sounds like the poor little one was holding onto something not wanting to be captures so the poachers clipped those parts of his legs off. :'(
(this saves them time when they are capturing hermies >] )
But yes, depending on how long it is before he molts he will also regenerate the tips of his legs. Thing being with the tips, unlike whole limbs that are missing get gel limbs, they will not get gel buds to them but they will regenerate them. Fascinating how they regenerate these without gel buds... wonder where they got them tucked at?
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