Why is my hermit crab not active?

Question

My hermit crab is not very active in the day, I know they're nocturnal but I want to play with him in the day but whenever i go by him he crawls back in his shell. I want him to come out in my hand and like walk on it and idc about pinching and the humidity is great and the heat is 78 degrees fahrenheit which is great, he eats his food but I'm not sure about drinking but anyways how could I get him to come out, Thanks.

Answer 1

i know i have two and they do not move! i think mine are dead!

Answer 2

There's a couple ways. I used to rock my hand gently back and forth to get my hermit crab out of his shell. It worked very well. Just place the shell in your hand and gently rock. It might be his fear of falling that brings him out, but I never got pinched doing it.

Placing the shell upside down usually works, but he'll go back in when you go to pick him up.

The more aggressive strategy is to place him in cool water upside down. He'll have to come out to breathe. :D Just make sure you don't cook the little guy! Cool but not cold water. Room temperature is best. You can also hold his shell upside down in your hand and run cool tap water on him... he'll get up quite fast!

Answer 3

Well you could try many of the things

1. Dip him in his water dish, he should come out and play.

2. Make sure the heat and humidity is well (we got that)

3. Create a colony, add 5 more hermit crabs to your tank if it is a 10 gallon, up to 12 small ones if it is 20 gallon, if you have a plastic Kritter Keeper than your in trouble.

4. Give him things to do, shells, things to climb on, plants etc. If there is nothing in the tank than he will be bored.

5. Change the layout of the tank often, crabs love to explore new set ups and will gradually become more active.

6. You may just have a shy crab.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Yeah, put him in a dish of treated water and give him a bath.  All of mine became extremely active when I did that.