crab molting? newbie crab owner looking for advice!

[charlotta07]

hi there! this is my first time ever using this forum so i hope i’m posting this in the right place. i’m a new hermit crab owner, i just got my first one a couple months ago. i fell into that whole tourist trap thing where they advertise crabs to be super low maintenance when in reality it’s a super ****** industry, and here i am now trying to give this crab the best life i can haha. i only have one crab, but i’ve heard many times that crabs are codependent so i plan to get a second one at some point, but i’m not really sure where. so if anyone has any pointers to that i would appreciate it! but onto my main question:

around 2-3 weeks ago, i updated my crab’s substrate so there’s a lot more, which means it’s even deeper than it was before (i wanna say around 5 inches???). i have a 10 gallon tank, and my crab is pretty small, i wanna say about the size of a golf ball. anyways, once i updated the substrate and his tank, i saw him once and then he disappeared and i have not seen him since. he’s a pretty active crab because i can hear him running around at night, and i can see the results of said activity the next day (little trail marks, knocking stuff over, sometimes but not often i see a tunnel system). he isn’t touching his food either, it actually grew a little bit of fuzzy mold so i had to clean that out. my mom keeps asking me if he’s dead and i try to reassure her (and myself) that he’s not and he’s probably just getting ready to or has already started molting. i’ve read up that molting can take months, and i do not want to bother it if that’s the case. i don’t really smell anything foul that would indicate he is dead, and i just got a heater for the tank which i needed (especially now that the colder months are creeping up). i guess what i’m asking is are there any before hand signs that a crab is going to molt that i could possibly retrace? are there any behaviors i should look out for in the future? i’ve only had this one for a couple months and i plan to get a little friend for him at some point, i don’t want it to have already passed away. (i’m a high schooler and i use my work money to buy things for him)

also, if you have any suggestions or just beginners tips for me, anything is greatly appreciated!


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[Hermitsandplants]

If your crabbie is molting, he may be under there for a week, or two months it varies from crab to crab, if you hear the clanging and noises at night he is not actively molting, remember to have a heater( preferably a mat heater)or UTH and put on side to keep heat up, fresh and salt water, and a variety of foods( the preemade pellets are usually toxic with preservatives) carrots, apple, banana,chicken, lots of options. Also, im assuming you got some expensive sand from a pet store, but for next time, go to a home depot or hardware store, and most likely they will have playsand, for five Dollars. As long as its not treated with chemicals its a cheaper option, Hermes are very social, so get a new one about the same size this one, and extra shells( not painted or glazed). Good luck!

[curlysister]

Welcome to crabbing and to the site!
If you haven't already, check out our 'care sheets' section. Start with the 'basics' one - it has all the info you need, including a photo of a 10 gallon tank.
If your crab disappears and stays underground without coming up, don't try to dig him up, just leave him be and he will come up when ready. Keep putting a variety of food out, and he will take what he needs. He will need a source of calcium and protein daily. You can feed fresh foods from your kitchen, or buy dried foods.
It's okay if you don't get another crab - they aren't as social as was once believed. What used to be thought of as 'social' behavior is actually more 'resource sharing'. Crabs are fine alone, but if you do want to get another one, watch our adoption forum or local buy and sell pages. I have got all my crabs from local swap and shop sites.
What type of substrate are you using? Do you have a thermometer/ hygrometer yet, and if so how is your temp and humidity?

[charlotta07]

Welcome to crabbing and to the site!
If you haven't already, check out our 'care sheets' section. Start with the 'basics' one - it has all the info you need, including a photo of a 10 gallon tank.
If your crab disappears and stays underground without coming up, don't try to dig him up, just leave him be and he will come up when ready. Keep putting a variety of food out, and he will take what he needs. He will need a source of calcium and protein daily. You can feed fresh foods from your kitchen, or buy dried foods.
It's okay if you don't get another crab - they aren't as social as was once believed. What used to be thought of as 'social' behavior is actually more 'resource sharing'. Crabs are fine alone, but if you do want to get another one, watch our adoption forum or local buy and sell pages. I have got all my crabs from local swap and shop sites.
What type of substrate are you using? Do you have a thermometer/ hygrometer yet, and if so how is your temp and humidity?

hi sorry for late response! still have not seen him yet, it’s been over 2 months. i am still leaving food out for him and changing water, i usually leave out frozen blueberries or cheerios for him. also thank you for the info about socialization and other crabs!!

for substrate, i’ve been using a sand mix that contains natural sand, coconut fiber, and calcium carbonate (i think the brand is hermit headquarters?), and then i’ve been mixing it with eco earth soil. is there anything i should steer away/avoid when it comes to substrates? also what should the consistency be like? because before i installed my heater it was moist, and now it’s somewhat dry. i saw some say that play sand from home depot works just as well. and yes i do have thermometer/humidity tracker, the temp is at about 75° F, but humidity is at about 50-55% which seems low. i’m having trouble increasing humidity and it’s colder now that winter is here so i’m not sure if that plays into it. any other tips? i really do appreciate you!


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[curlysister]

Your humidity is definitely too low. And you are correct that when the temp is increased the humidity drops. Is the top of your tank mostly covered, like with a lid or glass or plexi glass or plastic wrap? Where is your heat mat, with relation to where you thermometer/ hygrometer are located in the tank?

Your sub sounds like the Flukers Hermit Headquarters hermit beach - it is totally safe, but can be expensive. Play sand is much cheaper, like under $10 for a 50 pound bag. The consistency should be sand castle, so that it holds it's shape for crabs to tunnel and dig caves. If your humidity is low, the top of your sub is likely drying out. You can mist it heavily to get the top bit wet, and it will soak into the rest of the sub. But you will need to find a way to keep the humidity higher.

[charlotta07]

Your humidity is definitely too low. And you are correct that when the temp is increased the humidity drops. Is the top of your tank mostly covered, like with a lid or glass or plexi glass or plastic wrap? Where is your heat mat, with relation to where you thermometer/ hygrometer are located in the tank?

Your sub sounds like the Flukers Hermit Headquarters hermit beach - it is totally safe, but can be expensive. Play sand is much cheaper, like under $10 for a 50 pound bag. The consistency should be sand castle, so that it holds it's shape for crabs to tunnel and dig caves. If your humidity is low, the top of your sub is likely drying out. You can mist it heavily to get the top bit wet, and it will soak into the rest of the sub. But you will need to find a way to keep the humidity higher.

it’s a thermometer + hygrometer, and it’s sitting against one of the walls of my tank (it’s one that you like place in the tank, not one that sticks onto the wall). my heater is a mat one that i stuck to the side of my tank. i’m considering getting a new thermo + hygro now because it’s categorized into zones (blue is low, green is just right, and red is too high) and both were in the green zone, which is accurate for the temperature (75°) but way too low for humidity (50%) so i’ll probably get something else. i found someone say that they used a warm wet towel (filled with water safe for hermies) and gently squeezed some of it into the substrate/tank, and then i put a different towel over my tank’s cover to trap humidity, and it’s gone up to around 75% which is much better than it was thankfully. i have been misting my tank/substrate ever since i got him, and yeah the top of my sub had been drying out since getting my heater. it used to be pretty damp with the sand castle/soil consistency before. i’m hoping that conditions will remain better and he’ll poke his head around soon 🥲


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[curlysister]

If you move your thermometer/ hygrometer to a different area of the tank for a few hours, are the readings different? The humidity will be lower if it is close to the side where the heat mat is. Also, if it is an analogue type, those aren't as accurate as the digital ones. Lastly, you can also calibrate your hygrometer to ensure it is accurate (instructions in a care sheet).

[curlysister]

Also, what do you have for a lid? You need something non-pourous to hold in the humidity - a towel won't do that.