My crab is buried and wont come out!

[Tim cuthbert]

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
I use coconut fiber substrate about 6 inches deep

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?
Yes. In the bottom middle just above the substrate the humidity was 70% and temp 65-70 degrees

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
No

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
Freshwater aged for weeks

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Pellet food, eggshells, pine nuts, and lettuce.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
About 7-8 months, and I don’t know the species.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Not yet

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
A 10-gal tank with a screen lid.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2, small

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
6

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I scoop out the waste with a clean kitty litter scoop

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
Yes, cleaned with purified water

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
No

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?
I found one crabs claw shell in the sub and i have one male and one female

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. [/
1 of my hermit crabs is buried and has stayed buried for 3 months and I don’t know if he is dead or alive
.

[hermitcrablover2]

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
I use coconut fiber substrate about 6 inches deep It's a good idea to mix playground sand with fiber to make it easier for it to hold moisture

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?
Yes. In the bottom middle just above the substrate the humidity was 70% and temp 65-70 degrees Your temperature and humidity could be a little bit higher, ideal is 75-80% humidity and temperature is 70-80 F

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
No

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
Freshwater aged for weeks Is the water dechlorinated and/or does the aging dechlorinate it? Do you have a source of salt water?

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Pellet food, eggshells, pine nuts, and lettuce. Its a good idea to give hermit crabs a source of protein: fish, cooked eggs, meat, insects, etc.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
About 7-8 months, and I don’t know the species.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Not yet

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
A 10-gal tank with a screen lid. A 10 gallon tank should work for now, but at some point you will need a larger tank. To contain humidity, you can put plastic wrap over the screen lid

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2, small

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
6 Are any of the shells painted?

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I scoop out the waste with a clean kitty litter scoop

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
Yes, cleaned with purified water Is the sponge the only source of water for the hermit crabs? Also be careful that the sponge doesn't get moldy

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
No

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?
I found one crabs claw shell in the sub and i have one male and one female The "claw shell" is likely part of an exoskeleton, which means one of the hermit crabs has molted

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. [/
1 of my hermit crabs is buried and has stayed buried for 3 months and I don’t know if he is dead or alive
. A lot of times, a hermit crab will just hang out underground, even after molting. He/she is probably fine, just chillin' under the substrate Don't dig for him/her unless it has been at least 6 months, and if you like you can put a camera where you can see the tank. I've heard of lots of hermie owners who haven't seen their hermit crabs in a while, and then put up a camera and look at the night footage and see the their "missing" hermit crab comes up at night to eat and drink and they didn't know!

[Tim cuthbert]

Ok thank you so much, and for your questions, i have no source salt water, i will give them some more protein sources,none of the shells are painted, the sponge is in a water dish. Again thank you for your advice.

[hermitcrablover2]

You're welcome! They will need a salt water source, if you have another dish you should put fresh water in the dish, and then mix in the right ratio of aquarium salt - don't use normal salt!

[curlysister]

You're welcome! They will need a salt water source, if you have another dish you should put fresh water in the dish, and then mix in the right ratio of aquarium salt - don't use normal salt!

Marine salt, not aquarium salt, should be used for hermit crabs.

[curlysister]

I have added my suggestions in bold.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
I use coconut fiber substrate about 6 inches deep It's a good idea to mix playground sand with fiber to make it easier for it to hold moisture
Curly - All coco fiber is fine to use, you don't need to add sand if you don't want to.

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?
Yes. In the bottom middle just above the substrate the humidity was 70% and temp 65-70 degrees Your temperature and humidity could be a little bit higher, ideal is 75-80% humidity and temperature is 70-80 F
Curly - Less than 72 for prolonged periods of time isn't good for hermit crabs. Consider adding a heat source, such as a UTH (under tank heater) - but for crabs these are put on the back or sides of the tank, NOT underneath.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
No

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
Freshwater aged for weeks Is the water dechlorinated and/or does the aging dechlorinate it? Do you have a source of salt water?
Curly - Aging water does not remove all that needs to be removed from tap water for crabs long term health. Check out the 'water' care sheet for tons of info about water, and different types of dechlorinators. You will want to dechlorinate the tap water, then add marine salt to make the salt water for them.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Pellet food, eggshells, pine nuts, and lettuce. Its a good idea to give hermit crabs a source of protein: fish, cooked eggs, meat, insects, etc.
Curly - Crabs do well with a varied diet, which includes protein and fish daily. They can eat many of the same foods that we eat, so you don't need to spend a bunch of money. Be sure to read the 'nutrition' and 'safe foods' care sheets to see everything they need and can have.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
About 7-8 months, and I don’t know the species.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Not yet

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
A 10-gal tank with a screen lid. A 10 gallon tank should work for now, but at some point you will need a larger tank. To contain humidity, you can put plastic wrap over the screen lid
Curly - My crabs were small when I got them, and I used a ten gallon for the first two or three years. There is a care sheet that gives a guideline as to how many crabs in what size of tank, depending on the size of the crabs. For sure you will want to cover the screen, in order to hold in heat and humidity.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2, small

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
6 Are any of the shells painted?

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I scoop out the waste with a clean kitty litter scoop

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
Yes, cleaned with purified water Is the sponge the only source of water for the hermit crabs? Also be careful that the sponge doesn't get moldy
Curly - Crabs don't need a sponge in their water dish - all it does is harbor bacteria, so it should be removed. You can put it in the tank dry for them to munch on.

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
No

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?
I found one crabs claw shell in the sub and i have one male and one female The "claw shell" is likely part of an exoskeleton, which means one of the hermit crabs has molted

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. [/
1 of my hermit crabs is buried and has stayed buried for 3 months and I don’t know if he is dead or alive
. A lot of times, a hermit crab will just hang out underground, even after molting. He/she is probably fine, just chillin' under the substrate Don't dig for him/her unless it has been at least 6 months, and if you like you can put a camera where you can see the tank. I've heard of lots of hermie owners who haven't seen their hermit crabs in a while, and then put up a camera and look at the night footage and see the their "missing" hermit crab comes up at night to eat and drink and they didn't know!
Curly - As stated, crabs can be coming up when we don't see them. Or they could be molting, or de-stressing, or just hanging out down there. Of course they may also have passed away - if that is the case, there is nothing to be gained by digging it up. But if you dig up a crab at a vital time in it's molt, you risk harming it. So a crab should only be dug up in an emergency like a flood or bacterial bloom, or on the rare occasion that you need to move homes and can't transport the tank when it is full.
There are a couple of things that you need to do to ensure long term health of your crabs - heat and humidity being the most important. If you haven't checked out the 'basics' care sheet yet, start with it and then go from there.

[Tim cuthbert]

Ok! Thank you both for your suggestions! I will follow them!

[Tim cuthbert]

Oh hey guys today i just saw the “missing” hermit crab today so yeah he probably just finished molting i am just glad i found him