Oh.....THAT's the smell. And what are they doing?

[Sassypants]

Hi everyone,

We brought home five hermies Saturday; one teeny and four smalls. One of the smalls, Jambalaya, went and sat in the moss pit,didn't appear to budge, and the odor of his passing was evident in the tat yesterday afternoon. RIP Jambalaya. We tried to give you a good home. Another small, Rangoon, changed shells and proceeded to park himself at the top of the cork climbing wall. I haven't seen him move much either.

The teeny, Fritter, started digging himself down in the hidey cave yesterday morning. In the afternoon, the remaining two, Chowder and Gumbo, were right on top of that spot and digging down after Fritter. When I shooed them away, I could see the top of Fritter's shell. Chowder and Gumbo ran right back in the cave and started digging again. Fearing they intended to snack on Fritter, I moved them out of the cave, placed some food and water in there, and blocked the entrance with some needlepoint netting.

What are some reasons Chowder and Gumbo would dig after Fritter? Maybe Fritter's getting ready to molt? So soon? He's only about an inch down in six inch substrate. I was hoping he was just digging down to decompress, but maybe he smells tasty. I don't want to move anyone to the 29 gallon yet because Crabcakes, my large PP, is going through the first molt since I got him in November, and I'm being a paranoid mom. I don't want anyone eating him either. Now I'm afraid to give Chowder and Gumbo access to the cave. I have no more iso tanks. Any suggestions??

[CallaLily]

I'm sorry for your loss.

There is a possibility he's smelling yummy to them if he's pulling a shallow molt (sometimes crabs are too weak from all they've been through to dig far). It's also possible they're just digging to dig and it just happens to be near him. I've noticed some crabs seem to like to dig next to or under something. Blocking off the area was a good idea, just to be safe. Hopefully they'll leave him alone now or he'll dig down further.

[YYWW]

Agree with Calla. Certain spots just seem safer or more fun to dig, to crabs. But you will find that though they go down near each other they will come up from wholly different places. It is a good idea to divert them from Fritter. If they get more aggressive or if you hear chirping you might want to escalate the blockade. The top half of a 2liter bottle makes a good "isolation chamber" pressed into the sub 3 inches or so past the buried crab. Have one handy in case you need it as you are out of ISO tanks.


Crabbers unite!!!

[hermitcrab24]

All three of my hermit crabs dug down in the exact same place, I think digging under a hidey makes them feel safer, so maybe that is where Gumbo and Chowder want to dig too.

[Sassypants]

Thanks Calla, YYWW and HC24,

I checked on Fritter and he's still just under the sub. I'm going to give Chower and Gumbo more things to do in the tat, then unbarricade the cave when I have the chance to watch them for a while. Fritter's a little cutie, I hope he makes it.