My oldest crab has been acting weird.

[Rebbecca]

When I first got him he was in a shell that was to small and now he has switched to the new one. He has been digging and hiding everyday and he comes out at night only to move to a different spot and dig again. He dug up the whole side of the tank tonight. When I first got him he never dug and he was very acttive. Is he just destressing? I don't want him to die. My friends crab died and we only had it for a couple days.

[Wai]

He's probably just distressing. I wouldn't worry too much. Mine continue to do that sometimes, even though I've had them for months.

[CrabbyJo]

Rebecca,
how long have you had him?
It sounds like he may be exhibiting some pre-molt behavior. Do his eyes look a little cloudy? Has his color changed, is he looking a little "mottled" or like he almost has "dry skin"? Is he spending a lot of time in the food dish? The salt water dish?

Don't worry about it, it sounds like he's good and healthy, it's when they are lethargic and inactive or leaving their shells that you should worry.

[ladybug15057]

Within your info under your user name it says "Crabber since: 27 Dec 2009".
I am assuming this is when you go this hermie? If so chances are very high that he is still experiencing PPS (post purchase stress) that if not adjusted properly can be lethal to your hermies. Please read this Article and try to follow it so not to put him into a form of shock. Do not handle him, but do replace his waters and foods. When you do see him up and about, try to adjust the substrate so he cannot burrow, but you must provide him a hut to seek shelter in if he wants/needs it. Do you have the Essentials a hermit must have while living in captivity?
What kind of tank do you have, and what all is within it?

[Rebbecca]

Yeah that is when I got him. I have had others before when I was younger but I just now got a job where I can afford them. When I first got him I followed everything in the PPS article and he seemed fine. I have a small plastic cage right now; I think it is ten gallons, I have two crabs in there, food dish, water dish and two sponges and a few extra shells. I'm planning on buying a bigger tank sometime this weekend. It just doesn't seem big enough for the two of them. He doesn't look like he is about to molt his skin hasn't changed and his eyes look normal. He is never around the food dish and I am a night owl, I watch him most nights. My tank is to small for a little hut and my friends crab was to big for most of them so we never invested in one.

[CrabbyJo]

I'm glad Marie (Ladybug) noticed that your crab was really new, it really makes a difference in what advice we can give you.

I'm at work so a couple quick things I noticed: When you get your new tank this weekend, be sure and pick up some ocean salt water mix (in the aquarium section in the pet store), as hermit crabs do need both a dechlorinated fresh water dish and an ocean salt water dish (Instant Ocean seems to be a favorite brand among crabbers).

What kind of substrate are you using? Pet stores usually set a person up with the completely wrong substrate, like calci sand or gravel. We recommend an aragonite sand or a coconut husk substrate (Eco Earth is one used most often).

Someone will give you a good link to some beginner tips, best to read through them to see if anything is missing. And of course you can use the search feature on here, and ask if you can't find something you need to know about.

[Rebbecca]

I have half coconut fiber and then part sand. It was the colored beach sand I think, I can;t remember the exact brand. Thanks for all the help I really want my crabs to live! :]

[mamaturtle2000]

Well, I always like to start this by saying I am not an expert and in fact have been told that a lot of things I have been doing were sub-par, however I saw that no one had responded to your last post 2 months ago and was wondering if you are still using the colored sand? They tell you not to use that (anything with colors). I was also wondering if you ever got the bigger tank, because when you said your tank was too small for a hut, I got an idea. How big are your crabs? I have a small tupperware bowl turned on it's side for a cave in my tank and I have read that you can also use clay pots. They both come in some pretty tiny sizes, so if your crabs aren't very big, you can probably find a bowl or pot small enough to use as a cave.