Pacing Behavior in strawberry-Normal?

[thermidor]

One of my crabs in a mixed tank concerns me. She is one of two strawberries (the other is molting) but she has the company of a couple of PP's and several small E's. The thing is, in the morning and evening for about 2 or more hours at a time, she paces in front of the tank, back and forth from one side to the other.

She is a large crab, the tank is a 60 gall (36" wide) and there are multiple levels and things to climb on-which she does occasionally. Conditions should be perfect at 82-85 temp and 85 humidity. She has 12" of substrate available and all the usual stuff, both types water deep enough to soak in, massive food variety, etc. At the times she does this the light is on, it does not intimidate her a bit (and the others are in hides sort of watching her and half asleep because they virtually never come out in the "day"). I have three temp/humidity monitors all calibrated and they register some variation throughout the tank.

From one standpoint, it is wonderful to see her every morning and each night when I return home, and she waggles at me, but I am concerned that she is bored or stressing. SInce I have had her (2 months) she went under the sand once overnight and I assumed she was going to molt but she was back the next day to this behavior.

One interpretation is that she is trying to escape bad conditions but I can't imagine how to make them better. The other is that she wants to roam and exercise. I have not taken her out to let her run around, would this be at all beneficial? My gut says that would be stressful but can it really be that she has an urge to exercise?

PS after her "exercise" she will eventually go and banana out (her way of resting) on top of the cork log or one of the other hides; I only saw her get in one, once.

[MuseCrazy]

How many crabs in the 60 gal? My E's and Straws both like to "run laps" around the tank and my conditions are within those brackets as well. I agree with it just being for exercise. Doesn't really worry me. Its when they're not active that I start to worry lol.

[thermidor]

Besides the two straws (one down) there are 3 PP's and 8 small e's although never more than 4 are up at a time. The e's are very shy for e's and only one of them seems to really run around, at least that I can see.

So MIss Newburg normally has the track all to herself!

[aussieJJDude]

Most likely, she is having some fun. Remember in the wild - where your straw came from - they had miles and miles of beaches, rainforests and other interesting ecosystems to "run" around and go ape in. You could always use this as another excuse to upgrade the tank.