HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Good Morning,

My wife and I bought a hermit crab from a Myrtle Beach 2 weeks ago. The hermit crab would not eat and would hide all day in its hut. We went out and purchased a larger tank (10 gallon) and have filled it with a couple crab huts, chlorine free water to drink and salt water basins to bathe in. There are also rocks, moss and a couple things for him to climb on. We have added a 55 watt heat light that we keep on all day for him to stay warm. The crab eats very little, mainly a couple of the pellets and that was after 2 days. I've put star fruit and shrimp shells in his cage and he will not eat those. He hides all day and all night long in his crab hut. I removed the crab huts from his cage and he hides under some moss.

I don't know what to do, but he's a living thing that I want to care for as a pet. I don't know how to help him eat and change from hiding in his hut for 24 hours at a time. I was thinking of getting another crab (I need to determine if he is a male or female) and then buy a crab of the opposite sex.

Please help, I don't want him to die.

Thanks for your time, consideration and shared knowledge,

Joe

Hello. It's very normal for a newer crab to be stressed and spend a lot of time hiding. He may even dig under the substrate to destress or possibly molt. It's in his best interest to keep conditions right and let him do his thing. I know it's hard but try not to worry. He's still adjusting to life in a crabitat and possibly recovering from his hard journey on his way there. Adding some friends (male or female), if you have the room, is a great idea. Keep in mind they too may have a destressing period where they'll hide or dig down. Good luck!

Yup, what CallaLily said. Just give him time to hang out to get used to his new world. There are many threads with crabbers sharing your same concerns, where crabs disappear and don't appear to eat for months, then they molt and are active and normal afterwards.
In the meantime double check your crabitat to make sure conditions are good. Get a thermometer and hygrometer to check temperature and humidity, to be sure and precise.
Check the ingredients of the pellet food for components that may be harmful to crabs, like preservatives and artificial coloring. There is a fun thread where users share the foods they feed which you can skim through for some inspiration, then maybe you can even toss the pellet food
It's great for that little crab to be in the hands of people who really care, and try their best, for him. HCA is a wealth of knowledge and experience, and my favorite part of my crab obsession. I hope you find a lot of helpful information!


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Definitely get it a friend, and try some of the favorite foods..honey is never refused, natural peanut butter, etc. Don't forget extra shells too.

I noticed that until I got my temp above 80, they were pretty lazy. Once above that, they are out a lot more. I think of it like a hibernating bear.

Two weeks is still pretty new, especially when you factor in the new tank. I just cleaned out and redid my tank on Saturday and one of my crabs has been hiding since. They just take time to adjust. My suggestion is to leave him be, keep the conditions good, and wait. Or do what I do when my crabs are boring, go buy more! The sex shouldn't matter but try to buy one of the same species.

You didn't really mention what substrate you are using and how deep it is. Many crabs will dig under the substrate to destress for a few weeks when you first get them. You want the substrate to be 3x the height of the crab. The best things to use for substrate are coconut fiber or play sand(not reptisand or calcisand). Mixing the two makes for an even better substrate. Whatever you use as substrate should be moistened to a sandcastle consistency.