Small new hermit crab missing under sand for three months

[Nuniebird1617]

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Sand 6 inches


2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?
yes in the center

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
two heat lamps

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)? fresh and saltwater is purified


5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
its replaced daily and they eat veggies bugs and peletes

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? had it for three months it is a purple pincher


7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? no


8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? it is extra large and the lid is mesh


9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? there are two others one is also small and the other is jumbo


10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? three per crab


11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? no


12. How often do you clean the tank and how? once every three months if they aren't molting


13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? no


14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? a climbing rock toy


15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)? I bathe the big one once every 2 weeks and the two little ones are new and I only bathed them once


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. one of my little crabs buried himself immediately after being placed in my large tank. I thought he was molting but then he never came back up it has been two and a half months. I don't know if my bigger crab ate him or if he died please help.


.

[myllkti]

Hi! It doesn't sound like a concerning molt time yet! They can go under for quite a while sometimes ) sounds fine!

With that said, I do have a few notes about general husbandry, if that's alright with you
- depending on what pellets you're feeding, it *might* not be great for the hermits. Here are two articles that I think might help if you have the time for a quick skim of either, commercial food--> viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92555 || balanced diet --> viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92554
- your three-monthly cleanings may not be necessary! if you're just washing and boiling things you still can, but if you're going as far as say changing sub, that's not needed and may even stress the crabbies a bit
- it's good that you bathed your new crabs (it can prevent fights) but after the first bath, you don't need to bathe anymore! They can just use the fresh and saltwater provided as needed

[curlysister]

Great advice from Myll! One more question is what are your temp and humidity in the tank?

[Nuniebird1617]

The temp is 75 and the humidity is 70.

[curlysister]

75 is a good temp, but 70% is getting a bit low for hermit crabs. You can keep more of the humidity inside the tank by covering your lid with something non-pourous.