Hiding In Shell For 4 Days

[Salt and Pepper]

My hermit crab has been hiding in his shell for 4 days in a row; all day and all night. We touched his claws, pinchers, put him in his water dish, and tried everything but he won't come out. We thought that he was dead, but when we put him back in the cage, he came out for maybe a minute and went back in. The next day he was hiding in his shell again. He didn't come out at all. The next day he came out, but very slowly. Today he hasn't moved at all and has himself half buried.
Is this common for a crab to do? Is he OK? Why is he doing this?
-Salt and PepperXx

[emmac350]

Salt and Pepper, I posted a lot of advice about your crab setup for you in the Chirp and Chat section, but I'll try to help here as well.

Your crab most likely doesn't come out because he is shy, stressed, and possibly unhappy due to conditions. I have two crabs that, for the first six months I had them, I never saw out more than just noticing the top of their shell. I never saw them move in their tank at all because they only came out in the dark. I thought I had kept the conditions good, but now that I have a thermostat controlling temperature and they're in their new tank, I see them out every evening even though the house lights are on and we're in the room!

Your crab is most likely suffering from post-purchase stress. When we first get crabs, we try to give them a few weeks (a month is normal) to destress. These crabs we buy, two or three months ago, were in the wild, chillin' with their buds, traveling sometimes miles a night. Then they were captured and taken to factories where, often, they are forced to change shells, and then are shipped to pet stores with awful conditions. This article - http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... toryid=165 - has some great information about why your crab is stressing and what you can do to help him get through it without dying.

If your crab is shy, he may just need to get used to you. Most likely, he comes out and does his stuff at night when you're in bed. They are nocturnal animals. Leave him alone for a while until he learns your schedule and gets used to 'normal' activities. If your crab is buried, don't ever unbury him. This could stress him to the point of death. Some crabs bury because they're too warm, some because they're cold, some to molt, some for something to do (mine do this sometimes), some because they don't like the conditions, some because they're trying to calm down. Leave him alone and give him time to adjust.

[CrabbyJo]

Very good advice Emma.

I agree, it sounds like your hermie is just very shy and may be de-stressing. just make sure you get that temp up in your 'tat and keep the humidity up around 78%.

[Salt and Pepper]

I really do want to get a Thermometer, but my aunt whom I live with says "It's going to say a lot of stuff that you have to buy, but they don't say how much it cost." I feel that I'm not doing something right with their cage.

[emmac350]

You can get thermometers at a pet store for around $10, or you can get a combination thermometer/humidity gauge at Lowes (or other hardware stores) for around $25. This really helps you know whether your crabs are the right temperature.

Think about it this way - these animals, before you bought them, lived in a tropical rainforest-like habitat. They lived in high humidity, high temperature places and that's where they do their best. My crabs have gotten down to the high sixties when I wasn't home in the winter, but they were VERY inactive and not so happy with me. Now they're almost what I would be afraid is too high of a temperature, but I see them SO much more now that I have their temperature regulated.

[Salt and Pepper]

Thank you, Emma! You have been a very big help to me because I am new at owning crabs.

[Salt and Pepper]

Um.. we went buy a heater but they didn't have the correct size heater for my tank. So, we didn't buy one. I was hoping a more humid atmosphere, that he would come out.

[Salt and Pepper]

Oh, hooray! He came out of his shell for the first time! He didn't even retract back in when I walked by the CrabItat.

[CrabbyJo]

Catherine,
The combination thermometer/humidity gauge Emma mentioned, or maybe not the same one... let me start over. I got a combination thermometer/humidity gauge with indoor/outdoor thermometer at Lowe's for only $13, which is probably cheaper everywhere else in the US. I also found the exact same one at Walmart for the same price. It's very important, especially if you have a Strawberry and another exotic species. They are very particular about their environment, as others have said.

I know things do cost a lot, and having hermies does cost a bit, initially.
Once you get the setup though, they are very cheap to feed and care for.
Hopefully you can find some items on Craigslist, or at thrift stores or garage sales?

Good luck!

Joanna

[hiddengrin]

I have similar issues with Caspian, who I got over a month ago. I thought he'd buried himself for good, then one night, I got home really late, and when I turned the lights on in the room and checked the tank, there he was, staring at me from the moss pit with the "you caught me" look on his face! Ever since... he's been hiding... I'm hoping that what everyone else is saying is true, that once he's adjusted, he'll be a happy and active crab.