Howie the Crab on Tiktok

Howie The Crab Has Many Fans Invested In Her Current Molting Situation

Home / Animals / Howie The Crab Has Many Fans Invested In Her Current Molting Situation

By Melanie VanDerveer on December 1, 2022 at 5:00 PM PST

Howie the crab has many fans on social media completely invested in her story. Besides being an adorable crab that often wears hats and enjoys fist bumping her owner, she's currently dealing with a serious situation that has many worried for her future.

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Howie the crab
Howie the Crab - Instagram
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The Molting Process Began In October For Howie

In late October, Howie's mom posted a video on TikTok explaining the molting process and her current fears about it. "I searched the city for golden beets, one of Howie's favorite vegetables. She didn't eat it ? I know it's been coming for a while but I'm sure now that she's starting her molt," the caption began. "She's very old and it's dangerous for her. When old crabs die, it's usually from being unable to molt or getting stuck during the molt. Send Howie good vibes. This will be a long road."

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The video received more than 16 million views, 2 million likes and thousands of comments. Howie's fans popped into the comment section to express their concern for the popular crab. "Definitely never thought I'd be looking for an update on a crab but here I am hoping you will let us know how she's doing," one viewer wrote. Another added, "Omg nooooo. How are you handling this? I’m crying. You seem so prepared. Oh please be okay ?"

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Howie the crab on TikTok
Howie the Crab - TikTok

Howie's Mom Shares Frequent Updates On Social Media

That video was only the beginning of the process. Howie's mom shared many updates on how Howie is handling it all. One update video captioned, "Today's molt update. Howie is doing well. She took a tiny bite of apple. I'm so worried she'll starve before her molt, but this gives me hope!!!" gave a little bit of hope for all those watching and wishing for a good outcome.

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"Note to self: Never fall in love with a crab cuz they may die every few months. Good golly I couldn’t handle the stress! #teamhowie," one follower wrote in the comments. Howie's mom replied, "I wasn't too worried up until last year. It's not as big of a deal when they're young ❤️" Another fan of Howie's wrote, "I am going to need to add this to my list of topics for therapy."

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Howie the Crab
Howie the Crab - Instagram

Molting Is A Long Process And Howie Is Struggling Due To Age

A video posted a few days ago shows that Howie is trying to molt but struggling. "Howie is trying so hard to molt ? There's nothing I can do to help ? If she doesn't make it she'll die ???," the caption on the update video reads. While Howie is trying to shed her shell, her mom is rooting her on. "You can do it, Howie," she said. "We believe in you."

Cue the tears from Howie's fans. Many take to the comments to express their sadness for what the crab is going through. "Unfortunately my emotional state is relying on howie molting," one fan wrote. Another added, "I never thought I would be emotionally invested in a crab molting."

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Many others shared those same sentiments. In fact, Howie's struggle is not only being discussed on TikTok, but also on other social media platforms. Howie has fans on Reddit who are hoping the blue crab pulls through and gets to enjoy more adventures to share on social media.

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Howie's Most Recent Update Was Shared On Instagram

The most recent update on Howie's condition was shared on Instagram a few hours ago. "Howie is okay this morning. No molt ? but she did come up to the glass to greet me as if to ask for something. I offered food again and she refused and went back to sitting on her log faced away from me again. Today is day 19 without food. This picture was from her first donut," the captions reads.

"Thank you for these updates. You probably never realized the impact Howie would have on the world and that she now has an extended family all worried about her and rooting for her!" one of Howie's fans commented. Many others also posted motivational messages in the comments section.

Many of Howie's TikTok followers have created videos in honor of their favorite crab. It seems that the Internet is collectively rooting for the sweet crab and waiting patiently for updates to be shared.

Howie the crab
Howie the Crab - Instagram
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