Hermit Crabs Buried but Need to Transport
Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2022 3:58 pm
Hello,
I'm a college student and 6 weeks ago I rescued 2 PP crabs who had been sent as a gift to another student who didn't want them. They are in a 10 gallon tank with about 5 inches of substrate (mix of mostly sand, some coconut fiber). They are both fairly small, smaller than a golf ball.
The first crab had been with the girl for a number of days before I got it. The company had sent another with it but it was dead upon arriving at school. She had the company ship a second crab out to replace the first as a companion, and I received that one a few days later. I was worried about their welfare not only from being shipped by the company, but especially because the first crab had gone several days in the plastic cage it came with with minimal substrate and I don't know at what temperature.
I got them into the proper setup as soon as I could but they've been buried pretty much since I've had them (6 weeks). The second one's shell is still visible above the substrate, and hasn't moved as far as I can tell, but the first crab is completely buried and I haven't seen it (though I think I have an idea about where it is). As far as I can tell, no food has been touched since very early on. I am a little worried that they have post purchase stress or something, but everything online has said that the molting process can be much longer than this so I was just letting them sit. They don't smell dead, but all of my friends think they are.
The main issue is that I have to fly home for Christmas break in a week and I don't know what to do with them. If they were above the sand I was considering shipping them home (the airline won't take crabs as a carry on) but if they're still buried I could also leave them with a friend (who lives an hour away and will drive home) for the month.
My main questions are 1) is it likely that they are dead; is there any way to safely check? and 2) is the safest way to transport them for the break to give them to a friend for the month without having to move them out of their tank? My worries with that are that a. it's an inconvenience for her and b. that she'll unknowingly do something wrong. I left them at school with a different friend for the week of Thanksgiving break and when I came back the humidity was a little low, so I'm worried something will go wrong if they're left for a month.
TLDR my new crabs have been buried for 6 weeks but I need to transport/house them when I leave college for Christmas break. Are they dead and if not, how is it safest to move them if they're still buried?
Thank you in advance and please let me know if anyone has any suggestions.
I'm a college student and 6 weeks ago I rescued 2 PP crabs who had been sent as a gift to another student who didn't want them. They are in a 10 gallon tank with about 5 inches of substrate (mix of mostly sand, some coconut fiber). They are both fairly small, smaller than a golf ball.
The first crab had been with the girl for a number of days before I got it. The company had sent another with it but it was dead upon arriving at school. She had the company ship a second crab out to replace the first as a companion, and I received that one a few days later. I was worried about their welfare not only from being shipped by the company, but especially because the first crab had gone several days in the plastic cage it came with with minimal substrate and I don't know at what temperature.
I got them into the proper setup as soon as I could but they've been buried pretty much since I've had them (6 weeks). The second one's shell is still visible above the substrate, and hasn't moved as far as I can tell, but the first crab is completely buried and I haven't seen it (though I think I have an idea about where it is). As far as I can tell, no food has been touched since very early on. I am a little worried that they have post purchase stress or something, but everything online has said that the molting process can be much longer than this so I was just letting them sit. They don't smell dead, but all of my friends think they are.
The main issue is that I have to fly home for Christmas break in a week and I don't know what to do with them. If they were above the sand I was considering shipping them home (the airline won't take crabs as a carry on) but if they're still buried I could also leave them with a friend (who lives an hour away and will drive home) for the month.
My main questions are 1) is it likely that they are dead; is there any way to safely check? and 2) is the safest way to transport them for the break to give them to a friend for the month without having to move them out of their tank? My worries with that are that a. it's an inconvenience for her and b. that she'll unknowingly do something wrong. I left them at school with a different friend for the week of Thanksgiving break and when I came back the humidity was a little low, so I'm worried something will go wrong if they're left for a month.
TLDR my new crabs have been buried for 6 weeks but I need to transport/house them when I leave college for Christmas break. Are they dead and if not, how is it safest to move them if they're still buried?
Thank you in advance and please let me know if anyone has any suggestions.