Antisocial Red Claw Crab?

[kattyish]

Hi. I'm concerned about my red claw crab. It hasn't eaten anything in a couple of days and barely comes out of hiding. I have no idea whether this is normal or not or if something is wrong.

I currently have her (I think it's a her!) in a 2.5 gal tank by herself and the temperature is at around 78 degrees. I feed her bloodworm, peas, and corn. The water in the tank is brackish and the tank is set up so there is a slope and one side is above water and the other side is below.

My crab never comes out of the cave I made for her out of rocks. Is it possible the she's molting? How do I tell if she is and how long does it usually take? Are they normally this shy? Is there anything I can do to make her more social? Thanks!

 

[Kashta]

How long have you had the crab, kattyish? This behavior is normal for a few days (a week or less usually) just before a crab molts and for a little while after it's put in a new environment. You'll find out soon if he/she is molting. If that doesn't happen within just a few days and you've had him/her for some time already.. then I would wonder about other things at that point.

 

[kattyish]

Hi! Thanks for the quick reply! I've had my crab for maybe 2 or 3 weeks now. I did take one of the ornaments out of the tank recently because I think it started molding though! Could this have anything to do with it? I have done a water change since then. What are the other things you have in mind?

 

[Kashta]

Two or three weeks really isn't that long. He's probably still getting adjusted and recuperating from being jossled around so much at the pet store. Your tank/water conditions, alone, are going to be different from what he's used to. And if you've moved something around in there, that's enough for him to go back into hiding for a few days.

Red claws (I guess all crabs, actually) tend to get cantankerous anyway... which is really cute to see because they're so little. lol. Give him another week or so to settle in. After that, he should start to explore his surroundings, again.. especially when he goes looking for food.

For food ideas, be sure to offer him choices high in calcium. That helps him when molting.. needed most when building his new exoskeleton. Some blanched/steamed veggies like broccoli, dark greens, squash, zucchini in small quantities - also lean protein sources like pieces of krill, shrimp, fish, and shrimp pellets are good in addition to the bloodworms.

Another thing I found out about them is it's very common for them to molt very soon after we buy them and bring them home. Since they've been in transit so long and under a lot of stress in the store tanks.. they hold off molting for as long as possible. So this is to be expected.. I wouldn't worry about it at this point.

Keep watching and let us know what he does. Good luck!

 

[kattyish]

Thanks so much! That's so helpful. I really appreciate it! I will definitely do that and keep everything you said in mind. They definitely are cute little guys!