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My hermit crabs never come out of hiding?

They stay buried in the sand all day and I have 4 but the never come out! Yesterday I happened to see one out and I played with him but as soon as I put him in the tank he buried himself again! I don’t want my crabs under the sand all day! I bought them to WATCH them not watch the tank! The have a hot and humid environment (well, warm) freshwater, saltwater, food, things to climb on, even a big bowl that the can swim in! I know they are nocturnal but sometimes I stay up at night (not all night) to see if they come out and they NEVER do. They are always buried at the same area! Should I get more crabs? It’s a 10 gallon with 4 crabs that always go to one spot. If I do get more crabs, how many more should I get? Or should I just keep the ones I have?

5 Answers

New crabs hide away a lot. They’re still settling in. Make sure they are eating and drinking you don’t want them going into shock or anything. I take them out and put a towel over my lap and let the crab sit there. When they are ready they will start crawling around. once they realize you’re not going to eat them they will even take food from your hand. how hot is “hot” If it is over 80f they may be trying to cool off. if it is under 70f they may be trying to warm up.It’s more likely that they are just hiding because they are new.The day will come when you wish they were this quiet. When you look at the tank you cleaned only the day before and find that you’re hermit crabs have decided to ” redecorate” on you, you will long for the quiet shy crabs you used to have. Or when they decide that 2am is a good time to run up against the glass wall. Or when you give them a new decoration and one crab decides none of the others is allowed on it and all you can hear is him kicking the other crabs off. They are worse then children... Show More
Hermit crabs have personalities just like you and me, some hermit crabs are shy. They will go into their shells, some will be more active, and attack. Hermit crabs are omnivores, they will eat any thing. Most crabs can be tamed. Sometimes hermit crabs are aggressive, they are known to pinch with their pincers.They are very social animals, that’s why you should keep them in groups of four. They will walk right off a table. But, some are afraid of falling. They stay near salt water beaches. They are very good escape artists. That is the conclusion of hermit crab behavior... Show More
But I just brought him home from the pet store yesterday! A person I know who has had her pet land hermit crabs for about 15 years tells me that when she brings a new crab home, the crab buries itself in the substrate of the tank for about two weeks to ‘acclimate.’ So please do not automatically assume that when you bring a brand-new crab home and he buries himself, that he’s molting! If you bring him home to an ideal environment, you may have saved his life! Like any animal who has been sick (from a dirty pet store), he will do himself may need some time underground in hermit-crab ‘intensive care’ to rest and recuperate in darkness and solitude. How do I know exactly what he’s up to under there?If your crab completely buries itself, one way to find out whether it’s molting or just playing hide-and-seek is to smooth out the sand over and around the ‘hidden’ crab. Then if the crab ‘comes up’ at night for a drink or a bite to eat, you’ll be able to tell what’s going on. Should I mist the spot where he’s buried, or do anything else?The best advice for dealing with a buried crab is to leave it alone. Note the date your crab buried itself. If it has not surfaced after about four weeks, you can carefully brush back the sand on the crab and make sure it is still alive. If the crab is still alive and appears to have molted, carefully cover it back up with substrate. On the other hand, if you smell a nauseating odor of rotting fish, it means the crab has died, and you should dig up the corpse and dispose of it. To be sanitary, you may just want to scoop the dead crab up along with the sand it was buried in, and dispose of all of it at once. That way, you won’t have the worry of any of your healthy crabs ‘catching’ whatever was possibly ailing the dead crab.... Show More
They are just being themselves!!That is the demeanor of a hermie…if you want something active to watch, then try a Red Claw Crab, a Moon Crab…Hermite crabs d as the please when they please…sorry!!!good luck though…keep watching and waiting, you never know what MIGHT just happen!!!If the are recently bought, then they may be adjusting…hard to tell.The nature of a hermite crab….totally unpredictable!!... Show More
https://shorturl.im/awn8Phahaha you should probably clean his tank and put him somewhere you can see him while cleaning to make sure he’s alive. probably wants more food or yeah he’s dieing. hermit crabs only live for around 2-3 weeks really... Show More

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