Did my crab molt?

[Kpeterson09]

I only have one crab. I got it in Florida at one on the tourism shops. I've had crabs before so I somewhat knew how to take care of them. So when i got home i went to petco and got the crabitat set up and everything. One day my crab buried itself in the sand. I was thinking it was molting. So I left it alone and kept the crabitat at the right temperature and humidity. Today sometime my crab resurfaced after 2 days. And I'm not positive but I don't think it molted because of the fact that it didn't regenerate it's broken claw and it still has its grayish body. I'm very confused. It seems to be acting like normal. Very active. I was going to get more crabs after my crabitat was set up but then it buried itself so I was going to let it finish molting before I added friends.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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[Hermiesguardian]

Crabs like to dig. It's probably just destressing. Just resist the urge to ever dig it up. And if you introduce another crab, first dip it into the fw. How deep is your substrate? It has to be minimum 6" or 3 times as deep as your largest crab. Whichever is deeper.

[Kpeterson09]

Crabs like to dig. It's probably just destressing. Just resist the urge to ever dig it up. And if you introduce another crab, first dip it into the fw. How deep is your substrate? It has to be minimum 6" or 3 times as deep as your largest crab. Whichever is deeper.

Oh yes I know not to dig it up. What do you mean by dip the crab is few? My substrate is about 3". I have a 5.5 gallon tank. So I should add more substrate? I'm starting small and plan on getting a bigger tank and more crabs.

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[Hermiesguardian]

Crabs like to dig. It's probably just destressing. Just resist the urge to ever dig it up. And if you introduce another crab, first dip it into the fw. How deep is your substrate? It has to be minimum 6" or 3 times as deep as your largest crab. Whichever is deeper.

Oh yes I know not to dig it up. What do you mean by dip the crab is few? My substrate is about 3". I have a 5.5 gallon tank. So I should add more substrate? I'm starting small and plan on getting a bigger tank and more crabs.

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Dip the crab in dechlorinated freshwater. The water in their dish/pool. That size tank is probably big enough for just 1 crab. If he's under at any given point, you can only add 1" of substrate every 24hrs. Don't pat it down. Otherwise, yes add 3 more inches. They're fun once you get the basics down. Lol. The substrate has to be sandcastle consistency. You may want to switch to a larger tank, if you can, sooner rather than later. It's difficult to have all they need in a small tank.

[Kpeterson09]

Yeah I'm realizing that now. Like I said I'm still learning.

Crabs like to dig. It's probably just destressing. Just resist the urge to ever dig it up. And if you introduce another crab, first dip it into the fw. How deep is your substrate? It has to be minimum 6" or 3 times as deep as your largest crab. Whichever is deeper.

Oh yes I know not to dig it up. What do you mean by dip the crab is few? My substrate is about 3". I have a 5.5 gallon tank. So I should add more substrate? I'm starting small and plan on getting a bigger tank and more crabs.

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Dip the crab in dechlorinated freshwater. The water in their dish/pool. That size tank is probably big enough for just 1 crab. If he's under at any given point, you can only add 1" of substrate every 24hrs. Don't pat it down. Otherwise, yes add 3 more inches. They're fun once you get the basics down. Lol. The substrate has to be sandcastle consistency. You may want to switch to a larger tank, if you can, sooner rather than later. It's difficult to have all they need in a small tank.

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[Hermiesguardian]

Yeah I'm realizing that now. Like I said I'm still learning

Of course. I've only been doing this for 9 months and consider myself new. I didn't know about the no digging them up. After I put them in the 10 gal from that little plastic cage, and one dug down, (I had 2) I freaked out! I thought maybe he climbed out. Maybe the other crab ate him. I was totally stymied. My husband carefully stuck a pencil into the sand and we found him. And unburied him. We learn. And surprisingly, they survive a lot.

[Kpeterson09]

I think I spend hours googling stuff. I think I jumped into buying supplies too fast before learning how to care for them. I've changed so many things in the tank. And I have already invested a small fortune into this one little crab. I really wish I could clean this tank out and return it and get a bigger one. Because your right it is only a ig enough for one crab and I barely have enough room my crab much less barely any room to add things for it to climb on. And I bought the wrong kind of kid bc I can't get control of my humidity levels. What size tank do you have? How many crabs do you have? And what do you feed your crabs?

Yeah I'm realizing that now. Like I said I'm still learning

Of course. I've only been doing this for 9 months and consider myself new. I didn't know about the no digging them up. After I put them in the 10 gal from that little plastic cage, and one dug down, (I had 2) I freaked out! I thought maybe he climbed out. Maybe the other crab ate him. I was totally stymied. My husband carefully stuck a pencil into the sand and we found him. And unburied him. We learn. And surprisingly, they survive a lot.

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[aussieJJDude]

Sometimes they just dig down to destress and also for fun... regardless, it doesn't sound like its moulting.

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[Hermiesguardian]

I think I spend hours googling stuff. I think I jumped into buying supplies too fast before learning how to care for them. I've changed so many things in the tank. And I have already invested a small fortune into this one little crab. I really wish I could clean this tank out and return it and get a bigger one. Because your right it is only a ig enough for one crab and I barely have enough room my crab much less barely any room to add things for it to climb on. And I bought the wrong kind of kid bc I can't get control of my humidity levels. What size tank do you have? How many crabs do you have? And what do you feed your crabs?

Yeah I'm realizing that now. Like I said I'm still learning

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I started with 2 crabs in a 10 gal. Then got a free 15 gal, which I thought was a 20, from a friend. And added a 3rd crab. Still wasn't enough room. I bought a 40gal breeder. Wider than a 40gal. Got 2 more crabs. They're addictive. If you have a mesh screen, you can get plexi glass at a hobby store for very cheap and tape it on. Or cover it with saran wrap and tape that on. A digital humidity/temp gauge from walmart is $8. Oh, forgot to mention I got a good deal in a 90gal tank on the app offerup. You can check out craigslist, for tanks. You can feed them pretty much what you eat. Try and feed them organic though. Here's the safe food list. viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92557
Remember they eat tiny amounts, so let's say 1 organic apple can last a very long time. Commercial hermit crab foods are usually full of preservatives. Toxic to them. They especially need protein and calcium. You can get playsand at Lowes, Home Depot for less than $4/bag. And you can mix it with eco earth, which helps retain moisture. Did your tank come in a "kit"? Or did you buy it seperate? If seperate, you can clean it out and try to return it. I would. And just keep asking questions.

[wodesorel]

Nope, he could not have molted that quickly, and he would have regrown that missing claw.

What are you using for substrate, and how deep is it? If he can't get comfortable, he may put off molting for too long which is extremely dangerous for them.

[piratetoothgir]

Limbs and claws aren't regenerated right away.
Often times it can take multiple molts to restore what it used to look like.