HCA: Hermit Crab Association

So I've had one hermit crab for about 4 months and another for about 2 months. I notice whenever I come by their tank, they always hide in their shells, but most of the time, they're always digging holes and no where to be seen. The tank conditions are 70-87% in humidity and about 80 degrees. I supply them with food everyday and give them a refill of fresh and salt water everyday. How can I get my crabs to be more active and more friendly towards me?

Have they molted since you got them? Before molting, they get lethargic and they dig holes a lot when they are awake. That's all I can think of. Your temperature is great, but they like it better when the humidity is above 80%. I use a whisper air pump that I got off of amazon, some airline tubing, and an air stone that I put in my freshwater dish, and it raises humidity like crazy.

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Crabs are on the bottom of the food chain and nocturnal. And since they are still new, especially of they haven't molted, it's completely normal for them to not be super active around you.

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Hello! Hermit crabs have modified gills and need the humidity to breathe. The HCA recommends a minimum of 80 for humidity. They dig down to de-stress, relax and to molt. They are also prey animals. It is normal for them to hide. If you provide them with coconut hides or other areas to hide, they might not dig down as much. I am hands off with my crabs, always have been and they still run from me - always have. It's just their instinct - don't take it personal

Tom2433360 wrote:Have they molted since you got them? Before molting, they get lethargic and they dig holes a lot when they are awake. That's all I can think of. Your temperature is great, but they like it better when the humidity is above 80%. I use a whisper air pump that I got off of amazon, some airline tubing, and an air stone that I put in my freshwater dish, and it raises humidity like crazy.

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Both of them molted. The crabthat i got about 4 months ago molted a couple weeks after I got it. The crab I got about two months ago immediately molted when I put it in the tank. About three weeks ago, it molted again and now it doesn't fit in its shell(there are other shells it can move to but it's not moving into a new shell) al they do is come out for an hour at about 9 at night and eat and drink, then go back into a hole.

GotButterflies wrote:Hello! Hermit crabs have modified gills and need the humidity to breathe. The HCA recommends a minimum of 80 for humidity. They dig down to de-stress, relax and to molt. They are also prey animals. It is normal for them to hide. If you provide them with coconut hides or other areas to hide, they might not dig down as much. I am hands off with my crabs, always have been and they still run from me - always have. It's just their instinct - don't take it personal

They've molted after I've gotten them and they still haven't changed behavior. I have a coconut hut for them to hide in, but they don't seem to use it

If you'd like, you can post a picture of your tank and we can try to brainstorm with you!

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Just because they dig down for a short time doesn't necessarily mean they molted. Hairy legs and body and sharp pointy toenails are a better sign of a recent molt. Crabs naturally dig and tunnel and spend time underground. They are not the sort of pet you can really interact with.


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This sounds like pretty normal crab behavior to me. Mine love digging and I'll often hear their shells clicking on the glass!

Even after a year my crabs will often hide in their shells when I get close to their cage. Sometimes they act a little more skittish after molts, but overall they will hide when I come by. Seeing as they're prey animals, this is pretty natural for them.

If you'd like to see them out a little more try putting them in an area with more traffic so that they acclimate to people walking by, but other than this there isn't much you can do. They are more of a watching pet rather than an interactional pet.