HCA: Hermit Crab Association

My crab Bingo has been under for eight months, and Charlotte was under for a few of those months. They are my only crabs.

It seems like Charlotte is a little lonely without bingo there. When they were both up, they would sit together and play together.

I was wondering if I should get another crab, so that Charlotte isn’t lonely, and three crabs are better than two.

Any thoughts?

Btw bingo is a large crab, so that is why he has been under for so long.

Charlotte is slightly smaller than bingo

What's your current tank size?

20 gallon... if I were to get another crab I would definitely upgrade. At least to 29 gallon, but probably more

The more the merrier!

No, do not add another crab because one is down molting. That is a recipe to get that molting crab cannibalized. The first thing a new crab often does is dig down; if it encounters a vulnerable molter, that is a very valuable free meal for them.

I am convinced that my two are well aware that the other is still there when one is molting. The one that is up will often hang out on the substrate above where the other went down. So I don't think they are "lonely," like a human would be. Further, they clearly do not experience time or "boredom" the way we do--hermit crabs that live any length of time are well used to spending months and even years basically sitting still, alone, in a dark burrow--not having someone to physically be right next to, is thus not a trial for them the same way it would be for us.

I think, in captivity, that a pair is a good number. It minimizes complications, requirements, and expenses. The longest-lived crabs in captivity (so far) were Carol Ormes' pair, who lived over 30 years. Remember that any time you add even one crab, you multiply the potential interactions, and thus the potential problems. You also need to multiply the volume of your substrate and the number of extra shells, etc., to minimize problems. Yes, many long-term crabbers here have large colonies, but that takes a great deal of time, effort, devotion, and expense. Should they survive with you to grow to their full size, how many softball-sized crabs do you really want to be caring for, 20 years from now?

Thanks everyone for your advice, I’m going to think about it for a couple more weeks...

I have only ever had two crabs, so over the past ten+ years, there have been many times when there is only one above ground. They are fine alone. We project our feelings onto them, thinking they would be lonely when only one is up.

Ok thanks y’all for the help