Blocking the food bowl?

[noddiemarie]

Hello! I have 4 hermits crabs all with distinct personalities. We have one from a boardwalk shop and he is definitely the boss of the tank. I notice when I feed them, Sheldon (the boss) will come out of hiding, sit by the food and stare at the rest of them as if daring them to approach the food. He just sits and waits. Is he possibly blocking his tank mates from the food? I don’t get to see much after that since it’s usually too late for me to stay up and observe. I usually put out several dishes with a variety of food so there is plenty for all of them. Is this common behavior from the alpha crab and should I be concerned about him getting aggressive? I’ve been a crab parent for about 7 months and haven’t had any problems with them fighting over shells or food. Just wondering if this is typical behavior! Thanks!


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[hermitsrus1966]

Hello! I have 4 hermits crabs all with distinct personalities. We have one from a boardwalk shop and he is definitely the boss of the tank. I notice when I feed them, Sheldon (the boss) will come out of hiding, sit by the food and stare at the rest of them as if daring them to approach the food. He just sits and waits. Is he possibly blocking his tank mates from the food? I don’t get to see much after that since it’s usually too late for me to stay up and observe. I usually put out several dishes with a variety of food so there is plenty for all of them. Is this common behavior from the alpha crab and should I be concerned about him getting aggressive? I’ve been a crab parent for about 7 months and haven’t had any problems with them fighting over shells or food. Just wondering if this is typical behavior! Thanks!


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He might be trying to claim the food dish. I would make sure to keep more than one food dish in the tank. I have had my crabs for over 4 years now and I still see similar behavior. I have 9 hermit crabs in a 90 gallon and every now and then one of the crabs will try to claim the food dish and chase the others away. That is why I have between 3 and 5 food dishes in my tank at all times. I can't say anything about aggression, as my crabs rarely exhibit this behavior. In fact most of the time I can have a good 2-5 crabs all together pigging out in a single dish without issue. Personally, I wouldn't worry about aggression as long is there is no open pinchers or actual fighting, but I would watch it if he is doing it consistently. Hopefully someone with more experience can give more insight on the matter.