Hermit crabs have a curled tail with a hook that enables their bodies to fit inside these borrowed shells. They’re more closely related to certain kinds of lobsters than to true crabs. Instead, hermit crabs have a hard exoskeleton on the front part of their bodies but a soft tail on the other half, which they protect using the discarded shells of other animals, like whelks. These crustaceans have been misnamed for two reasons: First, they’re not true crabs, like blue crabs, in that they don’t have a uniformly hard exoskeleton and can’t grow their own shells. Hermit crabs are omnivorous scavengers, eating microscopic mussels and clams, bits of dead animals, and macroalgae. There’s only one freshwater hermit crab, Clibanarius fonticola, which is native to Vanuatu. This could be a result of incorrect habitat conditions, incorrect food (nearly all hermit crab food sold in retail stores is toxic) or PPS (post purchase stress).There are over 800 species of hermit crabs worldwide, and almost all are ocean dwellers-though people are likely most familiar with the dozen semi-terrestrial species, called land hermit crabs, which are often kept as pets. The final cause could be impending death. Some crabs get slow and cranky, others are busy, some load up on food, others increase their water intake. Pre molt symptoms vary from crab to crab.
If your hermit crab is inactive for a long period of time which follows the habit of spending a lot of time in the water dish, your crab may be preparing to molt. They are curious beings and they love to climb. Providing an enriching environment will encourage your hermit crabs to explore. Is your crabitat boring? One way to increase activity is to create an obstacle course within the tank, using cholla logs or driftwood, coral and/or rocks. It is important to keep a comfortable environment for your hermit crabs as the incorrect environment will slowly kill your hermit crabs. If the temperature falls below 72F, or the humidity within the crabitat is below 70% your crabs will stay hidden away and less active.
Do your best to avoid throwing shadows over the tank, master the hermit crab belly crawl if necessary!Īnother reason for inactivity is incorrect temperature and/or humidity in the crabitat. Imagine the shadow of a bird passing overhead, wanting you for dinner, wouldn’t you would retreat into your shell to pretend to be just a shell? I would! Spending quiet time near the crabitat will help your hermit crabs get accustomed to your presence. They hide away in the leafy foliage or cool areas and are active once the sun has set and the moon is out, roaming about in groups of 100 or more in search of food. If a shadow passes over your hermit crab you will see the instinctual reaction of your hermit crab retreating within their shell for protection. This allows them to escape the drying heat of the sun as well as predators. That means that in the wild they sleep during the day and are active at night. Land Hermit crabs are primarily, but not exclusively, nocturnal creatures.
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