HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I had a bunch of crabs (14 which were down molting for 5-6 months and came up bright, strong and healthy. I was getting really worried but they all came out great. It seems like 3 months for medium crabs is the norm and my crabs are a mix of mediums and smalls.

I think they have extensive tunnels down there and i also think they are feeding off the coco fiber substrate as well as packing food with them because they seem to be quite comfortable down there especially when we see a few create caves against the glass. They always seem to do so just before popping up so i am wondering if anyone has experienced this?

Also I have a crab who dug a trench hole so he is half out of it and he stays there for 2 days, then i catch him at the water, then i catch him on top of a log he claimed on then i catch him right back at that half hold for another 2 days looking cute with his little eyes peeping out from under his shell. Anyone else experience this?

My crabs make huge tunnels and caverns. I have some jumbo crabs and they dig tunnels then there are little tunnels branching off of the big tunnels from the smaller crabs. I feel like they have secret societies underneath the sand and are gonna come up one day, escape from the tank, and go pinch every pet store owner that authorises painted shells

Ilovehermies74 wrote:My crabs make huge tunnels and caverns. I have some jumbo crabs and they dig tunnels then there are little tunnels branching off of the big tunnels from the smaller crabs. I feel like they have secret societies underneath the sand and are gonna come up one day, escape from the tank, and go pinch every pet store owner that authorises painted shells

LOL

Ilovehermies74 wrote:My crabs make huge tunnels and caverns. I have some jumbo crabs and they dig tunnels then there are little tunnels branching off of the big tunnels from the smaller crabs. I feel like they have secret societies underneath the sand and are gonna come up one day, escape from the tank, and go pinch every pet store owner that authorises painted shells

Yes I feel the same way regarding the tunnels. I see huge holes that lead down and turn in the dirt when i gently follow it and i am sure there is a network of tunnels because when they resurface, they are not hurting, they are strong. I have crabs that don;t stay up for long. They stretch their legs, hang and climb, grab food and water then disappear again. I am sure they are dragging food down there too but most of the food we feed is like nuts and other foods like shrimp of egg shells we only leave in there from sunset to maybe noon. I have not changed the substrate in 6 months because it is still fresh and looks great. What I do every month is I scrap off the stringier old layer and dump that then once it looks like I've lost an inch off the 8 inch substrate I gently place more on the top and moisten it and i clean out and rotate the shells, fake plants and logs and wood. Once i do that, it seems to rejuvenate them as they may think its new and they come out place until they bury or dirty the shells, one makes a shell change and they get bored it seems. I do think they are all beneath that dirt playing and talking and hanging out or have their own private home they return to in order to be alone. Quite interesting.

Crabs LOVE new substrate. I've noticed that when I upgrade tanks or take in a new adoptee, they usually molt right away. Same with the shells. When I rotate shell availability, even the crabs that love the same old shell they've been in for ages can't stop exploring the new options.

thats a good idea of how to refresh the substrate
i have been trying to figure that out because i live in minnesota and its cold here (No dur last week the wind chill was -36 degreese farenhight) so i cant take the sand outside and rinse it or anything. I also cant bring the crabs outside (which they love) so thanks for that

jclee wrote:Crabs LOVE new substrate. I've noticed that when I upgrade tanks or take in a new adoptee, they usually molt right away. Same with the shells. When I rotate shell availability, even the crabs that love the same old shell they've been in for ages can't stop exploring the new options.

So true!

Ilovehermies74 wrote:thats a good idea of how to refresh the substrate
i have been trying to figure that out because i live in minnesota and its cold here (No dur last week the wind chill was -36 degreese farenhight) so i cant take the sand outside and rinse it or anything. I also cant bring the crabs outside (which they love) so thanks for that

Your very welcome. I also have a glass aquarium which helps with maintaining a climate perfect for them. Every 2-3 days I open it for about 5 minutes to recycle the air or let that happen as I change out the waters and food, which i do every 2 days. If there is shrimp or fish or meats or eggs involved, anything that can stick up the place quickly, I generally place that in the tank just before sunset and remove it no later than noontime the next day. I find that also keeps bugs away and the substrate fresh. I am in my 6th month with the same substrate and added another inch after removing the older areas off the top. The mercies are exploring and playing. (-:

Ilovehermies74 wrote:i feel the same about dragging food down there, because how else would they survive. My only question is how do they get the water down there i wish i could see what they do down there

They store up much needed nutrients before digging down (molt sac - though some crabs seem to always have one, so seeing one doesn't necessarily mean they will dig down to molt right away). And yes, they may stash food or eat things like moss, cocofiber, wood, etc. Plus if they do molt, they eat their exo. Also, the moisture in the substrate and air, plus they keep a store of shell water. They can go quite a while without trips to the food or water dish (not that these shouldn't be available at all times).

CallaLily wrote: They store up much needed nutrients before digging down (molt sac - though some crabs seem to always have one, so seeing one doesn't necessarily mean they will dig down to molt right away). And yes, they may stash food or eat things like moss, cocofiber, wood, etc. Plus if they do molt, they eat their exo. Also, the moisture in the substrate and air, plus they keep a store of shell water. They can go quite a while without trips to the food or water dish (not that these shouldn't be available at all times).

You just sounded like Will Ferrell's character in Wedding Crashers. "I never know what she's doing in there...mom!" LOL

CallaLily wrote: They store up much needed nutrients before digging down (molt sac - though some crabs seem to always have one, so seeing one doesn't necessarily mean they will dig down to molt right away). And yes, they may stash food or eat things like moss, cocofiber, wood, etc. Plus if they do molt, they eat their exo. Also, the moisture in the substrate and air, plus they keep a store of shell water. They can go quite a while without trips to the food or water dish (not that these shouldn't be available at all times).

Excellent insight and you made me relax so much, thank you. I think what concerns me is how they get water but the good thing I do is I mist the tank 1-2 and sometimes 3 times a day based on what I see. I don;t drown the substrate but spray just enough to make pale brown areas a darker brown. If the area is already a darker brown I feel it or leave it alone. I always gently push the substrate to make sure it has that wet sand texture. If I can make a little finger hole that remains then the substrate is in great shape so I think the reason they can remain down there so long is because the substrate has some moisture and nutritional value because they come up strong and healthy and very hairy. (-: And I have crabs that are up and down. They go down for a month then pop up for another month...crazy! Feel like it's a hermit hotel. (-:

crabs will often drink from the glass where humidity has gathered or where you have recently sprayed. They will go to the water when needed. I woke up early this morning and spotted Barnaby in the pool and Burgundy patiently waiting to join him. He saw that I saw him and slowly strutted back to his "day" spot. I was getting worried as he and Burgundy have been in the same spot for like 2 weeks. Well here they WERE sneaking out at night to the pools/food and just going back to the spot in the morning, before I woke up. I threw them off with it being Monday. They thought they had more time to sneak around since I have slept in the last 2 days!

Speaking of holes, there is this one crab in my 125, who I have not seen in the act, but every single night he digs a massive hole in the same spot right at the end of the Cholla, right up against the glass in the front of the tank. He isn't burying there during the day, just digs. Every time I go in to switch food, I push the sand back over the gapping hole, just for the culprit to dig it up the next day! I wish I could see who is doing it, its driving me crazy...

In my 55 they have literally dug out the entire base of the resin tree and stump. Both are currently tipped to the side and are sunken in. I just was in there last week and smoothed everything out and it looked amazing! For 5 minutes. haha

crazy little creatures!

Hmmmm....my guys have always been pretty close to the accepted molting time frames, give or take a week. Every once in a while I have crabs that go quite a bit longer or shorter, but that is not the norm. How interesting that you are having such a different experience. But if the end result in either case is a nice healthy molt, it's all good.

marandashermies wrote:crabs will often drink from the glass where humidity has gathered or where you have recently sprayed. They will go to the water when needed. I woke up early this morning and spotted Barnaby in the pool and Burgundy patiently waiting to join him. He saw that I saw him and slowly strutted back to his "day" spot. I was getting worried as he and Burgundy have been in the same spot for like 2 weeks. Well here they WERE sneaking out at night to the pools/food and just going back to the spot in the morning, before I woke up. I threw them off with it being Monday. They thought they had more time to sneak around since I have slept in the last 2 days!

Speaking of holes, there is this one crab in my 125, who I have not seen in the act, but every single night he digs a massive hole in the same spot right at the end of the Cholla, right up against the glass in the front of the tank. He isn't burying there during the day, just digs. Every time I go in to switch food, I push the sand back over the gapping hole, just for the culprit to dig it up the next day! I wish I could see who is doing it, its driving me crazy...

In my 55 they have literally dug out the entire base of the resin tree and stump. Both are currently tipped to the side and are sunken in. I just was in there last week and smoothed everything out and it looked amazing! For 5 minutes. haha

crazy little creatures!

Wow! This was so much fun to read I was smiling throughout your entire message! They are so much fun to watch. I had the pleasure of watching one of my small crabs roll a very large piece of cholla wood off the top of another. He/she just dug the sharp leg tips in and rocked the body and also used the front 2 to kind of push it. It was amazing to see and unexpected from a crab that small.