New Hermit Crab Member!!

[hermiecrabber]

Hi guys!! I'm somewhat new to the HCA, but I just want to share some exciting news! Last week I got another hermit crab, named him Captain Hook. He is a lot larger than my other crab so I put them in separate tanks to avoid any possible aggression or fighting. I'll most likely be getting another large crab to accompany him. Still looking for a couple more E's to accompany my little Hermie. Still upgrading their tanks whenever possible, I'm looking forward to the day I can get a 70 gal for them. Does anyone have any tips to share regarding food and what your crabs enjoy?

[Hermiecrab]

Hello, welcome! Congrats on the crab! My crabs tend to enjoy coconut, chia seeds and they go crazy over strawberries and grapes. By the way, different sizes of crabs are usually fine together, often they are actually less aggressive because they don't see each other as threats. I keep a one and a half inch shell size crab and a half inch crab together, and they do just fine, and are often in the same coco hut together.

Of course, it all depends. People will keep different species, sizes and shapes together, but some crabs are just plain grumpy and territorial. Just experiment! Good luck!

[hermiecrabber]

Hello, welcome! Congrats on the crab! My crabs tend to enjoy coconut, chia seeds and they go crazy over strawberries and grapes. By the way, different sizes of crabs are usually fine together, often they are actually less aggressive because they don't see each other as threats. I keep a one and a half inch shell size crab and a half inch crab together, and they do just fine, and are often in the same coco hut together.

Of course, it all depends. People will keep different species, sizes and shapes together, but some crabs are just plain grumpy and territorial. Just experiment! Good luck!

Thanks a bunch for the input! I definitely have been wanting to introduce coconut and chia to my crabs. I've found my new crab is slightly more picky with foods, so I'm still going through the learning process of what he loves and doesn't. How do you serve the coconut to your crabs? Is it shredded pieces? And would you recommend sun-dried shrimp for hermit crabs?
I've read that several people agree that different sizes of crabs are typically good together, I just really didn't want to take the risk of Hermie getting ripped apart by Hook. Hermie came to Kentucky all the way from North or South Carolina and has been an absolute trooper. I know I may be thinking extremely, but I love that little dude so much, I just want to keep him as safe as possible. I may try introducing them in sessions and see how it goes though. However I have no clue how to safely advert a crab fight if things were to go wrong. I would say Hermie has a 1.5 inch shell at least, and Hook probably has a 2.5 shell or larger.

[curlysister]

I don't give my crabs a chance to be picky. I put in a variety of foods, they can eat what they want and leave what they don't. It is important to offer a variety, including protein and calcium daily.

[Hermiecrab]

The coconut I serve is usually shredded ; ) sorry im a little late to answer.