QuestionSo I got 2 pet hermit crabs the other day, and so did my sister. We bought one big tank for them, and all 4 are living together. We've had no problems until now... one of the smallest crabs decided to come out of it's shell. I have about 6 other shells it could choose from, but it's been almost an hour, and it hasn't chosen a new one.
I took the other 3 crabs out of the tank and put them in a different one, in case they picked on him or something... but I can't keep all 3 of them in this smaller cage for much longer. It's not a good environment for them.
Is there any way I can get the other guy to go into a shell faster? I'm sure it's nothing, but it's the first time I've owned hermit crabs... so I'm not quite sure.
AnswerWhat is the size of the tank? Why don't you put the shell-less crab in the littler tank? What is the temperature/humidity in your tank? It should be between 74 and 82. What type of water do you offer the crabs? How deep are the pools? What is the substrate?
You can take his original shell and rinse it out in dechlorinated water really really well. Roll the shell to get the water way into the back. Place your crabs butt end into the opening of the shell. Tap gently on his armor plate ( the hard part just behind his eyes) this should trigger his withdrawal reflex and he should pull into the shell.) This works a lot of the time but not always.
