Mehitabel has gone under

[reader101]

How long is it now? Keep in mind that even though they might not be up and "hitting the dishes", they are usually well stocked when they go under, and only priority is that they eat their own exo and have time to recharge. I've got one fella right now that is in iso for having 3 legs torn off, right beside the glass for 2 wks. now and no sign of movement. Boy, do I ever want to check him, but must let nature take its' course.

[reader101]

Not to worry. When hermies decide it's time to "hunker down", they always make sure they are prepared for it. Whether it be checking out a safe spot, stashing away food where it's close (I've caught several dragging a whole goldfish to their spot), or tanking up on water (others have taken to "spitting" (dumping shell water into the shell they choose to take or molt in), they do seem to know what they're doing. All we can do is provide the ideal environment and be patient.

[pstice]

It's been 5 weeks since mehitabel went under and just over 4 weeks since archy dug himself in. I'm getting the clear message that this could go on for some weeks more. Thanks so much for the support.

[pstice]

ARCHY HAS EMERGED!!!!!

This morning he's in a new shell and almost as big as mehitabel was when she went under. It's been 6 weeks to the day for him. I spooked him, I was so excited, so he went back under a little. I'm SOOO excited!

[Jason]

I am really happy to hear that everything went well. Waiting is sometimes the hardest part for caring for crabs. Now if they could only develop transparent sand all would be well.

Jason

[nancy]

What is it about hermit crabs? I have a 20 long with three large crabs in it and they always go down together. For about two or three months it looks like I have an empty tank. Pstice, I was wondering about the size of your crabbies. That often has something to do with the reason some crabs stay below longer than others. Are they different sizes?

[pstice]

Boy, I don't know. The two of them stayed under to molt just about the same length of time - 6 weeks or so. My mehitabel and archy both spend more time now under than on top, although they seem to go in spurts. Around thanksgiving, mehitabel spent a lot of time climbing all over the place, as if she had just discovered her new-found, post-molt strength. Then early this month, I provided new shells, and she switched into a bigger one, climbed all over the place for days, then went under. Haven't seen her for 5 days. She is a medium-large, I would have to say. about the size of the palm of my hand when she spreads out her legs. archy is about a third to half that size- small but not a micro by any means. He tried a larger version of his apple murex shell, but after a day switched back to the one he fits very snuggly. They are in a 10g tank. They usually come out when I add something new, just to explore, but mostly they like to go under. mehitabel has dug a cave under the water dish twice now. I always wait until she completely tips it over to get in there and remove her, so I can fill the cave back in, which I hate doing, because she seems to be enjoying herself so much. But I don't know what else to do when she dumps their fresh water. I find them immensely entertaining when they are on top and when I can see them digging through the glass. The winter temps here make it tough to keep the tank temperature up - I manage with a radiator and blankets to keep it around 75-78. Could they be going under to regulate their own temps?

[nancy]

It could be the time of year that keeps them down, as in a hibernation cycle. You said, I believe that Archy completed his molt first. That's because he's a smaller crab. Mehitabel will take longer to molt but will probably not molt as often as Archie. Is Mehitabel up yet? I'm waiting on Moose, who has been under for two and a half months now. Why are you filling her under the waterdish cave? My crabs have catacombs dug of which the intricacy must be judged because I can only view it from the side. If I were you I would let it be and maybe adjust the position of the water dish a little. Sorry I've been so long winded.Hope to hear an update on your situation soon.

[pstice]

Haven't seen mehitabel since before New Years. archy has come out twice to eat. And he moved into mehitabel's old shell over the weekend. so the two of them are now in shells much bigger than they've had previously and i thought maybe they are headed for another molt so they can grow into their new residences. I don't know anything at all about hibernating patterns, but i've thought of that as well - it's darned cold here and it's unusual for us. archy dug under the water dish day before yesterday and then filled it back in and headed off somewhere else. i had to move mehitabel when she dug under there because she was too big to be under there, and i couldn't keep water in the dish - she kept dumping it out by making her cave bigger in diameter than the water dish so it would collapse on top of her. archy's a much better size for digging under the water dish. now if i could get them settled long enough where i actually knew where they are, i'd set up a bigger tank for them, but i can't get them to stay visible and i don't want to disturb them if there's a chance somebody's working on another molt. I wish I knew all the answers, but these guys just aren't talking to me. Do you get the sense they enjoy yanking our chains?

[nancy]

Any news from Mehitabel? I know how hard it is trying to wait. You have plans for a nice new tank or a deep tank cleaning when one of them always goes down. They do it without warning and they sure don't tell you their plans. We need to develop some hermit crab telepathy. Your crabs are missing out on a bigger tank. Who can figure?