OMG help me

[nailartjess]

I have 5 hermit crabs and the majority of them for the last 2-3 weeks have been in hiding. Tocay I done part tank clean and replaced the sand which never seemed to stay dry with gravel.

Just went to check my crabs and one is sitting naked in the corner of the tank. Is this normal? Is it part of the moulting, the shells for it are in the opposite side of the tank.

Please help me asap, extremely worried.

Jess

[Hermie's rule]

He is probably very stressed. I'm not sure what his problem is but I would not have changed from sand to gravel. The crabs need to be able to dig in order to molt and destress. Also gravel cuts their abdomens and irritates them. Did you dig any crabs up? What I'd do is place the naked crab in a small confined space with plenty of shells the right size and wait to see if he'll change.

[sami]

when i first got mine, they hid for quite a while too. sometimes they burry themselves to destress. I had gravel before too and as soon as i switched to sand, they became a little (but not much) more active. you could also try to put a treat they favor in the food dishes. U could try Freeze dried shrimp, krill, or plankton if you havn't already. I wish you luck with your hermits

[alli'smommy]

The sand is not supposed to be dry, it should be moist enough that they can build caves and tunnels and not have it collapse on them. And gravel is really not a good idea. As stated above, they need to bury for many reasons and also the gravel hurts them. Switch back to sand or Eco Earth.
Also, as for the naked crab, you were given the correct advice with the small cup and lots of shells.
Good luck and keep us posted!!

[nailartjess]

thank u for all ur advice I will switching back to sand this afternoon whem I get home as I am going out. My tank is actually half sand and half grave but I'll change back to all sand. Unfortunately my crab didnt make it

I have frozen food which I feed my fish, it is a seafood mix, they seem to love that.

[Hildegarde]

Sorry about your crab. It might be a good idea if you read up a bit more on hermit crabs, as well as being in a forum. There should be some kind of care sheets on this site.

[Lightning Yoshi]

some people have said like use sand not gravel, i recomend having atleast 5 inches, and how many gallons does it hold?

[krackersmom2]

Sorry about your crab....a naked crab is never a good sign. They tend to go naked hen something is terribly wrong with their shell or tank conditions. Switch back to all sand ASAP. It should purposefully be "sand castle" consistency, not dry.

[Hildegarde]

Originally Posted by i_love_hermit_crabs

some people have said like use sand not gravel, i recomend having atleast 5 inches, and how many gallons does it hold?

I'm afraid that, once again, I'm not able to understand what you are trying to say.

First of all, no knowledgeable crabber would state a maxim of 5 inches. The substrate should be at least 2 times the size of your largest crab. If you have a tankful in teenies, 3 inches may be fine; if you have a tank full of jumbos, 10 inches may not be enough substrate.

What does "how many gallons does it hold?" mean? How many gallons of what does what hold? If you could be a bit clearer with your questions, we most likely would be able to answer them.

[HERMEZ]

I agree with Hilde- please be more clear when asking a question so we can properly help you- THANKS