Worried about my Moon Crabs

HolyVessel

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 6, 2019
Messages
3
Does anyone have experience with Halloween Moon crabs (Gecarcinus quadratus)? I'm a bit worried about the ones that I have. I got my first one in October and had her in a ten gallon tank with sand substrate. In November I moved her to a 40 gallon and it took her about a week to burrow. About a week after she burrowed she stopped coming out to eat. I looked through a little window she made in her burrow but didn't see a molt. Two weeks ago I got three more crabs (three more females) and introduced them into the tank so she wouldn't get lonely. Those crabs burrowed right away and they haven't come out to eat either. They covered up the windows to their burrows, but sometimes I can hear their feet skittering across the glass at night. Is it normal for them to go so long without eating? I thought that they had to eat every day. I'll post some pics of their enclosure below.
 

Arthroverts

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
2,463
Are they going into an aestivation of sorts? Has the temperature got real low lately, and thus caused them to burrow? That is all I can think of as only a crab neophyte.
Any other crabbers on these boards?

Arthroverts
 

HolyVessel

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 6, 2019
Messages
3
It has been cold recently, but I keep my apt around 75. I also have a heat pad on one side of the tank. They've never really hanged out outside if their burrows
 

The Mantis Menagerie

Arachnobaron
Joined
Aug 17, 2018
Messages
355
This is a species I want to keep, and I did some research on them a while ago. They love to burrow, and they are nocturnal. Therefore, if they have deep enough substrate, then you will not see them during the day. Molting also takes a long time, so your crab could stay burrowed for a while.
 
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