HCA: Hermit Crab Association

prior to this cold spell we have going now, Crabby was SUPER active...eating, shell switching, basically all over the joint....now it's heater weather....and I recently got an ultratherm that I have on the back of my 10 gallon tank...

I haven't insulated it, yet, although I'm planning to...I took temps all over the tat...and at the furthest points from the ultratherm it's about 70..but by the wall where the mat is it's in the mid 80s...and temps on, say, the cholla log are around 76 or so depending on where..

anywho, for the past few days crabby has just been hanging out huddled by the wall where the ultra therm is...I've picked him up to play with him a few times...afte rputting him back he ran into a cocohut once, but usually he runs right back to the wall...

I'll probably get some polystyrene in the next couple days to insulate the ultratherm to make the overall temp in the tank a little warmer...I'm just concerned with the recent inactivity...then again, this has happened before...even when it wasn't so cold out..so maybe I'm just being overly worrisome? =D

Sounds like normal crab behavior!

theophaneia wrote:Sounds like normal crab behavior!

yes..normal..consistently inconsistent! LOL..little bugger

yes..normal..consistently inconsistent! LOL..little bugger

Perfect!

I've heard that hermit crabs can sense the weather changes and can go through a sort of "hibernation" period where they are not as active.

tigermoon89 wrote: Perfect!

I've heard that hermit crabs can sense the weather changes and can go through a sort of "hibernation" period where they are not as active.

wouldn't surprise me....they've got instincts just like the rest of the animal kingdom after all!

He's still in that spot...I haven't really observed him moving around much at all...but he went ape on the food I put in the bowl last night...he digs him the coconut commotion from the crabbage patch..lol..so I know he was out and about soemetime last night for sure!

I still think I may insulate the back of the ultratherm..just to get it a wee bit warmer a little deeper into the tat though

update:

yesterday he was pretty active! caught him eating red handed...then he climbed up on the log for a change..although I poked my head in last night in the dark and I must've scared him cause he fell offa whatever he was on and landed claws up..lol..skittish little guy!

I'm glad he's perking up!

he's been chilling out in the same spot everytime I look in on him but I see the food disappearing so I know he's out and about..lol