Burrow openings lie flush with ground level and may be 1-18 cm in width. Burrows descend, first gradually, then more steeply, to the water table where a small pool of 1-2 liters of water is maintained. This water may be either fresh or salt water, depending upon location. Generally only a single individual occupies a burrow. Males tend to be more territorial than females and will defend burrows and small surrounding territories.
Agonistic behavior accounts for the spacing of burrows in populations.
Burrow disputes, along with intense competition for optimum shoreline burrows, may be the force which drives terrestrial crabs to migrate further inland. Activity in this species is decreased by high daytime temperatures. In shoreline habitats, it most commonly is observed with fiddler crab species. Harvesters of wild populations in Venezuela have reported that as many as 400 crabs per harvester per night can be collected even during the months of lowest catch. This figure increases as migration periods approach.