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Hermit crabs dig holes for several reasons. They will dig down under the substrate to help regulate their body temperature as they are cold blooded animals and depend on their environment to help them regulate. Without a temperature variance so that they can cool down or warm up when they need to, eventually the hermit crabs will sicken and die.

In captivity, they will often dig holes and stay under the surface for upwards of two weeks as they need to de-stress from the awful experience they have just had of being harvested, thrown into a bag with hundreds of other crabs, thrown into a container and shipped to a pet store where conditions most likely were not ideal or healthy for hermit crabs (lacking humidity or warm temperatures and even water).

They are extremely stressed after this and can easily die as a result, and should therefore not be handled or disturbed, other than changing food and waters (ocean salt water and dechlorinated fresh), for the first two weeks after they come to your home.

When it is close to time for the crab to molt, he may also begin exhibiting digging behavior. He may dig down and stay down for several days, but when it is time for him to molt he may stay under the substrate for several weeks to several months.

You should never, ever dig up a buried crab. As they could very well be molting, digging up your crab during this delicate time can kill him.

Some crabs will just dig because they appear to be bored. Equadorian hermit crabs are quite active, and will dig for what seems to be "just for fun".

Purple Pincer hermit crabs are more sedate, and usually when they dig it is to destress or to molt.

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15y ago

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