QuestionI'm a first time owner who got two small (golf ball sized) hermits for Christmas. My wife said the two she picked were very active in the store. I put them in a 10 gallon tank with sand, lava rocks, a hiding tunnel, declorinated water pool with sponge, food dish, and climbing stick.
One has a missing leg, has dug deep into the sand and hasn't moved for days (no smell). The other seems to be less active than our first days together. My guess is two things:
1) Stress - is there anything I can do to relieve stress?
2) Humidity - I've read some say that humidity is less of an issue if they can bathe themselves...I've read others say that isn't true. I have a bathing pool for them...but if that isn't enough, I'm sure their humidly is low. What are good ways to increase humidity? I saw some sort of coconut netting at the pet store that you can put along the wall of your tank and spray with water...your thoughts?
AnswerAll crabs exhibit some hiding/stress behavior when they first come home. That is kind of a running joke at our house. When I first bring home a crab I drop them off and say "See you in a month!"
However, if your conditions aren't in order the little guys will have a hard time pulling out of their initial funk. Let me first answer your questions.
1. Stress - The best thing you can do to relieve stress is have good conditions and leave them alone while they adjust. Some people are hands off and some people like to interact with their crabs, but for the first month or so, less handling is much better. They need time to adjust.
2. The first thing you need is a thermometer/hygrometer so you can monitor the exact humidity/temperature at any given time. They need to be between 74 and 82 if at all possible. Adding moss is a great way to boost humidity, misting tank sides is a good temporary solution but it's important to maintain good conditions.
I notice you say you have a pool. Do you have a salt water pool as well?
Here are a couple of article links that you might find useful. The first one is a setup guide for beginners, the second is about adding moss to your tank.
http://naturallycrabby.com/home/blog1.php/2007/02/13/before-you-bring-your-crab-...
http://naturallycrabby.com/home/blog1.php/2007/06/16/dont-forget-the-moss
