Havent Seen them!

[LadyMadam]

I got my hermit crabs Cecil and Carlos yesterday. I set up the crabitat just as it should and played with my crabs for a while and i set them into the tank. They burried themselves deep into the substrate and havent come out since, not even at night and im starting to worry.I know that they are some what nocturnal and need to adjust to their crabitat but they havent come to the surface to eat or drink or bathe and im starting to get nervous...i dont want to dig them up but i really want to check on them and see if they are doing alright...can anyone help me out?

[daws409]

Never dig up a crab! When you first get them, they bury to destress. This can take a few days to a few weeks. They will come up when they're ready... When they molt or get ready to molt, they will basically stock up. They will eat and drink a lot more. It's like they can't get enough. They will then bury and stay buried for months at a time. How long for molting depends on size of crab. My largest takes about 5 months.

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[Kermie16]

I got my hermit crabs Cecil and Carlos yesterday. I set up the crabitat just as it should and played with my crabs for a while and i set them into the tank. They burried themselves deep into the substrate and havent come out since, not even at night and im starting to worry.I know that they are some what nocturnal and need to adjust to their crabitat but they havent come to the surface to eat or drink or bathe and im starting to get nervous...i dont want to dig them up but i really want to check on them and see if they are doing alright...can anyone help me out?

Sounds like they are de-stressing:) Very normal behavior, especially for new hermies. Don't dig them up! Digging them up, as tempting as it may sound, would be more harmful to your hermies. Let them de-stress and they will come up when they are ready:) Just continue to change out dried foods every couple of days and change fresh foods daily so when they do decide to come up, they will have a good variety of foods available.


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[kieagcarm]

My crabs have been down under for over a month. What kind of tank are they in, hire much substrate and what's the temp/humidity levels?

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[Just Jay]

congrats on your new hermits! i agree they are probably destressing. i also know just how tempting it is to dig them up as all my crabs are under and the longest for almost 3 months. one members hermit has been under for 8+ months! most members say handling crabs stresses them out. i do handle mine but only in their tank and for a short amount of time if they dont flinch or i have to. everyone has their own opinion tho. hope your crabs are doing well.

[Rawrgeous]

Hi, and welcome to the HCA! As others have mentioned you never want to dig up a buried crab. As you may already know hermits are all wild captured. This means they go through a lot from capture, to transport, warehouses, shipping, and the pet store. They are often damaged and need to recoup a bit. It is completely normal for a new crab to dig down, and in fact is a good thing. They may or may not molt while under as well. As others have mentioned the most important thing is patience, as they can be underground for a long time! If you haven't already take some time to thoroughly read through our care guide linked here:
viewtopic.php?f=51&t=92457 We also have several stickies in each sub-forum that will really up your crabbing game!

Handling is pretty controversial, and most crabbers here don't handle their crabs as they are prey animals, and view us as a predator. That being said, if you feel you MUST handle your crabs, wait until they have had at least one successful molt with you. In reality though, they are a pretty hands off pet. Imo, they only get used to humans because of positive reinforcement, which is more of an association of food than enjoyment from the interaction. Happy crabbing!

[LadyMadam]

Thank you so much guys! Ironically one of my crabs, carlos came up while i was asleep lol and I guess he stayed up thank you all so much!!!!

[Just Jay]

Thank you so much guys! Ironically one of my crabs, carlos came up while i was asleep lol and I guess he stayed up thank you all so much!!!!

they will do that all the time. lol. the longer you have them and spend time with them they easier it will be for them to trust you and trust being around you. as mentioned above they are prey so all the change and new home and make them uneasy. happy every thing has calmed down.