Is My Hermit Crab Asleep or Just Dead?

Large Land Hermit Crab Molting or Dead?

• I have two Purple Pincher Hermit Crabs. One is a medium male, and the other one is close to a Jumbo male. I have had the medium hermit crab for almost a year, and got the other hermit crab two months after. As I was doing maintenance on the Crabatat tonight, I decided to check on the Large Hermit crab, who has been under the sand for a little over a month. Note: This has not been his first molt. He has molted two times prior to this. As I uncovered him to check to see if he was still alive, I noticed he was upside down (His legs upward). Which was odd for him, because he always molted with his legs downward. Anyway, I took my finger and felt of him and he was soft and slimy. In a panic, I got him out to see if I could get him to move in anyway to see if he was dead. First: He didn't have a smell. Second: His legs flopped around as if they were jelly. Thirdly: I put him in some water a few seconds to see if he would move. He didn't. Though, when I did that, a leg fell out. It was also soft, and floppy. With a gentle shake to see if he'd fall out of the shell (Because, when I shook a dead one before, it fell out) he didn't fall out. I put him back into the Aquarium, and covered him back up, in hopes he isn't dead, or I didn't kill him in the process of seeing if he were dead or alive. I feel so bad, and I hope I didn't kill him or he isn't dead. Any information on this would be very helpful. Because, I don't want to loose him. I've had him for to long and have been so successful with a Jumbo.

• Answer:

  i have a "jumbo" purple pincher and he can take up to two months to molt ... i would not have said he is dead cuz he did not fall out when you picked him up ...