Molters and tunnelers

[KrabbeMami]

I have 2 PPs and 3 Es. I just upgraded to a 29 with 6 inches of substrate about 2 weeks ago. All 5 of my crabs dug down about 3 or 4 days after the upgrade and only 2 have come up since (1x each). I know 2 of them are just tunneling and haven't seen the other 3. Those 3 were the ones I suspected needed to molt, 1 PP and 2 Es. Should I be worried about my tunnelers disturbing my molters? I don't have an iso tank and even if I did, I wouldn't want to go digging for the molters. I'm still changing out the food and water every 1-2 days just incase they come up.

[kip.rogers357]

How big are your crabs? Are you feeding enough calcium and protein in their diet?
As long as they're not all jumbos then the tunneling shouldn't be a problem. Also as long as they're fed a good diet with plenty of calcium and protein there should be less chance for them to want to attack another crab.

[KrabbeMami]

The 2 PPs are mediums, one E is Sm-Med I guess and the other 2 Es are small. I'm still pretty new to this what are the best sources of calcium and protein? I saw one on the small Es eating one of the 3 sand dollars I have in there,. He changed shells the same day and dug down the next day. I haven't seen him since. I'm not sure about the others.

[kip.rogers357]

This from the Nutrition Guide
Calcium: blackstrap molasses, broccoli, cuttlebone, eggshell, exoskeleton, figs, microalgaes, nuts, okra, orange, oyster shell, quinoa, seaweeds, seeds
Protein: alfalfa hay, broccoli, crab, egg whites, flax seed, freeze-dried bloodworm, freeze-dried plankton, freeze-dried shrimp, game meat, kale, lean beef, lean chicken, lean turkey, lentil, millet, rice, salmon, shrimp, snap peas, soy beans, spinach, tuna, wheat germ
Here is the Safe Food List and here is the Unsafe Food List.

[KrabbeMami]

thank you! I'll start rotating through what I have from those lists right away. If I give them egg shells, how long can that stay in the tank before I change it out for new shells? Especially if none of the crabs are coming up to eat?

[kip.rogers357]

I take out fresh food every day, sometimes every other day depending on what it is. If the eggshells are clean and dry then they're safe for two days or so, just keep an eye on it. Varied diet is definitely key, my crabs are piggies!

[wodesorel]

Insects and crustaceans will cover both protein and calcium needs in one go. Both can be found in the fish and reptile aisle either dried or frozen.