Is my Crab Alive?

[davidmitchellbeck]

My crab lives alone. He has never molted. 3 days ago he buried himself and has not come up! He has always been well cared for. Temp and moisture levels are always perfect. He seemed healthy and happy. No odor at all. What should I do?

[CrabbyJo]

First, read the crab care section on molting.
it is very normal for a crab to bury themselves for several days at a time.
When they bury to molt, they can take from one week (which is extremely short) to several months to molt. Most take somewhere in between, as in three to eight weeks.
Whatever you do, do not ever dig up your crab. If he is molting, it could disturb him enough to die. How long have you had your crab?

if he is molting, keep both of his water bowls (ocean salt and fresh) and his food bowl fresh, because you never know when he will come up and need them.

Also, when he does come up, after he's recovered from his molt (if that is what it is), you might consider getting another crab to keep him company. Crabs are social and live in "colonies", and prefer the company of other crabs. It is understood that crabs can often seem depressed when they are alone too long.