hermit crab hiding in shell

bentley357 · Post by **bentley357** » 22 Apr 2009, 05:31

one of my hermit crabs has been curled up in its shell for 3 days. i havent seen it move during the day. im not sure why its not moving and stuff. ive picked up the shell and its not dead, it curled tight in the shell. is something wrong or is this normal?

CrabbyJo · Post by **CrabbyJo** » 23 Apr 2009, 15:40

What is the temperature in your tank? Humidity? What substrate are you using? What is the size of your tank? How long have you had this hermie?
It's hard to say without knowing some things about your setup.

bentley357 · Post by **bentley357** » 24 Apr 2009, 04:07

the temperature is 70. the humdity is 70-75. I am using coconut fiber. Its a 20 gallon long tank and ive had him for 3 months

Hermie's rule · Post by **Hermie's rule** » 24 Apr 2009, 21:39

The temp is a bit on the low side. I'd bring it up some. And I'd also leave the hermie alone. You never know, he could be very stressed out for whatever reason or need to sleep awhile.

bentley357 · Post by **bentley357** » 25 Apr 2009, 05:09

ok. thanks for ur help

CrabbyJo · Post by **CrabbyJo** » 25 Apr 2009, 16:17

It very well could be the cold temperature. it shouldn't drop below 73 except for rarely. Hermies like it between 73 and 80F, and you'll see them become more active.

ladybug15057 · Post by **ladybug15057** » 27 Apr 2009, 10:35

Have you calibrated/tested your humidity gauge? Once you're sure it is reading accurately try to bump the humidity percentage up to 75-78%
When bumping up the temp in the tank, make sure to keep check on the substrate temp too as well as the air temp of the tank.

bentley357 · Post by **bentley357** » 30 Apr 2009, 07:55

my other 2 hermit crabs are very active and he is still hiding in his shell. could he be dead?!

emmac350 · Post by **emmac350** » 30 Apr 2009, 13:24

If your crab is dead, you will smell a strong, fishy odor. Until you smell it, he's alive. Leave him alone for a little while to see if he's just stressing over something. Give him some time and maybe he'll come back out and be active again.

CrabbyJo · Post by **CrabbyJo** » 30 Apr 2009, 16:27

Bentley,
Did you get the temperature problem fixed? Did you also make sure the humidity is good?

Gotta have a few answers if we are going to be able to help you figure it out.

We can't say anything without more information to help us know what's going on.

hermit crab hiding in shell

hermit crab hiding in shell

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