HCA: Hermit Crab Association

heyo, I got a new crab a few days ago, and as far as I know it's pretty normal for new crabs to bury themselves. but this little dude has just dug himself a hole that he just sits in, and it's under his little hide. I haven't found anything about that so I was just wondering what's up with that. does he just like hanging out in his little hole? more just curious rather than concerned.

Crabs are funny people. He might just feel safe there. Are your temp and humidity good? Do you have deep enough sub?

Yep, all of that stuff is good to go. He just likes his hole in his hut I guess. Especially when he's napping, he won't sleep anywhere else. If he feels safe there then I'm just happy that he feels safe somewhere even though he's a new crab. It's still funny though.

My crabs happen to be those who like to dig just for the sake of digging. Conditions are ideal, but they'll go down, tunnel around for a couple of hours, and then come right back up. In the process, of course, the displaced substrate ends up burying spare shells, food dishes, etc., and I end up with high and low spots in the sub as they do their thing. They've also developed a fondness for taking the sphagnum moss from their pit and spreading it around.

Their crabitat is right next to my computer, and as I type this, one of them is spelunking right next to the glass (which is kind of cool to watch, really), and the 'tat as a whole looks like a teenager's bedroom. I used to take the time to straighten everything up if the crew was all topside and accounted for, but they'd just customize it all over again, so I've gotten so I just excavate the spare shells, make sure that their food is accessible, and let them do their thing.

Do the buried shells count as available shells? Lol

curlysister wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 31, 2019 12:50 am

Crabs are funny people. He might just feel safe there. Are your temp and humidity good? Do you have deep enough sub?

This has been my favorite quote since I found this site...

"Crabs are funny people!"

update: he did eventually bury himself for like a week, but today he came back up and isn't hanging out in a hole anymore. he does still love his little hut though. also I mix little fruit bits and coconut flakes (both meant for crabs) into his other food...but he's a little **** and picks out the fruit even if it's at the bottom. so now I feel like my mom going "eat your vegetables." but yeah, I love him very much and am happy he's back in the land of the living. XD

bryynja wrote:update: he did eventually bury himself for like a week, but today he came back up and isn't hanging out in a hole anymore. he does still love his little hut though. also I mix little fruit bits and coconut flakes (both meant for crabs) into his other food...but he's a little **** and picks out the fruit even if it's at the bottom. so now I feel like my mom going "eat your vegetables." but yeah, I love him very much and am happy he's back in the land of the living. XD

My Russian Tortoise is like that. She loves her pellet food and isn't very fond of hay/grass/greens (which is what she should eat!). I always have to sprinkle a few of her pellets on top of her greens to get her to eat them. And many times she will eat the pellets and stop once she hits her greens. Now a lot of the time I use a supplement made with hay/grass that can be mixed in or sprinkled on her food.

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CrabberWill wrote:My crabs happen to be those who like to dig just for the sake of digging. Conditions are ideal, but they'll go down, tunnel around for a couple of hours, and then come right back up. In the process, of course, the displaced substrate ends up burying spare shells, food dishes, etc., and I end up with high and low spots in the sub as they do their thing. They've also developed a fondness for taking the sphagnum moss from their pit and spreading it around.

Their crabitat is right next to my computer, and as I type this, one of them is spelunking right next to the glass (which is kind of cool to watch, really), and the 'tat as a whole looks like a teenager's bedroom. I used to take the time to straighten everything up if the crew was all topside and accounted for, but they'd just customize it all over again, so I've gotten so I just excavate the spare shells, make sure that their food is accessible, and let them do their thing.

My crabs do the same thing. And it never fails that they always cover their calcium dish, no matter where I put it. It’s actually pretty cute. I just have to giggle every time I see it. I used to be the same way when it came to keeping their “tat” nice and clean and now I just straighten it up when I clean their pools/shells. Also, I don’t know about anyone else but I have a couple crabs that are kinda clumsy.


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fiddles update: 1. my friend had to watch him for like a week (a bit less but whatever) and during that time he built himself a little cave under his food dish, but as soon as I got him back he came back up and is crawling around on the surface again. I'm choosing to believe it's personal just because the thought makes me happy. 2. one of the shells in his thing is pretty big, and he is digging under it (and he angled the shell so that it's not completely covering him, it's kinda angled up a bit, so I'm not pestering him to see this dw). I guess he has moved on from the hut. XD