Sandy (hermit crab) not moving often

[1883638]

Hello! I bought 2 hermit crabs last summer, Snappy and Sandy, and upgraded them into a tank. They were healthy crabs that moved around a lot and I installed a Wyze camera to watch them move around at night. Recently, Sandy has been lethargic and doesn’t move at night anymore. I don’t think it is the heat or humidity because my heat is usually 76 degrees Fahrenheit and 85% humidity. I have both salt and fresh water which is unchlorinated. I have noticed mites in the food, but Ive read that they’re most likely grain mites and are not harmful to the hermit crabs. There are no mites on the crab and I spray them every once in a while, so they don’t have any dry skin. Sandy is also for some reason moved into a very small shell and his legs are sticking out the other end when he’s inside it. Not sure if that is causing the problem and what to do about it. Hope he isn’t stuck. It’s unclear to me what is going on or what to do. I’m not sure if he’s stressed because I’ve had him for a while. Any suggestions on what is going on and what to do?

[JoeHermits]

The shell could be related, if only because Sandy switched to a lighter shell that’s easier to carry. Did this occur shortly after a tank change or another disturbance?

How long has this been happening? Sometimes they will also just chill out for a while


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[1883638]

Thank you so much!

He has actually been in the shell for a long time now (since before the tank move) and the weird behavior has only been occurring for the past two weeks. I should also mention that he was down in the substrate for about a month and definitely molted. He came up mid February. We have had this tank for a long time now. Probably about five months.

Thanks for your help!