iso or not?

[crabby1]

How common is cannibalism with the hermit crabs? Does it depend on the species? The substrate depths? Enough protein or sources of calcium? Can stress or size of enclosure cause this gross behavior. I know cannialbolism is not uncommon in the animal kingdom , but when I first started reading about hermit crabs some of the sources insisted upon isolation with any signs of a impending molt. I can't ever tell if their going to or not. I think that it would cause them more stress to move them about constantly. I just was so terrified of finding one of my little buddies ripped apart and being consumed by another one of my babes. I've heard those stories and it chills my bones. I have a 20gb with six hermits(I know, I know I have 50 gallon that I'm starting to set up. Well I had four of them go down at one time, when the small one came up the fifth one(&2nd largest went down. All four are up and doing fine , but there is a small hole near the 2nd largest one. What would you guys do? I guess it all depends upon someone's experiences,I've read about how many people ISO a new molted crab as so as they come up, and then I've read by the time that they have emerged from the substrate their enticing scent has been removed. Saltwater baths just sounds so stressful for a newly molted crab. The main thing that concerns me is the little hop near the spot where she went down. I suppose she might have moved and isn't necessarily molting where she went down. I'm basically asking for suggestions and your experiences with the whole eating each other thing and how common it is. All personal opinions based on prior experience are wanted and needed. Thanksgivings

[Crabinski]

How common is cannibalism with the hermit crabs? Does it depend on the species? The substrate depths? Enough protein or sources of calcium? Can stress or size of enclosure cause this gross behavior

I have been crabbing for 7+ years and have lost only one crab due to cannibalism while molting so, in my experience, it's not all that common. Other members have suffered more frequent unfortunate instances. Cannibalism can certainly be affected by too shallow (and too wet or too dry substrate), a diet with insufficient protein and, of course, stress. Calcium is vital for successful molts as it helps the crab form its new exo so an insufficient supply of calcium will not only affect the molter but could tempt another crab to steal the molter's old exo before he had a chance to consume it himself. The size of the crabitat is certainly a factor: overcrowding is detrimental to all aspects of a crab's life, not just molting. As to whether certain species are more prone to cannibalism is debatable; some crabbers have seen more of this behavior with Es (attacking PPs as well as other Es in a mixed tank) while others have kept mixed species with no issues whatsoever.

Re your comment that "Saltwater baths just sounds so stressful for a newly molted crab", forced baths in any type of water are never recommended for any crab, whether he's a new addition to the tank or freshly molted. If the newly molted crab has been in ISO, all he needs is a quick dip in the crabitat's FW pool, not the SW, to rid him of that tasty just-molted smell and he'll be good to go. Treat him the way you would a new crab -- just that quick FW dip to remove any "foreign" smell.

Your possibly molting crab may very well have moved from where she went down as it's quite normal for crabs to tunnel around, unseen by us, to find the optimum spot for a molting chamber. Worrying is what good crabby parents do, so you're not alone, but rest assured that most molts, undertaken in proper crabitat conditions, go just fine .

[wodesorel]

I really think it's down to individual crabs and if they themselves are cannibals or shell stealers.

Giggles (a PP) gave me headaches for years because he constantly dug up molters - didn't kill them, eat them or take their shells - just dug them up and made them naked. No other crabs in my PP colony have ever done anything like that. Never had trouble with them eating each other - aside from times I rushed disturbed molters back into the general population before they were ready to be out of ISO.

And then there was my E colony where they kept getting eaten by each other no matter how much space or how little crabs there were. 4 years I tried. I won't mention how many died. It was a slaughter. I did everything that everyone else who kept Es successfully did. I really have to believe that it was one or two crabs that were the root of the problem. Not an issue with the species or the conditions, but bad apples with a bad appetite.

It was always underground, where I never saw it or knew it was happening, aside from gut feelings a few times that led me to dig and save them. Attacks on the surface when they came up have never occurred.

[landlubber]

I never had cannibalism in my tanks (that I know of). One crab got nasty tempered when he was pre-molt and caused nasty shell fights resulting in lost limbs and naked crabs, but that is it for aggression in my tanks.

[Laurie LeAnn]

If I catch my molter up I iso..just cause I have a bully that will shred them apart. After a day or 2 I give them a bath in their reg water not salt water to get the smell off them that makes them so YUMMY to the TUMMY ..Lol..