hermit crab not moving

Where we discuss the behavior of our hermit crabs, as in fights, pecking orders, shell swaps, etc. Please post all naked-crab posts in the Emergency forum.
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theclaw
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Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 3:07 pm

hermit crab not moving

Post by theclaw » Wed Feb 03, 2016 5:34 pm

ok, one of my crabs has not moved in over 48 hours like he hasn't gotten out and moved,
his shell has remained in the same location, and i think is to big for him, any suggestions.
PS: he is alive, cuz when i pick him up he retracts farther, but still hasn't come out.

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KellyCrabbieLove
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Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

Re: hermit crab not moving

Post by KellyCrabbieLove » Wed Feb 03, 2016 9:27 pm

I recommend leaving him alone. He could be stressed or sleeping. Mine sleep like that all day, get up for food and everything overnight then back to their normal spots. They sometimes pick shells that seem too big or small to us but if he feels that is the shell he wants the only thing you can do is provide more. Did he just change into this dhell? He could be conserving energy because he is about to dig down to molt.

What are you temp and humidity at right now?
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Topic author
theclaw
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Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 3:07 pm

Re: hermit crab not moving

Post by theclaw » Thu Feb 04, 2016 6:18 pm

the temp is 72f and the humidity is 99%
yes he has recently change into his shell

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KellyCrabbieLove
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Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

Re: hermit crab not moving

Post by KellyCrabbieLove » Thu Feb 04, 2016 7:32 pm

theclaw wrote:the temp is 72f and the humidity is 99%
yes he has recently change into his shell
They often change shells before a molt so with him changing into a bigger shell and slowing down he may be about to pull a surface molt. Dig a little divot and put him in it. Cover him with a hide but do nkt bury him and see what happens.

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#1 rule of crabbing - crabs are weird.
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Topic author
theclaw
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Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 3:07 pm

Re: hermit crab not moving

Post by theclaw » Thu Feb 04, 2016 9:01 pm

Ok,
i'll try that and keep you posted,
thank you.

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megmaholm
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Location: Bloomington, IN

Re: hermit crab not moving

Post by megmaholm » Thu Feb 04, 2016 9:06 pm

Try to get your temp up to 80. That's the recommended number, and anything below 75 can cause them to be sluggish. Below 70 can be a death sentence. What kind of heat source do you have on your tank right now?
Crabbing since July 2014! 75 gallon with 12 Purple Pinchers.


Topic author
theclaw
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 3:07 pm

Re: hermit crab not moving

Post by theclaw » Fri Feb 05, 2016 6:02 pm

a have a heat mat on the back, and got an other for the side today to see if the helps.


Topic author
theclaw
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 3:07 pm

Re: hermit crab not moving

Post by theclaw » Fri Feb 05, 2016 10:39 pm

ok i also put two bath towels on top
To keep in some heat and got the temp up to 77f,
And he came out a little and I saw
That he might have a wound on his small pincher,
Could that be a reason he would hide?
This is one of my 6 pp, and the first time we introduce all of them
This little guy change in to a big shell (not the shell he's in now, and this was last spring,)
And we were guessing the reason was for protection, so could it be that he has changed into a bigger shell for protection from my other crabs? I might be able to get a pic up once I find out how.

Ps: if it is a wound should I but him in a isolation tank?

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Ilovehermies74
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Re: hermit crab not moving

Post by Ilovehermies74 » Sun Feb 07, 2016 1:57 pm

I dont know exactly, i might be wrong. But i had a crab that got in a fight and was baddly wounded and surface molting. I put him in iso to help him finish his molt and now he is a little disfigured but looks like this Image It has been about 3 months from the accedent
owner of 10 happy hermies! tiny micro, arora small, problem small, romeo small, Juliet small, berry small, mars medium, katniss medium, lucky large, and the big head honcho hugo:) :) RIP shy Check out my youtube channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW91Ko ... s84MrO0zog

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