My strawberry hermit has been burried for a week now. I'm sort of worried, He's still alive, I did the hand scrape method where you gently move the sand to see. I'm partially sure he's moulting, because his eyes were dull and he was inactive a lot of the times. Just wondering if this is normal?
Also, my crabs food bowl seems to be full a lot. Are they eating? It just seems like nothing is gone.
Burrying and eating
Re: Burrying and eating
Sounds like he could be molting. Depending on their size they can take anywhere from a couple weeks to a few months.
They eat so little it can be really hard to tell. Sometimes the only way you know something was eaten is because the crabs have tracked sand or poop in the dish.
They eat so little it can be really hard to tell. Sometimes the only way you know something was eaten is because the crabs have tracked sand or poop in the dish.
Re: Burrying and eating
They poop A LOT so I do assume they are eating. And there is always substrate in the food bowl/water bowl too. And I've had plent of moults, but this one just seems to be taking longer than ever.
Re: Burrying and eating
My jumbo straws keep going under and popping back up. My tat looks like the surface of the moon right now. I think it's premolt behavior because this has been going on for the last 2-3 weeks. They are going under for a few days at a time. Just when I think I won't see them for 3 months, I wake up and they are sitting in the shell shop. I just wish they'd get it over with!
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Last edited by Careyenz on Mon Sep 24, 2012 8:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Careyenz, mom to Collin-7, Lily-4, 4 Straws, 5 Blues, 2 Violas, 2 E's, 2 PP's, and 3 cats.
Re: Burrying and eating
Mine's just been worrying me. I don't want to lose him
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orangemelodie
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- Location: Texas, USA
Re: Burrying and eating
I am not an expert. But he has only been down one week? It might takes many weeks or even a couple months to molt and an interrupted molt could be devastating. I would say just leave him be
8 land hermit crabs: 6 PPs, and 2Es
about 20 marine hermit crabs
8 tropical fish, 2 horses, 3 dogs, and almost 30 birds
about 20 marine hermit crabs
8 tropical fish, 2 horses, 3 dogs, and almost 30 birds
Re: Burrying and eating
I know never to touch a burried crab. I bought him about a month ago, and he's been burried in and out since then.
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wodesorel
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Re: Burrying and eating
It's not a molt until they go under and they don't come out again for weeks. Molting usually takes 4 to 12 weeks, but it can take longer. Since the crab was so easy to find, do you have deep enough substrate? I know that Straws love to dig, probably more than Es, and that a deeper substrate makes for a safer molt for them. 
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Re: Burrying and eating
7 inches of substrate on the side he's burried on. And he's been under right now for about 2 weeks.