Should I get another crab?

[Xtina223]

Hi there

I'm new to the forum, but have had my hermit crab Lance for about 8 years now.

To make a long story short, he was one of three crabs that my sister originally owned. Sadly she wasn't the best at caring for them so after one of them died I volunteered to adopt the remaining two. I got them into a nicely set up 15 gallon tank but sadly one did not make it and died shortly after, so Lance was the lone survivor.

My question is about getting him some company. I tried a couple of years ago to get him a friend and it went terribly wrong. After starting out ok they got in a huge fight and the new crab would not stop bullying Lance, trying to steal his shell (despite me having plenty of other shells in the tank). I returned him to the pet store the next day

But I know that crabs aren't supposed to live alone, and I feel bad. Should I try again? Lance is quite large and right now has a 15 gallon tank to himself. Most of the crabs I see in pet stores are small, would that work as a pairing or would he potentially hurt a smaller crab? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[RiNiKy506]

Hermit crabs of different sizes usually do good together because there is no shell competition. Maybe try a smaller one since the one his size bullied him. I think I’ve read of here that some crabs do ok alone if they’ve been alone for awhile, even though they are normally better in groups. Since he was not the aggressor I would think it should be ok if you tried a smaller one. Dip your new crab in water to wash off the different smell that could make Lance think it is a threat to him.


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[ROSIEonFIRE]

Good point about the size differential! I'm also wondering, what kind if shells do you have? Sounds like you did your hw but not all shells are suitable for hermit crabs?