HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I recently just got my crabs and I prepared their food last night. They were hiding and didn’t seem interested in the food one bit. I woke up this morning and the food didn’t appear to be touched at all.

I also set out their salt bath and water bowl and they both seem to know be touched either. I did JUST get them yesterday but i’m worried about them not eating or drinking. should i give them time to distress and not worry?

They move around a little but mostly want to be down in the substrate or under their coconut hut. Please help!

Hello and welcome!

You came to the right place for help. It sounds like typical post purchase actions. Be sure to give them lots of healthy safe foods! Try to avoid most hermit crab foods and pellets found in pet shops since most are unhealthy to crabs. They need some quiet time to chill out and eat and drink to become stronger. Some crabs will bury and try to molt instantly when given the chance.

Rather than give you bits and pieces of the care guides I like to link to them and will be more thorough in an explanation!

This care guide will give you an explanation on what new crabs are going through and how to help them out in this crucial time!.
http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 27&t=92531

Good luck and welcome. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

Yep. As stated above, it’s all good! They are de-stressing and they could be under the sub for a few days to a week or 2. Just let them be and change our their food in a couple of days to fresh food and patience is key. They will comes back up when they feel ready!


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What are you feeding them?

Welcome!! There’s a lot of great people here with lots of info.

Just wanted to mention one important thing...to never dig them up. You would only do this in an emergency situation with a flood or bacterial bloom. I say this in case you’re worried and want to check on them when they dig down (like I was when I first started, lol).

Try not to get overwhelmed and have fun with it!


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I’ve offered all of the food groups, but they still don’t seem interested. One is in the corner and one stays under his coconut hut. i’ve even tried to put them near the dish. I haven’t dug them up, thankfully i read that somewhere. I’ve had them for 2 nights and i’m already worrying.

My cage is a little under the recommendation for temperature but i’m waiting on my second heating pad since the first wasn’t enough for the cage size. could that be the reason why? I also am waiting for my extra shells to put in the cage since my previous ones were to small for the size crabs i got. Should i make an emergency run to the store to get some or does it take awhile for them to molt.

I would not be worried at all. Crabs eat very little when they are small. I swear that for the first couple of years I had my two crabs, the only way I knew they were eating and drinking is that they were still alive! It seemed like I put in and took out the exact same amount of food every time.
Just keep offering them a varied diet, and they will take what they need. Crabs often don't try something the first time they are offered it, or the second, or even the third. So even if they don't seem interested in what you offered, it doesn't mean they never will be.

I second this. Having two crabs myself it hardly seems as if they are eating at all. One woild be consodered a small and the other between a small and medium according to shell size.

Having seen mine eat before sometimes it does not look like they ate at all so small the bites. A game changer for me was using a plastic paint pallet. Its flat low to the surface. Now when they visit the food bowl I see substrate on the tray the next morning. So it gives me a little piece of mind. Same for the water bowls.