Hermit crabs are nocturnal. They are active during the night and sleep during the day. Usually, hermit crabs sleep for 6-8 hours, like a human sleeping cycle. But as they are nocturnal they sleep during the day and become active at night. It’s not fully true they sleep like a human.
Though they sleep 6-8 hours during the day, in the daytime, the hours they do not sleep, they become lethargic and reduce their activity which may look like hermit crabs are sleeping. The duration of rest or reduced activity can vary among individual hermit crabs and may be influenced by factors such as the environment, temperature, and food availability.
The exact sleeping hours may not match your crabs, some can sleep for 10 hours, and some can sleep for less than 7 hours. Normally small crabs sleep around 10 hours which is more than older crabs.
The sleeping cycle can be changed a hermit crab may become active during the day and sleep at night, or they may sleep a few hours during the day and a few hours during the night. This sleeping cycle may look normal but this is unnatural. This unnatural sleeping cycle can be influenced by an unnatural light cycle. So make sure they get 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark cycle. This will mimic their natural habitat and will make hermit crabs more active with their natural sleeping hours.
Hermit crabs become more lethargic and inactive in low temperatures. So ensure they have their required temperature (75 to 85 degrees).
In a captive environment, getting all of the care they need, they still can lose their natural nocturnal instinct. [Nothing to worry about it]
[Hermit crabs sleep during the day hiding themselves burying in the sand because of predators, especially birds. Because most of the predators are diurnal that’s why they evolved being nocturnal]
What do sleeping hermit crabs look like?
Hermit crabs withdraw their whole appearance into the shell including their eyes, covering the opening of the shell with their large claw to secure themselves. They can still be aware of what is going on outside with their antennae. If the circumstances feel dangerous they wake up and make the decision.
[You can test this by placing your hand near a sleeping crab]
Sometimes without seeing the opening, it may look like it’s only a shell.
In some cases, if hermit crabs feel secure enough, which is in a captive environment, they can leave the shell and sleep outside.
How do you wake up a sleeping hermit crab?
There are a few ways to wake up a hermit crab. You have to figure out which fits your crab the most.
- Tapping gently- Tap gently on the side of the shell or you can pick the crab by shell and place it upside down on the palm of your hand and rub gently on the claw with your finger. This will make the crab curious and see what’s going on. If the crab is scared and tries to pinch, you should place him again in the enclosure.
- Spraying water- You must have a mister to moisten the enclosure. Take the mister pour dechlorinated water and spray on the crab. Two or three squirt is enough to wake up the crab.
- Adjusting light- The trick is, that you can turn off the light, this will make them feel it is night and their instinct will say “Hey! It’s time to wake up”. This trick works but don’t overdo this.
- Placing another awake crab- If the crab is lethargic and sleeping for a long period of time, you can place another active crab near it. This will encourage the crab to become active and play around.
- Making soft noise- Make a gentle, non-startling noise near the crab’s enclosure. This could be a soft tapping sound or a quiet voice.
Do hermit crabs sleep a lot?
Hermit crabs don’t sleep a lot, they sleep the amount they need (6-8 hours). They sometimes may look like sleeping but they are not. They are just lying on the substrate and doing nothing.
However, be aware of an immobile hermit crab. It can indicate four things sleeping, molting, stress, and death. If you see your hermit crab sleeping for a time, it may not be sleeping it is molting.
Do hermit crabs prefer dark or light?
Hermit crabs prefer both light and dark, even they need it. 12h day and night cycle is considered the best cycle for a hermit crab, by mimicking their natural habitat. If the light cycle goes wrong their behavior can change. If you say I have to pick one dark or light, I’ll choose dark because they don’t benefit from light and always supply of light can overheat the enclosure, which can cause problems for their health.
Is my hermit crab dead or sleeping?
A dead hermit crab will smell fishy, its limbs will be hanging meaning he has no control over his body, and he will not respond to any kind of touch or movement.
On the other hand, an alive sleeping hermit crab can be awakened, will respond to touch, and will not smell.
We have a post on how you can know if a hermit crab is dead, check it out.
Is it normal for hermit crabs to sleep all day?
Yes, it is normal for hermit crabs to sleep all day. Because in captivity they feel safer and secure, with no hunting and searching for food, and they have nothing to do so why don’t sleep? That’s why they make full use of nocturnal behavior by sleeping the whole day.
Why is my hermit crab awake during the day?
Sudden changes like temperature and humidity can make them uncomfortable. Frequently changing the enclosure can make them insecure and awake during the day and exposure to constant light can disrupt their internal clock.
But if they naturally become active during the day, there is no need to worry. Some hermit crabs can be diurnal. Especially in the summer most of the crabs become diurnal. Source
