Whats rong?

[pattycake101]

Okey I have had these crabs for 11 days now and they were running around at night, getting everything sandy and acting like, well... Hermit Crabs. But on the 7th day I had them they started slowing down and hiding all night. I got them from the same store and they are both acting weard. Whats rong? I use calci sand if that helps any. Are they tring to molt? I cant get my sand to get wet and when I do it globs up.

[krabby_katie]

They might be showing premolt signs. I would change to playsand ASAP, just to be safe. If they want to molt, they can't do it in calci-sand. You wouldn't want a surface molt, believe me.

[pattycake101]

do you know of the cheapest place to buy play sand?

[Mr.Crab]

Yes, pattycake101, The cheapest place to buy play sand is ad Home Depot (Large Hardware store). Over there they Have play sand. 50 pounds for only $2.75 American Dollars (THATS AN AMAZING DEAL)
bring a couple dollars to the store, and haul a 50lb bag of sand to the back of your truck(this will last you months)
Instead of buying 2 pounds of hermit crab sand from the petstore(what a scam) for $6 American Dollars!!!!!!!@!!!!!!@!!@@!!!

[pattycake101]

Thank you! You both helped me so much! Me and my mom are going to Home Depot tomorrow! I hope my Hermit Crabs will like there new sand!

[erikleeson]

Good luck! You'll find that your crabs dig lots in playsand. The not activeness may or may not be pre molt. Check the other signs.

Is crabbie digging? (If you get playsand and they dig don't worry)
Is Crabbie drinking alot?
is crabbie look very pale and ashy and almost sick?

If not then they're probably destressing.

I buy crabs and they come home and explore for days, then they stop to destress. Then they are active again

[pattycake101]

Thank you so much! I got the sand and Squirtle dug in it the that night and hasn't been up sence, I do beleave he is molting. Thank you all again!

[Jaci]

Make sure you keep the sand at sand castle consistency.

[all_star469]

I buy crabs and they come home and explore for days, then they stop to destress. Then they are active again

Thank you for this! I have been searching high and low for 411 on this and now I finally have it! It seemed that lots of new hermit owners were asking about sudden drop in hermit activity - digging in, then coming up seemingly unchanged - and no one really had any other suggestion of what had happened other than conditions being wrong, molting, or sick/dying.

I have 4 hermits:
Precious wears a 3.15 - 3.50 opening, He is purple.
Poe wears a spotted spiral shell with an opening of 1.15 - 1.50 Mostly red.
Hermie wears a shell opening of 1 - 1.15 Red & tan.
Bert is the smallest in a long thin spiral shell that is too big for him - he won't come out to be measured, but his old shell was 1.15 - spiral with an oval opening - the new one he chose has a round opening of .75 - makes no sense to me yet. He is all tan though.

[Mr.Crab]

Thank you so much! I got the sand and Squirtle dug in it the that night and hasn't been up sence, I do beleave he is molting. Thank you all again!

Awesome Pattycake! I knew it would work. Play sand is very cheap but very good.