Crab Not Digging

[valli711]

Hello everyone! I’m a new hermit crab owner. I adopted him from a college student who did not want him anymore. She was not educated on how to properly care for him, so he spent the first year of his life in one of those awful plastic carriers from Petco. Not substrate. Only a layer of pebbles at the bottom. No humidity, no heat, no fresh foods, no shells to change into. He was in that awful painted shell the entire year. I honestly don’t see how he survived, but this is one tough crab. I have had him for 2 weeks now. He’s in a 20 gallon tank, dampened eco earth substrate (6 inches), humidity stays around 75, Temp between 75-80, a variety a fresh foods (safe for crabs), he has a mountain to climb with a hidey hole, artificial plants that he climbs also, fresh water and salt water dish, and plenty of shells to choose from. He has changed shells 5 times already. He can’t make up his mind between two of them the past two days. Lol He’s very active now and eats like a pig. He seems happy. Curious though why he is not digging? I have seen him pick around at the top layer some, but he never attempts to dig. I know he’s never had the opportunity to dig In the past. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.

[Hermiesguardian]

So glad you rescued the little guy! He may want to pick the right shell before he molts. Is he out of the painted shell? Does he dig down during the day? He may have actually done a surface molt in his previous conditions. As long as he's eating assume he's ok. He knows what to do when he needs it.

[valli711]

Thank you! I never thought about him maybe wanting to have the right shell to molt. Would make sense with him switching back and forth lately. Yes, he is out of the painted shell and it is out of his tank. As soon as I gave him shell options, he jumped on top of one, did some crazy crab dance and switched shells. Lol He does not dig during the day. He mostly climbs, walks, eats and drinks. No digging. Maybe some mild scratching on the surface sometimes, but no digging.