HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hello. I'm new to this site. I've been taking care of crabs for about 5.5 years now. I've owned about 5 total and to this day some things really confuse me about them. Today I got two small babies that wear shells smaller than the 2.5" sizes. When I got them there weren't in the best place, the tank was filled with crabs to the point there was no privacy for any of them, and there wasn't any dirt for them to burrow into. As I took them I noticed that they showed signs of molting and wondered how they would act. As of putting them into the tank a couple hours ago, I'd expect them to immediately start preparing to burrow and getting in a safe place; however, to my surprise they haven't dug a single time. Idk if the past conditions of the pet shop tank would contribute to their behavior, or not. Should I be concerned? Anything I should do? Thankies.

Not an expert on this but my crabs took about 4 weeks to realise how deep the substrate was and to properly start making tunnels if it makes you feel better. Now, I barely see them all at the same time.

I'm sure they'll do their thing in due course.

Good luck