New to molting - need reassurance!

[HermieCrabs]

Hi! We are pretty new to hermit crab ownership. We have three crabbies and two are now under. They are both medium-sized crabs, maybe the size of a quarter? All three crabs have seemed pretty healthy - I've observed all of them happily feasting and climbing, and two of them have been switching shells recently. The two that went under both ate a lot before they went down. One has been down about a week and the other about two days. The second one had a pocket next to the glass for a while which was cute, but he moved further away from it after a while, so I'm not positive where in the tank they are now.

The tank is closely monitored for temp and humidity. It hovers around 80 for temperature and 85-90 for humidity. It does often get condensation (probably because we have the AC on now) so I wipe it down, but I'm making sure the sand stays pinchable. We feed them an assortment of food including mixes from an Etsy maker, worm castings, greensand, eggshells, popcorn, freeze dried shrimp/mealworms and rotating fresh fruits/veggies. I have cuttlebone and calcium-rich foods ready for post-molting too.

I guess I just need reassurance that they are going to be okay! I am worried about them being under that long. I've read that it can be a few months before they resurface, and that just seems so long! I know I need to trust that they know what they're doing... right?

[MauiMama]

I know your struggle. I worry every single day that I don't see them above-ground. I also wonder how they can go so long without eating, drinking, seeing the light of day! My new crab has only been buried a week and I'm already panicked.

But one of the care sheets said something that really stuck with me, and that's the fact that these guys have been doing this for thousands of years in the wild without our help. They do know what they are doing. We just have to provide them the optimal conditions in which to do so. It sounds like you're doing a good job caring for them!

Be prepared for the long haul - they can molt for several months!

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[Wlfwo]

Everything sounds good and I'd like to say that the first molt is the hardest, but it really doesn't get any easier. We just have to wait it out.

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[HermieCrabs]

Thank you both... It's good to hear that everyone worries about this! I think I'll feel a lot better when they come from this first time and I can see that everything worked out... It's so so hard to wait and not see/hear from them though!

[HermieCrabs]

Update: All three crabs are back up! Phew!!! They are looking hungry but healthy and happy.

[MauiMama]

Congratulations! It's such a relief!

That's funny, the crab I was worried about just came up to say hi a couple days ago too!

I'm happy to hear your friends are all up and around!

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[Ladyghost]

Hello. I got a couple hermit crabs and I haven't seen him/her in about a week. It's time to change everything. How can I do this without disturbing him/her? Also how am I supposed to keep him/her safe from the other crab? Sorry so many questions just want to make sure Im doing the best I can for these little guys?

[curlysister]

What do you mean 'change everything'?
How deep is your substrate?
How many crabs do you have in what size of a tank?

[drjones425]

I had to make sure my husband didn't post this because it sounds just like us!! He has never owned hermies and I've only owned them when I was very little. I was finally able to convince him to get some and he's been the best crab daddy our most active one went down about a week ago and "little sis" went down a few days later. I have been a nervous wreck as this is our first molt ever! Like you, we've been keeping the temp and humidity levels good and continue to change the food and water dishes for when they resurface, hopefully sooner than later! Our active one had a pocket also but has since moved back which really doesn't help my anxiety about molting haha. It sounds like you're doing a great job, enjoy your crabbies!!