Unhappy crab...help!

Questions about designing a terrarium.
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crazykidsdad
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Joined: 23 Jun 2010, 16:03
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Location: Indiana

Unhappy crab...help!

Post by crazykidsdad »

Hello All...long time reader, first time poster...

I am not sure where this goes, but I have questions about our little crab we brought home about a week ago...

Make a long story short, he is in a plastic critter cage...one of the small ones, no heat source, no humidity control etc., I am working on that...

But my concern is that he never comes out of his shell unless we move him outside, and then he only seems to eat if I am holding it and hand feeding him. Is this normal? I have 3 kids, I cannot have a 4th!

Anyway, will he emerge out of his shell eventually after he is in his new home?
-----The Crazy Kids Dad -----
----- My Crew: Keith, Connor, and Alex -----
-----The Crabs: Hermie -----
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emmac350
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Re: Unhappy crab...help!

Post by emmac350 »

If your house is a crab-safe temperature range, then the reason he's moving outside is probably that he's looking for a hidey and a way to escape the sun. There's probably also a bit more humidity outside, making him able to breathe more easily.

I'd say leave him alone for a few weeks, and please do work on getting him even just a 10g tank. Having the proper conditions (size, temperature humidity, etc.) will go a long way towards his activity levels. Having a friend with him (not in the kritter keeper, but once he's in a proper tank) will also allow him to feel more safe around you and just in general.

What are you feeding him, and how are you treating his water? If you're feeding a commercial crab food every day, that's at least most of the reason that he's not eating. Crabs don't like those things, and they especially don't like them every day. Check out Hermit Crab Cuisine (google finds it!) or the Epicurean Hermit site as both of those address what you can feed the crab that you're already eating in your home.

One other thing - leaving him alone will help him destress after having been harvested and shipped to a pet store. Remember, this little guy used to live in the wild (all crabs did because they don't reproduce in captivity...not a surprise since the harvesting and breeding centers are absolutely awful at knowing what crabs need) and was stuck into a bag, brought to a facility with a cement floor, put into a tiny box stuffed full of other crabs, taken to a pet store with (most likely) an overcrowded tiny tank, and then taken home to your Kritter Keeper. Just a few months ago, he was roaming two miles or more every night, and now he's in a small plastic cage. It's a stressful change, and the more hands-off you are, the better. He'll eat when he's hungry!

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Rack, 23 Sep 08; Benny, 23 Sep 08; Slightly, 3 Jan 09; Nibs, 3 Jan 09; Curly, 3 Jan 09; Spaz, 5 Jul 09

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