HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Well, I bought 3 pp crabs a week ago or so and 1 of them almost immediately buried itself down to the bottom of the substrate. I have read enough to know not to mess with a buried crab so I have been leaving it alone. I moved the other 2 into a 20L setup and have been spraying the lone crab's tank. These crabs came from a pet store and they had like an inch of substrate so they could not bury. So, my question is could this one have been very desperate to moult that it went straight to work?? I'm just worried maybe I got an ill one. I do not know. Any help would be appreciated.

@Yuromastic, its very common for newly purchased hermitcrabs to burrow down just after we bring them home.Hermitcrabs go through a rough process getting to us and this starts when they are harvested from their natural habitat all the way through the next three months or more where they wait at the harvesters warehouse receiving little in the way of proper care.Warehouse conditions are about as bad as it can get as the companies usually have a hundred or more crabs in one small room on a bare floor, heat, humidity, proper food and water are all generally overlooked at this stage because this is just a staging area where the crabs are waiting to be shipped out the various stores, kiosks and boardwalk curios that carry them.Being in such tight cramped quarters with hundreds more crabs and no real immune system supporting food or care and a lot immune system reducing stress and these crabs quickly become sick falling victim to fungal or bacterial infections that might normally have been able to fight off out in the wild.Couple this with the fact that the poor crabs haven't been in suitable molting conditions for months now and as a result have had to postpone molting that whole time and you have a very sick hermitcrab who is in dire need of a molt, this typically leaves the crabs clinging to life when the finally reach the store from which they will ultimately be sold and the sad fact is over half of the crabs in each shipment either arrive dead or die soon after arriving and the stores just toss them because they are very cheap to replace.There was an article released back in the summer by a new outlet in New Jersey about a guy who had been in the hermitcrab business since the sixties and he said that he annually sells 160,000 hermitcrabs a year but of that about half either die in store or shortly after being purchased but that didn't matter because they literally cost him twenty-five cents to replace so it would be near impossible not to make a profit even with a majority loss in his stock.He said he got into the business because he noticed there was a market for it mostly tourists on vacation and felt like it would be a good retirement plan because the money would always be there so he's been retired for more than two decades off of selling hermitcrabs and their accessories.Simply put by the time hermitcrabs get to us they are in such bad shape from neglect and need of molt that it is entirely normal for them to burrow down to de-stress then molt very soon after we bring them home.My advice is to just leave the crab alone and make sure plenty of food and water are available and the temp and humidity are stable other than that its up to the crab to decide to do what it needs to.

Hi
Is there anything I can do to help 'Hoodini Henry'?
I brought my 6 yet old daughter her first pet -after she finally filled her 'mummys surprise rewards jar'
We just lost 'Daddy' (unexpectedly passed away) 6 weeks ago & instead of thinking & researching more carefully I stuck to my pre-tragedy plan and made decision to get pet and go with crabs. I just hope the A grades I got a lot of- in Junior and Senior biology are enough to see Rosie, Henry and as of today Mummy's (un named as yet) crab- though. We have had Rosie and Henry for a few weeks and didn't know about not disturbing them when buried, till reading your website checklist late today.
Purchased crabs with nail polish on them too - grrr
Had to keep changing crabitat due to new knowledge - there is more to this story but too late @ night and I should be asleep actually
New heat light too hot for tank (sweet but young and untrained pet shop girl sold us wrong wattage) knew this straight away as no cool end of tank so doing without it. For now.
Put Rosie and Henry in new Crabitat this afternoon with new crab
I think Henry is desperate to moult- after reading HCA material
Rosie will want to get rid of her -pink polish peeling- shell?
Brought 4 new shells for Rosie but not boiled any of them as yet- hope none of them are swapping shells as I'm writing this!
Brought 2 new shells for Henry but one in not quite same style but has hole quite similar (going shopping for more shells again tomorrow)
Have one new shell for my crab (@least it is currently in natural shell)
Don't want to further stress them out -I understand now-
Any help advice for too much of that hormone preventing moulting???? I'm very distressed for dear Henry
Rosie and Henry bonded nicely to date
Both currently to date actiive and eating
Henry has been hanging around the water dishes...
Henry has all/majority of the moulting signs
Will post pictures of their shells if I can work out how or if possible to do this...
Don't want to touch them or disturb at all till I research more and if you have the time to advise us please?
I have CAPD dyslexia and dyspraxia? (never formally diagnosed) I'm the last of Gen X
My daughter 6 yr old (Rosie) is suspected the same as me but without the dyspraxia
My son 3yr old (Henry) is suspected sensory ASD
Both kids currently seeing Specialists for diagnosis (Speach Pathologist and OT)
Their Paternal Grandfather was Alexander Greham Bell so they are 5th generation.
I believe in ineffective teaching methodology and that one should focus on the abilities of others rather than any perceived disabilities
I also believe kids need pets and I'm very distressed, feeling totally awful for my possible unitentional mistreatment and im willing to do whatever I can for our newly adopted hermit kin!