Do crabs test the substrate before moulting

mssjaa · Post by **mssjaa** » Tue Mar 16, 2021 5:50 pm

My little PC has not gone under the substrate or dug in it for several months now. But I just noticed he has disappeared during the day and reappears at night. Is it possible thst some crabs test the substrate to see if it is suitable? and or try to find the best place to molt? I just thought it could be what's going on.... and thought I would ask to Pros... Thanks

Pumpkincrab · Post by **Pumpkincrab** » Wed Mar 17, 2021 10:27 am

I have a crab who does this. She stays buried until about 10:30pm. Then she stays up all night, then digs again all day.
Not sure if it relates to molting or not, but it could be... I'll let others chime in.

crabbycasey · Post by **crabbycasey** » Thu Mar 18, 2021 11:32 am

I have crabs who do the same. Dig during the day and then party at night, lol. Also, I’ve learned that a majority of the molting process underground is them seeking out their perfect molting spot. Hope that’s helpful!

Edit: An afterthought...what is your substrate, how deep, and is it moistened to sandcastle-like consistency?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

mool · Post by **mool** » Sat Mar 20, 2021 10:42 am

It's literally been years since I've seen all five of my crabs at the same time--probably not since I upgraded their tank about 6 years ago. They like to dig around underground as much as they like being topside.

HCA: Hermit Crab Association