Hermit Crab molt gone wrong??

[Key Equine]

I have a hermit crab that has been perfectly normal for the month I've had him. Yesterday morning he had molted, and since then he has been very, very strange. It looks almost like one half of him is pointing backwards. Like his left legs and claw are normal and the right side is on backwards. Terrible description, I know. And now he has become so distressed and uncomfortable (he can't really walk around with this new leg arrangement) that he has left his shell and is scrambling around naked.

This is totally bazarre. Ever heard of such a thing? Can a molt go that horribly wrong?

[RobynR]

We had the exact same thing happen about a month or two ago, the other hermies in the tank made sure the malfomed one didn't make it. I have no idea what could have caused it though.

[spreerider]

i seem to remember hreading that an iodine defficiency can cause this but i think the article was about shrimp