Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am a new hermit crab owner. About one month ago I purchased two hermit crabs named promethius and ophelia which are both between the size of a golf ball and a tennis ball. The shop took very good care of its crabs. About one week ago I decided to get another crab named gracie that is about the size of a quarter from a local petsmart that doesnt take very good care of their hermit crabs at all. I really didnt know what molting was and i didnt even know that hermit crabs molted until i read hermit-crabs.com and the crabbage patch website lol! I read all of the proper conditions for molting and immediately changed my crabitat. All the crabs are being kept in separate containers with 6 inches of moist sand in dark, warm, and quiet environments. Gracie took to the sand right away and dove all the way down. But promethius and ophelia are just sitting on top. I know they need to molt because they are lethargic, have ashy exoskeletons, and a molt bubble under their stomach. i tried to dig a small hole for them and place each crab in their hole to see if it would stimulate digging but it didnt. i dont know what to do. i hope they are not trying to surface molt because i think they would be too large for that. should i dig a cave for them?? or just leave them alone? i need some help please respond.

Ok, first off, there is no need to separate the hermies in plastic containers. Hermit crabs need to be in a tank where there is stable humidity and temperature. They are also social and enjoy company.

Second, larger crabs molt less often than smaller crabs. Don't wait on them to molt, because they may only molt once or twice a year.

Please do a bit more research, check out hermitcrabassiciation.com for a lot of info.