Isolated one aggressive crab from another - can I put them together again?

[grumpygiblin]

I’ve had my two boys for about 10 months now, and I only recently experienced some almost lethal physical aggression between the two. Clarence, my little “terrorist” as I call him, is currently in “crabby jail” for his most recent offense.

About a month ago, I had a mite infestation in my crabitat, so I was planning a day where I took care of all the decor, shells, substrate, toys, etc. to be cleaned & disinfected to made sure all the mites were removed. I started by removing Clarence and then proceeded to look for my other crab, Artie. Artie had been burrowed for some time now and had also lost a few limbs. I had an inkling that Clarence had been bullying him for some time now, and that was the main cause of him being burrowed for that long. I put them in a container together, which I had done previously without any issues. I turn my back for a few seconds, and when I returned to the container they were in, Artie had been completely removed from his shell. I had pried Clarence off of Artie a few moments before, but thought nothing of it. I instantly took Clarence to another container to avoid further conflict. I’ve since had them in separate enclosures.

My question is, will I ever be able to bring them together again?
I had a theory - but correct me if this is wrong - that if I adopted another pair of crabs, that maybe they could all be contained together without as much issue. But I’d love to hear any suggestions or feedback.

Thanks!

[aussieJJDude]

Usually, this is a result of shell "envy", which means the shells you're offering, the crabs either aren't interested or the wrong types are being offered. Review the shell species you have, and see if it is appropriate for your species - eg, the shell types they usually go for. Ordering more of the same species as Artie's shell may help reduce the aggression, since your aggressor has ample choices without confronting another crab.