Hermit crab digging after molt very unusual for crab

[Cococrabgirl!]

So this going to be very long and slightly confusing. So back when the hurricane hit Florida we evacuated and of course I brought my crabbies. I will have a pick of their travel habitat down below. So they were in that for about a week or slightly less.(I have a really bad memory) So when we got back I waited about half a day to put the crabs back into their tank so I wasn't handling them right after a car ride. So I Hermy(my female pp) in the tank first,but I had to wait longer to put Dory(my male pp) because was holding on to the top and I didn't want to stress him out so I waited two days and he finally got off. So my hermit crabs never dig unless they are going to molt,and out of almost three years I have had them they have never molted at the same time. So they both start digging when I added Dory in. I was thought it was stress from the trip and they were distressing. Well after a week of them digging Dory goes down first and then couple days later Hermy goes down. I thought they both passed or they ate each other or something bad had happened. So I waited a month and about a week and Dory comes up, and I am super happy Dory is alive but I thought he ate Hermy or Hermy was stuck(Hermy is probably the only hermit crab in the world who has a hard time digging). So I waited a couple days and no Hermy. The only didn't ask for advice sooner is because I had zero free time. So I decided to look for Hermy's body or help Hermy. I found a shell and I flip it up to see a pale body,but an alive pale body. I immediately knew I messed up and so I separated my crabs I put a leaf over Hermy's hole to make it dark and waited. I did have to do the bottle method where you cover the crab so other crabs can't eat them because I didn't have the best heat source for Dory in the travel tank and was to cold so I moved Dory back into the tank. So three days after Dory goes into the tank Hermy pops out of the hole ready for freedom with a harden exoskeleton. So I removed the bottle a little bit after Hermy came up and Dory had to sit on top of Hermy twice little dinkledorf. So after the second of moving Dory off of Hermy I give Hermy a little nudge to encourage Hermy to move but then I realized Hermy was actually stuck in the sand some how. I free Hermy and Hermy explores and them buries in their hey pit. They act normal for a few days but now Hermy dug down last night and I am worried about Hermy because they NEVER dig unless they molt so I need help. Thank for reading that and any advice is appreciated! Btw usually there isn't hay everywhere but they decided to dump their hay pit.

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[curlysister]

All you can do at this point is wait and see. You should not go digging for him. He could be molting, or he could be destressing, after having already been dug up once.

[CrabbyLover77]

Since Hermy already molted, it's likely she's just destressing from being shuffled around a bit. I wouldn't be too concerned. I rescued my small crab Petunia in Aug and she went under the day I got her. I didn't see her again for 7 weeks. I just wish when I was stressed I could hide under my covers and not come up for a couple of months lol. Try not to worry, but I know that's easier said than done.

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[Cococrabgirl!]

All you can do at this point is wait and see. You should not go digging for him. He could be molting, or he could be destressing, after having already been dug up once.

Okay thank you. Little update Hermy came back up this morning and is currently digging in the hay they spilled.

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[Cococrabgirl!]

Since Hermy already molted, it's likely she's just destressing from being shuffled around a bit. I wouldn't be too concerned. I rescued my small crab Petunia in Aug and she went under the day I got her. I didn't see her again for 7 weeks. I just wish when I was stressed I could hide under my covers and not come up for a couple of months lol. Try not to worry, but I know that's easier said than done.

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Thank you! Litter update Hermy came up and is currently digging in hay.

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[CrabbyLover77]

Thank you! Litter update Hermy came up and is currently digging in hay.

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That's great!

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