[cbrady]

I'm not sure of the species but he is red with little blue spots.

He went to molt yesterday, I saw him pushing his old exo off late last night.
Today he was in exactly the same spot, not IN his shell but half out, his left claw seemed stuck in the old exo, I was worried so i picked him up and tried to pull it off, he released from his shell and the exo would not come off.
I removed him from the tank and did a quick surgery to remove the exo.
After placing him back in the tank he still doesnt seem right, I had to physically put him back into his shell and his new exo is soft.
Is this normal? how long does it take them to harden and is it normal for them to be um...sluggish during a molt?

CB~

[RyanG]

First, let the crab molt on its own. Keep your hands out of the tank...the less interaction you have the better.

List your tank parameters, fill out your profile. Molting takes a lot outta a guy, its a hard, long process.

[pogodzib]

I agree. The best thing you can do for any invert while they are molting is leave it alone because any added stress can kill it.

[demonsquirt]

After the molt they will hide for a few days as they harden. Sounds more like it was a last effort of survival in bad conditions.
How long have you had him and do you have others?
Tanks size and age?