Can I keep different species of hermit crabs in the same tank?

Question

Hi, I was just wondering-can i keep different species of hermit crabs in the same 30 gallon tank?

currently, i have four hermit crabs (they are Carribean crabs (PP's) , and was wondering if i could buy two eucadorian hermies and putting them in the bunch too.

Answer 1

yes,you can put 2 different species together. if they fight you may need to seperate them from eachother for about 1 week then put them back in.

Answer 2

Eucadorian, or E's can live together in the same tank as your Purple Pinchers.  Whatever species crab you get, make sure they're land hermits -- the same as your PPs.  You would not be able to combine marine crabs with land crabs because of the large difference in care.  I would, however, make sure they are similar in size

http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com has a nice FAQ on E's and PP's and other crabs of interest for specific care.  I believe E's require a little more salt water than PP's.  That site is also a great reference point for crab care by experienced crab owners.

I would isolate your E's at first and then introduce them to the main tank.  This way you can slowly bring the temperature / humidity up from the store's conditions to your tank conditions.  Watch how they interact with each other as well.  It's been said that you could bathe the PPs and E's together at first to remove any existing smells that the crab has so they all start over with a neutral smell.  However, this may not be necessary, and I have not had experience bathing crabs myself.  If you wish to bathe them, the site quoted also has an FAQ about that.