QuestionQUESTION: I just got my first hermit crab at Petco, he is a purple pincher I think. He has buried himeslf in the wood chips for the past week and I am getting a little worried. Is this normal? When will he come out? Please tell me if I am killing Pepe. He has food, water, a coconut hut. The temperature is about 70-72 degrees (23 if you use celcius) the humidity is 65ish, what am I doing wrong?
ANSWER: It's really really normal for a new crab to dig down to destress once it gets to it's new home. It's not a reflection on you, just a natural behavior. Your little crab has been through a lot!
How big is he? He may decide to stay down and molt and then it could be a few weeks. My first three crabs went down and stayed down for 6 weeks!
I would get rid of the wood chips though, theyre not good for crabs. Stick to sand and/or coconut fiber bedding.
Make sure you have fresh and ocean style salt water in pools deep enough for him to get water into his shell.
Try offering some unbuttered unsalted popcorn, some steamed shrimp or some peanut butter, they love stinky stuff.
Youre temp and humidity are both a little low. They should be between 74 and 82 for your crab to be the most helthy.
Good luck!
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QUESTION: He's about the size of a silver dollar. If he is getting ready to molt, how long will it take for him to settle down and actually shed his shell? Is there anything specific I should do to help him do this? Is aquarium gravel OK for him? Thank you for replying quickly by the way!
ANSWER: Molting can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks for a crab that size.
If the gravel is over your whole tank that's not good but if it's just under the water and fook dish it's okay.
As for molting, generally you need to just let them do their thing. A damp "sand castle consistancy" substrate will help them dig and form caves. Offer fresh protein and good calcium sources will help them get ready.
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QUESTION: Let me know if my questions are getting too frequent or annoying. Would a cuttlebone for a bird cage help as a calcium source? Also, any tips for handling cleaning the tank? He has started burying his food and its starting to smell. How often should cleaning be done and should I wait until he finishes his molt? Thank you so much you have been a lot of help and eased a lot of stress!
AnswerLOL! I like answering questions, that's why I signed us to be an expert!
Cuttlebone is an excellent calcium source. you can break off an chunk and let them pick at it or grind or grate it into a powder.
Do you know where he is in the tank? You could clean out all but his little area or just wait. I do a spot clean every other day or so and I clean the whole thing every 4 months.
If you're not sure, wait until he comes up and then do a total deep clean and start over.
Good luck!
