New crab dug under - worried she might not resurface :(

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 9:27 pm

Ok, so I recently started back with hermies. Last week I set up my tank. In my main tank, the temperature is around 73, humidity fluctuates between 60 and 80, and substrate is mostly EcoEarth with about 1/4 "hermit crab sand". Anyway, I got the two smalls (Rigby and Pepper) and they were just fine in the ISO tank I was using to slowly increase the humidity. (their conditions weren't good at Earthbound - sympathy buys...) After two days, I moved them into the main tat and got Penny (a medium from Petco), who went into the newly empty ISO. Penny immediately dug down in a corner in the deepest part of the EE and sat at the very bottom of the tank just looking around. She was there for over a day and then I started to get worried. It didn't seem like she could get out, she hadn't had anything to eat or drink since I brought her home, and she was moving her feelers around and looking at me. It didn't look like she was resting or particularly wanted to be down there. So I dug her up. And she went right to the food and hasn't dug down since. But that's not the problem.
One of the smalls (the girl, Rigby) dug under the next day, before I had put Penny into the main tat. I don't know where Rigby dug under because she didn't do it near the walls, but I do know that it was in the EE, not the sand. So I'm worried that she's stuck somewhere down there. I don't know if she's molting because I only had her for a few days before she dug under, so I don't know if her behavior was any different than normal. And she was eating a lot, but so was Pepper, and I think that was because they didn't have a lot of access to food or water in the store. I know she could be de-stressing, and that's fine, but I'm still worried about her. I'm worried that the EE might cave in, or that it might be too heavy or slippery for her to get out of wherever she is. So, if anyone has experience with EE and digging, or with EE, or de-stressing, or anything that might help, I would appreciate it so much!

Kilimanjaro · Post by **Kilimanjaro** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 9:32 pm

Poof, it sounds like another case of Digging Anxiety for the Crab Owner. DACO is pretty common, even among experts of crab care.

Most likely your hermit will be fine and they are very good diggers. They are, after all, built for molting/digging and it is a natural thing for them, just like you know how to eat.

In my opinion, your hermit will be fine. Give it some time, and I'm sure the little crab will come up molted or destressed.

They know how to get out of collapsed tunnels, but if they are in a certain stage of the molt where they become immobilized, it might be hard. Just try to set your worries aside.

Good luck with your hermits!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 12:13 am

ya i'm going to second what Kilimanjaro said. i was once a sufferer of DACO. i had crabs that durried down in dry sand. no way they had a tunnel. just surrounded by sand. and they had no problem getting out. and if on the off chance they cant get out of the EE, they can just walk overto sand and get out....assuming there is some in there. but they will be fine down there. if they can get in, they can get out.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 2:22 pm

Thanks for the replies! I guess I will try to stop worrying, and just hope that she resurfaces soon...

Kilimanjaro · Post by **Kilimanjaro** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 2:23 pm

That's really the only thing you can do. Digging them up causes more harm than good. It is a natural thing and your crab knows what to do if a bad situation were to occur.