HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Greetings. I know this is not a new topic. I've been reading a lot on this forum, and I thank you all for your kind, wonderful, informative responses to everyone's questions... I got a new hermit crab, Shelley, on March 2. The morning of March 4, she buried herself, and she's been buried ever since. She has not come up at all, nor have I seen any kind of movement. I got her a friend, Sandy, the afternoon of March 4. Sandy buried herself beside Shelley (they were captive mates at PetSmart), I'm guessing to say "hi," and then came up the next day. Sandy stayed up for a few weeks and then buried herself two weeks ago at the opposite end of the tank.

I'm pretty sure (hoping!) Sandy is OK because I can see her tunnel in the sand, so if she died, I should be able to smell it. Shelley, though, is completely buried and has been for a month now. I'm tempted to dig a little bit to see if she's OK, but I know we're not supposed to. However, I'm getting worried, and if she died, I don't want a dead crab rotting in my tank. I don't smell anything, though. Should I just leave her alone for a little while longer? She's not a big crab; her shell opening is about an inch. They're in a small tank (5.5 gallons, I live in a tiny house) with higher sand levels at the ends and a lower spot in the middle, so I'd be able to see if they were moving around under the sand. AndI know they're not coming up because the surface is undisturbed and there's no sand in their water or food dishes.

Should I scrape the sand away maybe a little bit to see if Shelley's OK? Or just leave them for another couple of weeks or months? I'm feeling pretty lonely and unloved, too.

whatever you do do not look for her. one month isn’t a very long time wait at least two more months before you even get worried. she is molting i’m guessing. the whole human POV of a molting crab is “are they dead?” i have a crab that is about 3/4” shell opening who has been down two months now which is completely normal. even when they are done molting they’ll stay underground for a while to “de-stress” and since Shelly is a new crab she will likely be down longer because she hasn’t molted in a while and was likely stressed at the store. just keep an eye out and DO NOT DIG HER UP!!!!!!!


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Thank you. That's very reassuring. I'll continue to be patient. I miss my little buddies. It's amazing how fast one can get attached to the little creatures!

Stay the course! If they are okay and you dig; you could harm them. If they aren't okay and you dig; you're not going to be able to save them.

No good comes from digging! Patience is the key. Meanwhile, enjoy your tank of pet sand!!

My biggest crabs stay down for over a year at a time.