Hermit Crabs Buried For Days. If it’s something minor, the crab is likely to emerge after a few hours or days. It may take some time for your hermit crab to get comfortable enough to come out during the day, but some hermit crabs will adjust quicker than others.
Crabs are generally larger in size, so the process will take longer to complete. The harvesting and shipping of hermit crabs is a very inhumane process and the crabs suffer because of it. They know what they're doing, even if we don't.