If your hermit crab hasn’t been eating or drinking, you might be confused and worried on why this is happening. In this post, you will find the main causes of why hermit crab is not eating or drinking and what you can do about it.
The main reasons for a hermit crab not eating include stress, molting, illness, relocation. Other possible causes of appetite loss and not eating include lack of heating, humidity or substrate in the tank.
Reason 1: You have just got your hermit crab
If you have just got your hermit crabs and brought them home, they will need time to adjust to their new home. Please be patient, as it’s stressful to them. During this time, keep offering foods daily, but don’t disturb your hermit crabs when unnecessary.
When you just bring your hermit crab home, make sure not to place it in the main tank, especially if there are other hermit crabs there. You will need to keep it in a separate quarantine tank for around 3-4 weeks. This is to make sure that your new hermit crab gets used to new surroundings and is clear of mites.
Soak your new hermit crabs at least a few times in fresh (dechlorinated) water to make sure any mites are removed. This will also help it smell similar to other crabs, not causing any bullying when introduced to current main tank inhabitants.
Keep your new hermit crabs in an isolation tank, while they are making the transition. You can use 3-10 gallon plastic terrariums or kritter keepers like this one. Depending on how many hermit crabs you will be getting initially, you might need a bigger space. If you are unsure about optimal tank sizes for hermit crabs, please see this guideline.
Reason 2: Lack or insufficient amount of substrate
Hermit crabs require lots of substrate in the tank, so they can comfortably dig and burrow. Deep enough substrate is also crucial for molting hermit crabs. So, if you use wrong substrate type of don’t have enough substrate in the tank, your hermit crabs will get seriously stressed and sick.
If your hermit crabs are small, 5 inches (12.7 cm) of substrate is sufficient. For larger crabs, you will need more substrate – around 8-10″ (20-25 cm) deep. As a general rule, substrate depth should be 3x greater than size of hermit crabs.
What you use for substrate is also important. Some substrates are not good for hermit crabs, as they don’t allow digging. Some woods are also toxic, so be aware of that. Make sure you don’t use gravel, pebbles, rocks, or anything else that can scratch your hermit crabs. The best substrate for hermit crabs is a mix 5 parts sand and 1 part of coco fiber, like this.
Reason 3: Your tank is not warm enough
If your hermit crabs’ tank is not warm enough, it will cause problems with digestion and appetite. Hermit crabs can’t survive in cool or cold conditions. With time, they will eat less and become sickly. Make sure that temperatures in the hermit crab tank reach 80-82 degrees F (26.6-27.7 C) and humidity – 75-80%. Temperatures must not go lower than 72 F (22.2 C), and never above 85 F (29.4 C).
If your room is not warm enough for hermit crabs, make sure to heat the tank using heating elements, such as bulbs. There are many different options, depending on whether you want to heat and light the tank, or just heat/light it. You can find a full lighting and heating guide in this post (new tab).
Reason 4: You don’t notice your hermit crabs eating
Because hermit crabs don’t eat much food daily, many owners in the beginning think that they are not eating. An average hermit crab eats around 10-15 grams of food (a tablespoon). With so little food that they eat, you might not notice that the food is missing. Also, hermit crabs start getting active at night, so you might also be sleeping when they eat their food.
Next time, take a note if any food is missing. If you really wish to see if your hermit crabs have eaten, you can install a camera near their tank. This way, you will be able to check if they ate when you were not watching. You can also flatten the substrate near their food dish, and look to see if you can see any tracks the next day.
Reason 5: Your hermit crab is molting
If your hermit crab is not eating or drinking, it might be molting. During molting, hermit crabs get under the substrate and don’t eat or drink until they are finished with it. Please do not disturb your hermit crabs during molting, because it can lead to stress and even death. They are aware of it, so they eat and drink more just before they start molting.
Reason 6: Your tank is not humid enough
Another important factor for a well-being of hermit crabs is humidity in the tank. If their tank is not humid enough, they won’t be able to breathe properly through their modified gills. This will greatly affect their appetite as well and might even lead to death. Make sure that humidity in your hermit crabs’ tank is 75-80%.
If heating is seriously drying out the air in their tank, you can use a bubbler or a humidifier. Make sure to use a hygrometer like this one to monitor humidity levels in the tank. Don’t use wire caging for hermit crabs – or any other tank that doesn’t hold moisture properly. Glass tanks often work great for hermit crabs; plastic ones might also work.
Reason 7: Hermit crabs are rather picky
Believe it or not, hermit crabs are rather picky with their food! While hermit crab’s appetite will depend on many factors, including temperature and molting cycle, they like a variety. In general, hermit crabs don’t like eating same foods more than once or twice consecutively. What is more, they might like to eat something one day, and then dislike it the next day.
Reason 8: Stress or sickness
Hermit crabs are quite hardy and often cope well with injuries and sickness. However, even if they cope well with sickness, it might cause them to stop eating while they are healing. For example, your axolotl might stop eating because of a physical injury while moving too fast around the tank.
Axolotls can easily injure their tails or gills or even lose a limb. If you suspect injury, look at your axolotl from all sides, and check for any injury or even fungal growth (fluff) around the body. An injured axolotl won’t move around too much, but will heal if all the conditions are optimal.
What is more, you need to make sure that the water quality in the tank is optimal. If you can see your axolotls appearing sulky or dull, not wanting to eat, then it might be caused by poor water quality. You can start by checking nitrite, nitrate and ammonia another parameters levels in the tank