HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Woke up this morning to find that someone had dug down underneath the hermie hut in the tank. I left everything alone and when I got home from work the hut was moved, I'm guessing by my husband, and one of the crabs is buried, but not all the way.





I covered him up rather than putting the hut back over him since I have other crabs that like the hut



I'm not sure if he is molting or not. The conditions in the tank are 80F temp though the humidity does range out of the good zone but we try to keep it as close as possible by misting, I'm getting the repti fogger this weekend. I'm not sure if he is molting or not.

I don't think so. I'm still new, so I'm not sure. But my hermies do this all the time under my miss pit and then a few hours they will have moved somewhere else. So I wouldn't worry about it too much. They just like to burrow and dig.

Ok, I have no clue I'm just gonna leave him alone and let him do his thing!

If this is a new crab you shouldnt be overly alarmed but one of my crabs died of pps during doing this same thing however like whathemath saidthey love to dig and even if this is pps the only thing you can do is continue providing a good environment (food, water, ect.) and try not to disturb too much there is a chance it is molting but wode told me that most all crabs that molt bury themselves in a little air chamber, so if it meant to leave the hole open then this may mean that it is not actually molting.

Sometimes they dig under to destress, sometimes they just like to dig under and hang out during the day, sometimes they dig under and stay there for weeks or months. If they do that, that is how you know they are molting.

Whichever it is, leaving them alone to do it is the best advice. As one of the long-term crabbers here says, "They know more about being crabs than we do." So, as my Cajun friend would say, "Quit messin' wit 'em!" Seriously, I know it is tempting to want to poke and prod and see what they are up to, but tell the hubby what RockyGurly says, "They're more of a watch pet than a play-with pet."