A pair of shy guys

Questions about unexpected problems.
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Jpriest454
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Posts: 4
Joined: 28 Sep 2018, 16:00
Gender: Male
Hermit crabs: 2
Total gallons: 10
Total tanks: 1

A pair of shy guys

Post by Jpriest454 »

Hello, im fairly new to caring for these little guys so apologies if I'm doing anything wrong. I want the best for my new pet hermit crabs. I purchased a Rangoon, my hermit, from a boardwalk souvenir shop around a month ago. If anyone has been to the jersey shore they know about the literal dozens of shops selling hermies on the boardwalk. I bought one, as it's always been something i wanted as when i was a kid, on impulse and quickly learned how much care these little dorks can be. Having learned theyre social animals i bought the Rangoon a girlfriend named cakes, and quickly set up their tank. I keep the pair in a 10 gallon tank with about 2 inches of calcium sand as the bedding. They have access to fresh and salt water, salt bought by the bottle from the pet store and fresh from the tap. (I know that isnt the best for them but money is a bit tight with college). Their food is a store bought brand of meal that i mix with coconut, some eggshell, and water to make a little paste. Recently ive been giving it to them dry and they seem to prefer it that way. I notice much more dry meal eaten than when it's wet. I make sure to keep them warm and humid by spraying their tank with a spray bottle nightly and keeping a heating pad on the side of their tank. The thermometer and humidity guage say all is well in there.

But now that the setup has been explained I'll get to the "problem" ive been facing. The two are just so shy. I had a hermit crab a long time ago (whom i regretfully cared for poorly as a very young child) who was very sociable and friendly towards me. Early on having first acquired Rangoon he was quite social as well and enjoyed climbing his then wire cage (the cage i was given when i purchased him) with me around. It was only after introducing Cakes, who was always a shy gal, and placing the two in their current setup that Rangoon became quite the hermit. The pair are inseparable, which i adore, but they are almost always hiding in their log and dont seem to move for several days. Im always a worrier so i do move them every few days to see if theyre okay and alive, but the minute i leave the room i return to them having skittered back into hiding. I would just like to know if there are any ways to get the two more comfortable in their home. If there is any way i can help them, whether it be making a change to their environment or maybe even attempting some way to make them comfortable around me, I'm all ears. I understand that hermits are all unique and i may just have a pair of shy hermies that want to be left alone.
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aussieJJDude
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Joined: 02 Mar 2012, 19:30
Gender: Male
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Total gallons: 65
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Re: A pair of shy guys

Post by aussieJJDude »

Welcome to the board!

For me, hermies tend to be scared from the start and take a while for them to adjust and get use to being in our homes. Once given a couples of weeks/months - usually after a couple of moults - they really do tend to come out their shells.

Another thing is if your crabitat is in an area that you typically frequent in, they soon realise that you cause no harm and will be less likely to 'run for the hills' in terror. So consider trying to spend more time around your crabs, even if its a quite activity - like studying?

For me, my crabs became less shy when I increased the amount of hiding places. It may sound counter-intuitive, but increase the amount of hiding places - even having loads of fake plants to hide under/in/around - can make a difference. In the wild, they are at the bottom of the food chain, so they wouldn't really want to be out in the open where its likely they could become food for someone else.


When you get the chance, do look at the care guides available. This will also help their quality of life quite a bit, and allow them a chance to settle into captive life and ensure the best of care.
246L/65G - 'Tidal Jungle' (Crabs) | 246L/65g - 'Backwater Pool' (Fish/Snails) | 96L/25G - ''Twisted Minds" (Fish/Snails/Shrimp) | 300L/90G Fancy Pond (Goldfish)

I've never had any problems with 'Impulse Buying'. They're just animals that I forgot I had planned to get.
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