HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I know hermit crabs are typically nocturnal but I see people with pictures of them during the day and stuff. So I was just wondering what time are crabs typically active? I have 4 who are still destressing and I've tried to stay up pretty late to see them eat or something but I always give up and go to sleep at like 3. When I wake up the next day they're all in different spots and my food and water have been made a mess. I even got up pretty early today and they're already buried. lol I'll get them eventually.

If my cats wake me up around five I can usually see them at their most active. Though I usually see Anubis and Set wandering around the tank at like.... eleven, twelve at night after the lights are out.

Most of my crabs are active around noon for some reason.. Im watching a couple climb around the tank right now

I have an odd bunch. 2 of my crabs are only active from evening on and all day they stay in the cave and snooze. The other 3 run around all day and all night! I don't understand, they are always climbing, drinking, digging, running, etc. The only down time I see them doing is when they chill in the moss pit and do nothing. But it's like those 3 never sleep.

I've heard that after awhile in captivity hermit crabs will become less nocturnal and start being more active during the day. I don't know if this is true though.

NOON? That is so awesome! If I had just one crab who was up at noon... My husband thinks I put food and water into empty tanks with fake plants LOL
Mine will get up as soon as I go to bed. I can turn all the lights out but if the TV is still on, they won't come out. I have to "pretend" I'm going to bed - turn everything off and leave the room for 20 min or so and they will come out. Then I can slip back in and watch them.

Most of mine are jerks, I have a few that are almost always active, but some who seem to be permanently invisible. Although, having said that, I've had them all for less than 4 months, and they got a new tat about a month ago. I get up really early in the morning so when I get up or if I'm ever wandering around in the middle of the night I'll sneak into their room and turn on the light and try to catch them doing whatever they're doing, sometimes it pays off!

Mine are active during the higher temps (usually between 2pm-6pm). But of course all come out and are most active during the sunset. I usually wake up around 2am and the majority are still going at it.

my crabs are active a bit throughout the day but I work right in front of my tank in the dinning room so I catch a lot of stuff most don't. And they all become super active in the evening and night and my 2 red lights show just enough that we can all stand around the tank watching them do circles around all my climbing stuff. Sometimes there will be 3-4 people watching the crabs and pointing at them and laughing at the crabs falling all over the place and and the crabs don't really notice us. It's key to have a dark room and not open lit door ways to the room or they will get spooked when you enter.

kip.rogers357 wrote:Mine are active during the higher temps (usually between 2pm-6pm). But of course all come out and are most active during the sunset. I usually wake up around 2am and the majority are still going at it.

My tank is about the same way. I do have crabs up all day moving around and hanging out as well, but not as many as in the evenings. I think the amount of crabs has a lot to do with it, as well as their personality. I see the same crabs up during the day, so it may just be that some are more comfortable coming out in the open when it's light.

Try letting them destress and molt before worrying about never seeing them. They do take a while to adjust to tank life. Remember that a week before you got them they had been living on a beach or in the woods for their entire lives, which could have been 5, 15, or even 25 years. It's a drastic change to them and they're going to be nervous for a while.

If you had your crabs in a windowless room or one that got little natural light (such as the basement), and you had the "moon" lights and the "sun" lights in your tank, and had the "moon" on during the day and the "sun" on at night, could you maybe trick them into being active when you're up? I know that's a lot of ifs, I was just thinking about that after spending the night in a basement and being unable to wake up well in the darkness, even though it was 10:30am because normally the sun would hit my face by 10am at home and wake me.

Lol That sounds like a good idea. Someone needs to try that.

I see a few out during the day, usually the straws or Es. I do have a lot that like to hang out in the upper level of my shell show all day and night. I find them starting to be out more about 8:00 at night.

The only time my e's seem to stop is when the reach the top of the tank They'll hang out for a while & then jump down only to do it all over again! I've noticed the pp's have been becoming more active in the evening, a few hours before "lights out". But there are a couple who roam around all day. I think they figured out that they can get to the food first that way It's interesting to see how widely their behavior varies!

My crab sir Crabington is becoming more active now that he has more time to adjust. I got home about a half hour ago and he was walking around the tank and earlier today he was put walkin around too. The others are getting better too. I see them up more now. Craberta is still buried and Mr. Crabs and Crabert won't separate. I could out them in opposite corners and I'd find them 5 minutes later laying next to each other. Its pretty funny.

My E's are always awake it seems. They take naps here and there, but for the most part they are awake. They just don't move much during the day. I have one PP who just came up from molting and is all over the place. It depends on their personality I think. One of my crabs is pretty much always in the hut.

You might not see activity when you watch them because they are nervous about your shadow. I turn off all the light and then the red light on their tank doesn't bother them and they can't see me.

It seems they are awake between 3-5....I think. Sometimes it depends on the day. Bluebug goes climbing every evening at around 10.