does my crab need a friend?

[crabish]

i have a crab named fancy, we've had him for 4 years. he's had friends before but he kept killing them so we didn't get any more. he's been alone for 2-3 years now. i decided to search if he needed one and some say yes but some say it might not be worth it? he's fine, he's not sick or anything and he runs around a lot and likes playing on the bed. should i get him a new crab friend? thanks in advance

[HermitofHermitCrabs]

What size tank do you have this crab in? If it's a 20G or larger I would suggest at 2-3 additional crabs. Let them run around in a bowl together filled with about a 1/2" of appropriate water. That way when you put them back in the tank they will all the smell the same and decrease the chance of any aggression.

[crabish]

i have a 10 gallon tank, and thank you for the suggestion! my mom said we could get 1 more so i'll try that

[HermitofHermitCrabs]

Yep, try that and report back.

[JoeHermits]

Another thing to keep in mind, though, is that many of the longest lived crabs in captivity were single or in pairs. It’s not the end of the world if tankmates don’t work out.


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[curlysister]

I agree with Joe, it's not always possible to have multiple crabs. There have been reports of crabs that just wouldn't accept a tank mate. If he's been alone for a number of years and is happy and healthy, it's kind of up to you whether you want to try another or not.

If you do decide to add a friend, a quick dip for each in the fresh water is enough to have them smell the same; I've never heard of putting them in a half inch of water, which could be too deep if they are small crabs.

[HermitofHermitCrabs]

I agree with Joe, it's not always possible to have multiple crabs. There have been reports of crabs that just wouldn't accept a tank mate. If he's been alone for a number of years and is happy and healthy, it's kind of up to you whether you want to try another or not.

If you do decide to add a friend, a quick dip for each in the fresh water is enough to have them smell the same; I've never heard of putting them in a half inch of water, which could be too deep if they are small crabs.

Yeah, I did that for years. I put them all in a bowl or small tub of about 1/2” of water and let them run around for about 20-30 minutes. It always worked for me.