Ghost Hermit?

[rickyst1]

3 or 4 weeks ago I bought a strawberry Hermit about a 2"-3" conch shell. Really cool with Electric blue eyes. I have been concerned that my 65 Gal tank was not big enough for him to graze as he had trouble manuvering. I have a good amount of rock and he seemed to like the sand.
Anyway I was considering trading him and my wife called me at work 4 days ago to say he was out of shell dead and that she had flushed him. I left the shell on the rocks upside down until this morning when I woke up he was grazing on the bottom in shell as happy as can be? WTF? Is there a chance there were 2 in the same shell? My wifes freakin out.

 

[rickyst1]

Here He is, Am I dreaming?

 

[herp_mommy]

He could have just molted. I've had the same thing happen to me with a Halloween crab. One day, he's dead and we take the body out, next day there's a new Halloween crab in the old shell. No clue where the second one came from.

 

[rickyst1]

Huh, that makes more sense than the ghost theory, LOL, although wife is still puzzled as the dead naked hermit looked like it was full unlike our molted shrimp that was just XO skelton. Thanks

 

[ORION411]

All crustaceans molt to grow

 

[Endless Ocean in My House]

Wow! Sounds like the problem's been solved, but how creepy is that?!

 

[Saratj1]

I thought the same thing when my coral banded shrimp molted, His molt was colored just like him, claws pinchers antennas and all. I thought for sure he was dead, then there he was in his usual hiding spot.