Hey everyone!! I have a O. s. and he seems to be molting in parts, and even looked like he may be eating parts of his molt. Is this something anyone has ever heard of before? just before this all occurred he decided to take all the spaghetti algae I had in the tank and stuff it in his burrow. I haven't seen any info on this kind of behavior, so any help would be great. Thanks, Bryan
Mantis shrimp molts
- Thread starter DUIdiver
- Start date
Gonodactylus
Premium Member
Construction just prior to molting is typical of most stomatopods and O. scyllarus is no exception. They will usually modify the burrow, close one entrance and partially close the other, etc.
O. scyllarus eventually will eat all of their molt skin except the dactyls. Usually they bury the skin for a a day or two, then start on the soft parts - carapace, head appendages, etc. and finish with the telson and raptorial appendages. The soft parts are always eaten, but some times they leave the hard parts. This is a good source of calcium for them, so I usually do not remove the molt skin for a few days. However, if they don't eat it in three or four days, take it out since it will provide nutrients for algae.
I'm a bit worried that you said the animal is molting in parts. Hopefully you are just seeing the hard parts now and the soft ones have been eaten. Animals do occasionally get stuck in the old skin and appear to molt in pieces. This is generally fatal. Rarely does an animal survive if it doesn't shed its old skin a few minutes - often less than a couple of minutes.
Roy
O. scyllarus eventually will eat all of their molt skin except the dactyls. Usually they bury the skin for a a day or two, then start on the soft parts - carapace, head appendages, etc. and finish with the telson and raptorial appendages. The soft parts are always eaten, but some times they leave the hard parts. This is a good source of calcium for them, so I usually do not remove the molt skin for a few days. However, if they don't eat it in three or four days, take it out since it will provide nutrients for algae.
I'm a bit worried that you said the animal is molting in parts. Hopefully you are just seeing the hard parts now and the soft ones have been eaten. Animals do occasionally get stuck in the old skin and appear to molt in pieces. This is generally fatal. Rarely does an animal survive if it doesn't shed its old skin a few minutes - often less than a couple of minutes.
Roy
Thanks. I found a hammer tip today and looked him over well. His hammers look fully intact and the rest of him looks healthy. He stayed in hi hole for the last week or so, and I don't have a good look inside. All I know is I have seen three pieces ejected from his burrow (the hammer tip, the end of the tail section without the feathered ends, and what looks to be a piece of his thorax? I think). Just thought it odd because I haven't heard about eating their molts until now. Thanks for the info, and I am sure he is fine, but was curious about what was going on.
