HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I was just curious if anyone else had a "fastidious" little hermit crab? My little girl Shallan seems to be quite fastidious, spending hours at a time bathing because as soon as she gets out of the water, the coconut fiber sticks to her because she is wet and so she gets back into the water and repeats the process of cleaning her legs and claws off, over and over. It's quite funny too watch but I am wondering if this is just her personality or if I should put the water on something she can dry off on before braving the coconut fiber again? Thoughts? Here she is this morning where she has been for about an hour. Lol!

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Hi AslansGirl!

No, I cannot say that I do have any crabs that are fastidious.
My clan are all bruisers and don't care about anything in their way.

I don't personally think a hermit would properly care to utilize a drying area before going back in the dirt.
Your substrate looks a lot dry, have you moistened it lately?

stellaplusrocky wrote:Hi AsianGirl!

No, I cannot say that I do have any crabs that are fastidious.
My clan are all bruisers and don't care about anything in their way.

I don't personally think a hermit would properly care to utilize a drying area before going back in the dirt.
Your substrate looks a lot dry, have you moistened it lately?

I do spray it several times a day actually but I am not sure what to do other than that because the crab in question keeps burying herself like she is going to molt but then she randomly will pop out every few days so maybe the next time she does that I will grab her so I can give the substrate a good wet down. I actually just installed a moss pit today too!

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aslansgirl89 wrote:

stellaplusrocky wrote:Hi AsianGirl!

No, I cannot say that I do have any crabs that are fastidious.
My clan are all bruisers and don't care about anything in their way.

I don't personally think a hermit would properly care to utilize a drying area before going back in the dirt.
Your substrate looks a lot dry, have you moistened it lately?

I do spray it several times a day actually but I am not sure what to do other than that because the crab in question keeps burying herself like she is going to molt but then she randomly will pop out every few days so maybe the next time she does that I will grab her so I can give the substrate a good wet down. I actually just installed a moss pit today too!

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Great, I love moss pits!
What I would recommend doing on your next cleaning is pour some dechlorinated freshwater into your sub.

Make sure you remove your crabs before doing this, especially if they are underground.
Any molters should never be dug up

She discovered my new moss pit/shell shop and seems to be in seventh Heaven!

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stellaplusrocky wrote:

aslansgirl89 wrote:

stellaplusrocky wrote:Hi AsianGirl!

No, I cannot say that I do have any crabs that are fastidious.
My clan are all bruisers and don't care about anything in their way.

I don't personally think a hermit would properly care to utilize a drying area before going back in the dirt.
Your substrate looks a lot dry, have you moistened it lately?

I do spray it several times a day actually but I am not sure what to do other than that because the crab in question keeps burying herself like she is going to molt but then she randomly will pop out every few days so maybe the next time she does that I will grab her so I can give the substrate a good wet down. I actually just installed a moss pit today too!

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Great, I love moss pits!
What I would recommend doing on your next cleaning is pour some dechlorinated freshwater into your sub.

Make sure you remove your crabs before doing this, especially if they are underground.
Any molters should never be dug up

How can I tell the difference between a crab that likes to hide/dig versus a molter? Should I ever dig a crab up or is it always dangerous?

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How can I tell the difference between a crab that likes to hide/dig versus a molter? Should I ever dig a crab up or is it always dangerous?

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You should only dig if the crab is in danger. (Naked, a bacterial bloom, a flood, etc.) Molters can be under for up to 8 months, or as little as a few days. You might see signs of molting beforehand, though. A molting sac, eating a lot, increased digging, and ashy colouring, just to name a few. You'll learn to recognise the signs! That said, some crabs may give little to no warning, and just disappear one day.