Did my crab die?

[connpatd]

I looked in my display last night and saw what looked like one of my crabs dead right out in the open.

A while later I went to try to take it out and the carcass fell apart on me. It looks like the exoskeliton had no "meat" stuck to it anywhere.

If the crab only shed his shell (is it called molting?) how do they manage to do it so perfectly where it looks like they are sitting there?

[Krudco]

It could be that it just molted.. wait a couple days and see if your crab re-appears.
They usually hide out while there new exoskeleton hardens.
I have never been able to watch a molting of a crab. Imo it is cool that they do it and so well.

[Eldouble]

They molt and try to hide while their skin hardens. This is also when the other crabs try to eat them. if you see the molt and see a crab attached to another shell... it was a molt.

[Eldouble]

and keep some extra, bigger shells in the tank for them to get in. I bought a quart of them at Target last summer for 3 or 4 bucks. they were in the craft section. they also like astria snail shells. my lfs has a ton of dead snail shells.

[steven_dean17]

Don't forget to save the molts. You can use them to make a nice summer jacket.