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Hi, Alissa,
I checked with the animal curator here at Brooklyn Children's Museum. Below is his response... hope it helps! (Jarad mentions "captive care" - many species act differently in captivity vs. in the wild, so that may explain the discrepancy between the year you had been quoted and the increased frequency you are seeing.)
Lynn Cartwright-Punnett
Science Educator
Brooklyn Children's Museum
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These are land hermits, I take it. Frequency of molting depends on species and age: younger crustaceans molt more often than mature ones, some species more often than others. Either way, molting is a natural process, and as long as they are in fact molting, I would assume that they're doing well. If they are going long periods, such as a year, I would verify the proper frequency by properly identifying the animals and researching their captive care.
As for humidity, this again depends on the species. All do need some humidity, but some more than others. Excessive moisture could lead to mold and fungal invasions that could cause fatal maladies. Better temperature regulation of the enclosure could solve the condensation issue - what are the day vs night temps in the area around the enclosure as well as inside the enclosure? If there is a way to provide incandescent lighting targeted at the side of the enclosure desired for viewing (from the inside out), that should evaporate the excess moisture and clear the glass. It is basically the disparity between the internal and external temps that are causing this, so you would need to get those temperatures as close as is tolerable - this shouldn't be difficult with land hermits.
Hope that answers your Q's...
-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Daniels, Alissa
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 4:23 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: hermit crabs
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
if you don't have hermies at your museum and don't really care about them, stop reading now. I'd hate to waste your time.
For those who do have hermie experience, a couple of questions. We've had ours for about 6 months, my personal first foray into caring for them.
1. everything I read suggested that they don't molt very often--1x/year or so. All of ours are on their second round of molting already. Is this a bad sign? good sign? or was I misinformed?
2. the front of our tank is always covered in condensation. while the humidity is fine with the critters, it does prevent the visitors from getting a good look. The display area is ventilated and has fans. Any suggestions?
that is all.
many thanks!
AD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alissa Daniels, Science Program Manager
Boston Children's Museum
617 426 6500 .342
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny..." " --Isaac Asimov
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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