crabs destroying the habitat?

[Jengonz1982]

Hi all,
I'm a new crab owner and for some reason today and last night my crabbies are destroying their home. I have a playsand/EE mix that's 3 1/2 inches deep with sand castle constancy. I have a cholla wood tube for them to climb,hang around in,a moss covered climbing log that add height and climbing capabilities,a coconut hut,2 water bowls,a food bowl,and various shells. They are flipping the food,and water bowls over,moving the climbing log and cholla wood and digging ruts all over the place. Is this normal?

[Lasuna]

VERY normal. I've three Ecuadorian crabs in my tank who turn my crabitat into a mine field. Thats a good sign that they're enjoying themselves. To prevent them from flipping the bowls over, I'd suggest sinking them deeper into the sand, or finding bigger/heavier bowls. As for the rest of what they do.... Not much you can do about that, I tried hanging my cholla from suction cups, and they started pulling the suction cups down.

[Nnnnnnnn]

Totally normal,.. I clean up the mess about once a week.

One thing I do suggest is sand (or EE or a mix) at least 6 inches deep, or 4x the size of your biggest crab.

[Jengonz1982]

ah..I didn't know it had to be that deep I just did twice the size of my biggest crab. I'm hoping to upgrade to a 20 gallon tank soon.