Skip to content

Contact Us

crabstreetjournal@gmail.com

The Crab Street Journal
The Crab Street Journal

Where hermit crab addicts go!

Primary Navigation Menu
Menu
  • Community
    • Blog Posts
      • General
      • ArtWork
      • Ask Milo
      • Caresheets
      • Crabitat
      • Contest Voting
      • FAQ
      • Noteworthy Crabbers
    • Calendar of Events
    • Chewin’ the Choya (Forums)
      • Contest Entry Forum
    • Contest Rules
      • Calendar Crab
      • Hermit Crab Pumpkin Carving Contest
      • It’s the Great Pumpkin, Hermit Crab!
    • CSJ on Social Media
      • Crab Street Journal Instagram Feed
    • Testimonials
  • Resources
    • Hermit Crab Care 101
    • Hermit Crab Emergency Help
    • Adoptions
    • Market (Food Shop)
    • Become an Approved Seller
    • Teacher’s Pet/Claws in the Classroom
    • Advocacy and Outreach
      • Animal Cruelty Laws
      • Pet Store Report Form
      • Pet Store Reports
      • Say NO to Painted Shells
    • Caresheets
      • Crabitat
      • FAQ
      • Food and Nutrition
        • Market (food shop)
        • Recipe Book for Hermit Crabs
          • Hermit Crab Recipe Submission Form
      • Biology
        • Hermit Crab Species
      • PDF Library
    • Shopping Directory
    • Activity Pages
      • Coloring Pages
      • Word Find
      • Mazes
    • There’s a map for that!
      • CSJ/LHCOS Approved Adopters Maps
      • Local Reps Map
      • Hermit Crab Species Map
    • Product Reviews
      • Product Review Submission Form
    • Back issues of our print magazine
    • Media Kit
  • About us
  • Support CSJ!
    • Amazon Promotions
    • Hermit Crab Clothing and Goodies
    • Purchase a Hermit Crab species poster
    • Donate-Paypal

Why is my Hermit Crab so inactive?

C brevimanus
C brevimanus

Originally written by Vanessa Pike-Russell-Updated by Stacy Griffith

There are a few reasons your hermit crab may be less active than you expected.

  1. Natural instincts
  2. Incorrect temperature and/or humdity
  3. Crabitat does not provide an interesting, enriched habitat
  4. Pre- molt
  5. Impending death

Land Hermit crabs are primarily, but not exclusively, nocturnal creatures. That means that in the wild they sleep during the day and are active at night. This allows them to escape the drying heat of the sun as well as predators. 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. 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. Do your best to avoid throwing shadows over the tank, master the hermit crab belly crawl if necessary!

Another reason for inactivity is incorrect temperature and/or humidity in the crabitat. If the temperature falls below 72F, or the humidity within the crabitat is below 70% your crabs will stay hidden away and less active. It is important to keep a comfortable environment for your hermit crabs as the incorrect environment will slowly kill your hermit crabs.

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. Providing an enriching environment will encourage your hermit crabs to explore. They are curious beings and they love to climb.

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. Pre molt symptoms vary from crab to crab. Some crabs get slow and cranky, others are busy, some load up on food, others increase their water intake.

The final cause could be impending death. 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).

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Tumblr
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

2012-09-25
In: Caresheets
Tagged: hermit crab, inactive, lazy, lethargic, not moving, sleeps all day, sluggish
Previous Post: Why is an ocean pond needed?
Next Post: Understanding Humidity in the Crabitat

Enter our Monthly Photo Contest

Each year The Crab Street Journal prints a wall calendar of contest winners.
Each month hermit crabs compete to win a spot in the calendar for the coming year.
Members vote on their favorite photo each month.
At the end of the year all the winners compete for the cover spot as well.
Your photo will be featured on the same month that you won.
You must be LOGGED in for this to work!

Enter Now

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Log In

Or Login with your social media account:

FacebookGoogleTwitterInstagramLinkedInAmazonWindowslive

logo


Our other websites

Land Hermit Crab Owners Society (our parent org)
Land Hermit Crab Species
Stacy's hermit crab blog

Proud Member

The Crustacean Society
The Crustacean Society

The Crab Street Journal © 2001-2021

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this: