2 new hermit crabs in tank - can’t see them anywhere

[Kellykoala333]

Hello!

I recently got two new hermit crabs to join my two I got about a month ago cuz I read they like to have friends. When I first added the 2 new ones in there I dipped them in freshwater. They both were running around and exploring. Later that night I could not find one crab anywhere!! I kinda got a little freaked so I lifted some of the things out of the cage and gently moved some of the eco earth substrate around looking for him, it’s a bigger crab than the ones I have so I thought he’d be easy to find. No luck! I didn’t want to dig too much to disturb him (wherever he is) and then the next morning I noticed the new other crab I got I cannot find either! I only see the original two i got.

I’m assuming they are both dug deep in the substrate? I heard it’s common to do this in when they are stressed in a new environment, but do you know how long they usually stay down? I even check in on them at night and haven’t seen them come up.

It makes me nervous I hope there was no fight between the old and new crabs (although I didn’t witness any hostility)

Is there a good way to entice crabs to come out of hiding? I don’t believe they are molting the big one was a super bright red.

Thanks,

K

[JTKermie]

Tell us about your tank? What size? How deep is the substrate? Temp & humidity?

In terms of not seeing them. I hear ya. I've got 6. 3 each in two 29g tanks. I've only seen one in weeks. Hermit crabs are nocturnal and tend to hide most if not all of the day. It's probably one of the few hobbies where you need a video camera to spot hermie action.

[Kellykoala333]

I have a 20 gallon long tank, with about 6 inches of eco earth substrate and some sand on the opposite side (mainly eco early substrate) the temp is around 73, humidity around 80 usually.

I think it’s crazy how they hide and you some even see like anywhere they burrowed they must be hiding really good I guess!

Do they normally hide a couple of weeks?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JTKermie]

I'm pretty new to keeping them the right way, but I've read that when they do dig down to molt, the process can take anywhere from a month to a year depending on the crab.

I'd thoroughly mix up the sand and eco earth and keep 6 plus inches throughout your tank. 20g will be too small for 4 crabs once they grow.

[curlysister]

Totally normal for crabs to dig under where you can't see them. They dig to de-stress, to molt, or just for fun sometimes too. There's no way of knowing, until they come up (you can then sometimes tell if they have molted because they have more 'hair' on their legs, and tiny little black tips on the end of their legs.
You may notice your crabs are more active if you bump up the temp closer to 80.
Having substrate that is at least three times as deep as your largest crab will ensure that they can dig and not come across each other while underground. You don't have to mix it up if you don't want to - layered, mixed, or side by side are all fine. It can be the same depth throughout, or a slope (but if sloped, the shallow end should be at least the three times as deep). But it is important that it is moistened to sand castle consistency throughout.

[Kellykoala333]

Thank you! I finally saw them all last night, 1 of the new ones look like he came out for some food, the other one I saw it’s shell! So I’m like whew at least I’m not going crazy they are all still in the tank! Haha

I’m definitely going to try to bump up the temperature in the tank, I have a heating pad on the side right now but have been heari my a lot about the overhead hood lights, I’ve just trying to find the right size for mine. I have a 20 long aquarium, for some reason it’s been hard to find in stores, I’ll probably have to buy online and hope it fits right!!

Thanks for your help guys, I like to see the hermit crabs so I get worried when I don’t see them. I’m sure their first molt will be a bit tough with me not being able to see them!

I’m gonna get a camera so I can watch them when they come out!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk