# My Dwarf Orange Crayfish molted AGAIN.



## datfish (Sep 7, 2012)

He's getting pretty huge, roughly 3 inches long (with whiskers longer than his body!) and at least an inch thick. Just last week he molted so I got the ph and hardness up, and I think that may have induced molting again. But unlike normal crayfish who lose their appetite before molting, he continued to look for food till this morning. Is it possible that I have a species variant? I'd provide pictures but my camera isn't working.


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## DBam (Aug 9, 2010)

Under normal conditions, moulting is triggered by stretch receptors and controlled by hormones. My guess is that the most likely reason for the frequent moulting is just due to favorable conditions and fast growth. As to whether or not you have a species variant, what makes you think you do?


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## datfish (Sep 7, 2012)

DBam said:


> Under normal conditions, moulting is triggered by stretch receptors and controlled by hormones. My guess is that the most likely reason for the frequent moulting is just due to favorable conditions and fast growth. As to whether or not you have a species variant, what makes you think you do?


He's more red than orange and his size. He's much stockier and bigger than the ones I've seen online.


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## ilam (Apr 28, 2011)

You might have a red crayfish and not a CPO


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## DBam (Aug 9, 2010)

I'm thinking the same thing.

Edit: that would also explain why yours has such long antennae. Hopefully this pic works.


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## Sploosh (Nov 19, 2012)

I've noticed with all the cpo's I've had (3 adults + several babies) they always stop eating before/after a molt - sometimes 3 days not eating. Also my old male at 2.8 inches was the largest cpo I've seen in person.
Btw, what is the patterning on it? That could help to ID whether it's a a cpo or not


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## datfish (Sep 7, 2012)

His body is definitely the same shape as a cpo, and doesn't look like that one. He's also returning to orange today so I'm thinking he was growing so fast in his shell he turned red maybe?


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## datfish (Sep 7, 2012)

Sploosh said:


> I've noticed with all the cpo's I've had (3 adults + several babies) they always stop eating before/after a molt - sometimes 3 days not eating. Also my old male at 2.8 inches was the largest cpo I've seen in person.
> Btw, what is the patterning on it? That could help to ID whether it's a a cpo or not


Mine just keeps eating and eating. It's ridiculous! He just picked up a black mystery snail with the intention of eating it for example, and was running from my hand as I tried to save it (I did, luckily). I was looking at a picture of him from two weeks ago, and he's honestly doubled, maybe even tripled in size since then. Let's see for the patterning..I just looked and he's covered in dark red spots on his back with them continuing down his tail. He has white dots along his side and then white bits on each bit of his tail segments.


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

The color red could b also cause of the quality of water, some people put salt in it.
Marble cray fish for example, if u put salt in the water they look redish


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