Molting or "Changing Shells"?

[Salt and Pepper]

Are molting and changing shells the same thing? Or is changing shells where they move into a new shell and molting is when they 'shed' their exoskeleton? Just wanted to know. Because my jumbo, Hermie, shell is too small and I wanted to know if that was 'molting' or 'switching shells'.

[emmac350]

Switching shells is when the change the snail shell that they use to protect their abdomens.

Molting is when they actually pull themselves out of their old skin so that they can grow bigger. It's a very miraculous process that allows them to regrow lost legs and even eyes! However, it's a very stressful process that can cause death if conditions leading up to and during the molt aren't right.

Hermie needs to change shells.

[ladybug15057]

This is what it is like when a hermie changes shells and it is not considered molting at all, but changing shells only:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jZe_VGLRYI

This is what it looks like when a hermie molts, they shed their exo, all but their soft curly abdomen:
http://s187.photobucket.com/albums/x276 ... ked-In.jpg

[ladybug15057]

Found a video of a hermie molting on YouTube, and as you will see, it looks totally different than changing shells:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61BWU09euis&NR=1