HCA: Hermit Crab Association

My little E Santiago keeps destroying my tank, look at how it looked this morning:


Is this normal behaviour? He's never done it until recently.
What can I do to make him stop? Should I get more things to climb on?

LOL - okay - first of all - that is an E for you

Yes, highly recommend getting things to climb - but more importantly, Es are BIG diggers - I recommend 10-12" of substrate!

Also, I do recommend lots of protein and calcium for these guys.

He's the only one that I've ever had in my years of PPs and was got by chance at a PetCo. I've never had this digging problem before haha
Thanks!

wrswrs2 wrote:He's the only one that I've ever had in my years of PPs and was got by chance at a PetCo. I've never had this digging problem before haha
Thanks!

Yw! They are my favorite species - very active - but they are total tank trashers! You can keep him/her busy with a modified hamster wheel too

Oh gosh, a wheel? Lol Santiago is my favorite crab, the other PPs are all sleepy and don’t do much haha. I will have to find something to keep him occupied and redo the tank today because it’s such a MESS now lol

My Ruggie is the same way! I'm in the process of setting her up a larger tank in the hopes that with more space she won't be as bored. Try lots of climby things, they need to be able to move around as much as possible, but even then they will keep digging.

Yes, a wheel!! You take a Kaytee Silent Spinner, and add craft mesh to it with zip ties. I have a total of 5 wheels in my 4 tanks. They all get used - sometimes by multiple crabs at the same time!

Hermits walk for miles in the wild. It helps give them the exercise that they need

Be sure to not buy the metal ones. Those can snap parts of their legs off.

I am really conscientious about how my tank looks, and I used to not allow digging about a year ago.
Now I try to ignore what my tank looks like, and focus on the crabs, and their care.

I have some plants he likes to club in but now I caught one of my PPs digging too haha!
And the E is crazy, he climbs on everything, sometimes upside down and his shell is too small that he can’t evenfully go into it lol. He’s a mess! Haha

wrswrs2 wrote:I have some plants he likes to club in but now I caught one of my PPs digging too haha!
And the E is crazy, he climbs on everything, sometimes upside down and his shell is too small that he can’t evenfully go into it lol. He’s a mess! Haha

Yes - they are tank trashers!! They are hilarious imo!

The only time I have seen my guys dig is when they were getting ready to molt. Now, lately, one if not both have been digging a hole. When I clean their house, I cover the hole over only for them to dig it again. I have not caught them so don't know if they are both guilty or just one. Question: Sharky seems to just sit on top of the hut and stare at me for hours. I have noticed that sometimes they use their feelers at each other and bump or crawl over each other. Just read that those actions are normal. When I first inherited them from the grandson, Sharky was the dominant one...now it seems that DJ has taken over the role. They sure keep me guessing. FYI - We just recently moved and my guys have not gotten out that much so maybe some of their behavior is from being bored?

What do you mean by 'not gotten out that much'? Do you mean taking them out of the tank? Most of us take a 'hands off' approach, and do not take our crabs out of their crabitats.

suebrad wrote:The only time I have seen my guys dig is when they were getting ready to molt. Now, lately, one if not both have been digging a hole. When I clean their house, I cover the hole over only for them to dig it again. I have not caught them so don't know if they are both guilty or just one. Question: Sharky seems to just sit on top of the hut and stare at me for hours. I have noticed that sometimes they use their feelers at each other and bump or crawl over each other. Just read that those actions are normal. When I first inherited them from the grandson, Sharky was the dominant one...now it seems that DJ has taken over the role. They sure keep me guessing. FYI - We just recently moved and my guys have not gotten out that much so maybe some of their behavior is from being bored?

I don't want to hijack this thread - but please don't cover their holes. You don't want to suffocate them.
Edit: Buy them a kaytee silent spinner plastic hamster wheel and modify it with craft mesh. They will love you for it!

Just to clarify, I don't touch or cover any holes when they are preparing to molt. Occasionally, my guys will dig a shallow hole after their tank has been cleaned and then move on. I only have the two and they are always accounted for. I inherited them from family who would let them out for a few minutes, in a secured area, while their tank was being cleaned. That is the only time they are out and depending upon how much needs to be done, sometimes they are not let out at all.