HCA: Hermit Crab Association

read this article, very interesting!http://www.smithsonianmag.com/...ad-180951204/?no-ist

you'd think that any creature would be more scared than excited when seeing or smelling the dead of any creature lol. also they are pretty smart to know feel something for their own species, more feeling of this is wrong. same for humans, we wouldn't care as much about doing this to another creature, but to others humans we would think it wrong.

Those of us who have had hermitcrabs for 5+ years quickly learn that these little critters are quick to eat their tank mates if they are not being fed a proper diet they turn on each other to rectify the lack if nutrition that they are receiving or if a newly molted hermitcrab is discovered it will become a quick and easy meal because the smell that new molters put off triggers the other crabs to cannibalism.I've seen fresh molters attacked and consumed by hungry tank mates in store enclosures and in private home tanks alike and its not a pretty sight.You can all but remove the risk of your hermitcrabs turning on each other by making sure that the tank is not overcrowded(overcrowded conditions is another trigger), making sure that fresh food and water is always available and that the food is constantly switched out with other kinds of food to keep the crabs interested in eating and to keep them nutritionally sound.A hermitcrab who is lacking in a certain nutrient will quickly resolve the issue on its own by attempting to eat or successfully eating one or more of its tank mates.Keeping plenty of extra properly fitting shells laying about and having lots of spaces for them to hide in and climb around will also lower the risk of having them turn on each other.