Hiding In Shell For 4 Days

[jekala]

ever since we put our two hemies in a 10gallon tank they have burried themselfs to the bottom of the tank and will not come out to eat or drink we havent seen them in 4 days should i be worried? the temp in the tank is 80 and the humidty is 75-80 what should i do??

[Hermie's rule]

Just leave them alone. Hermies bury to destress as they usually come from very stressful conditions. Under no circumstances should you ever dig up a buried crab as they may be molting or just plain digging, or chilling out.

[ladybug15057]

If the temp in the tank is 80*F, what is the substrate temp? Do you have a cooler and a warmish end?

[jekala]

yes there is a cool and warm side to the tank all i have to heat it is a heat lamp. so i shouldnt worry if i dont see them or that they havent come out to eat or drink.

[CrabbyJo]

Do you have a kitchen thermometer that you can put into the substrate to check the temperature? It's a good idea to know what the substrate temp is in your tat at both ends, as well as the air temp. Be careful not to poke any crabs as you probe to temp it though.

Do you have sand? one way to make sure they aren't coming up to eat is to smooth the sand so you can see any little crabby tracks to and from the food dish. Also, check the food dish very carefully for traces of substrate (if you dont have sand, look for EE or whatever your substrate is) in the food dish. Crabs eat very tiny amounts, and often you can't even tell they've been there except for a telltale little claw hole in something, or a line where a claw was dragged through something. Be a detective. They are sneaky, coming out when we are sleeping!

[jekala]

i have changed the food and water and still no site of my hermies..should i be worried now. its been over a week

[emmac350]

Nope! This is perfectly normal behavior for new crabs. When I first got my crabs they soon dug down and molted for two months. The longest your crabs could be under they molt is 3-6 months (size dependent). Have you noticed any food missing or moved or any sand in the water bowls? This would mean that your crabs wait until you're asleep before coming up. Otherwise, even though it's hard, stop worrying. I have one who's under and molting for sure - no sign of him for three or four weeks now. I have another who may be molting bu I don't know, and two that I usually don't see until 11 at night or later. So don't be afraid - unless you smell a VERY strong fishy smell, you should be fine!

[Salt and Pepper]

He died.. My other Hermit Crabs aren't active also and I've had them for 2 Weeks. My newest ones are incredibly active and I've been having them since last night!

[emmac350]

What exactly do you mean, he died? How did you find him? Are you sure he hadn't just molted?

[Salt and Pepper]

What exactly do you mean, he died? How did you find him? Are you sure he hadn't just molted?

He actually died April 25. He was white, wasn't moving, and fell right out of his shell..