HCA: Hermit Crab Association

this going back to when the I had 2 crabs picking on one crab and it was all the sudden, and there was suggestion of that maybe the two crabs have bonded and didn't like this crab now, and I needed to get him in a tank by itself and then get a buddy for it, then maybe it was mating season, maybe I had boys and a girl? well I did look on the other 2, I didn't see any spots so I figure they are boys, the other crab wouldn't let me look. well a molter came up, so I gave it a bath and stuck it in the tank so it would have a buddy, well so called female went up and started attacking the crab! flipping it over, looked like it wanted to rip it from it's shell, there was chirping, then it left, then came back a few min later. after 10 min I got the crab and put it back in the main tank. now I'm keeping my eye out to make sure the other crabs don't attack it either. well I'm at my whits end, in 5 years I have never had this happen, do I wait til the end of july and see if miss crab gets her attitude in check after mating season is over and see if the males will leave her alone and she gets her act together to or just leave her crab butt is iso by herself with a mirror on the outside of a tank for company? a trick for a fake crab! I don't have shells that fit now and having a hard time finding 1 5/8 and 1 7/8 plain jane turbos the tapestry type.

Tapestry turbos won't grow that large, they max out at about 1.25 inch openings - you have to move up to jade and camo turbos to be able to get one that size. Fox and tulip shells might cost less and come in the same sizes, and they will sometimes be worn by larger crabs that have no other option.

It really does sound like they're after the shells rather than crabs at this point. I really think you either need to separate them out until you can get more shells for them, or order more shells now or they could very well hurt or kill each other out of desperation.

I wouldn't use a mirror - if they're anything like fish the reflections actually cause a whole lot more (danger-level) stress than a real one would. They don't know that it's a reflection, but they do know that the "other" animal isn't responding the way it should and scares them completely.

I can't answer on the one thing about the fighting...But with one of my crabs. I had a screen saver of a giant hermit crab on my computer. It nearly scared one of my hermits half to death when he noticed it form his tank. Ran clear across the tank and dug down a bit...was comical until I realized this could have stressed him to the point of loosing limbs. Luckily he came back up with nothing missing. Ever since I keep only woodland backdrops on my computer.

I didn't know hermits are frightened of pictures of other hermits.

I wish I could help with this. I have a crab that seemed happier alone. He is very unconfrontationl and so I think his new buddy tried to take advantage of that. Perhaps it's a similar situation. I watched them closely. When I thought a fight was going to happen I separated them. They seem ok now, but I'm still watching closely. Maybe your hermit is similar to mine.

I'd also get more shells.

jade and camo it is I guess grrrr... I have put others in there and they have snubbed there noses at them, or just try camo cause I have jade for crabby paddy and he won't change but maybe he is comfy in his shell. the other crab is fine in the main tank, no one is bothering him so he must must be a he? I'm not going to look, he shuts up to. I just want to go and drive to quincy, il and smack my son up long side his head for buying these crabs in the first place then leaving them here. I'm glad he did though he would of never had time or looked up how to take care of them the right way , they would of still been in a 5 gal tank with open lid, sucking out of a sponge, eating fish flakes with a lith e.e.

I'm going to hate it when mine are that big.....>.< They get so EXPENSIVE when they get big.

Maybe you'll get lucky and have ones that won't move out of their too small turbos. I have about six or so that need to be in Jades and not a single one of them will ditch their Tapestries, even though they are way too small.

persnicky, gosh darn, flippery, dannabit crabs anyway!