Why did one of my hermit crabs yank another of my crabs out of its shell? ?

Question

First off, the crab that did this changed his shell last week finally! anyways today I went to feed them and I lifted the hut! I found the crab that just change have one of my other crabs shells and my other crab was running around naked. The crab that got my other crab out of his shell was not changing into it he was just holding it my crab that has no shell right now will not go into a shell not even his own which the other crab disregarded. Why did they do this andwhat should I do?

Note: The one who pulled the other crab out, changed less than a week ago.

Answer 1

Shell envy?  Your naked crab is probably scared to death that he will be yanked out of any shell he tries to occupy.  Can you separate them?  At least for a while.

Answer 2

He was car jacking him

Answer 3

maybe the c**p was afraid of its shell and the other aided it. but wat it seems to me is like one of hte craps was bullying the other xP

Answer 4

His shell had the bigger bathroom?

Answer 5

Sounds like a shell fight-- the one coveted the other's shell. You should make sure you have enough spares for everyone, in varying sizes. I suggest putting at least four four spare shells in the tank per crab. Get some that are a little too big, a little too small, and some that are the same size. Also vary shell opening shapes. Some hermit crabs prefer shells with a slot-shaped or D-shaped opening (examples: nerites, babylonias, conches). Others prefer shells with a round, O-shaped opening (examples: turbos, picas, murexes).

You also want to make sure that you're feeding your hermit crabs a source of protein and a source of calcium daily; if they are missing either element, they will turn cannibalistic to make up for their deficient diet. A good source of calcium is a cuttlebone, found in the bird supply section of a pet store; this is a white oval-shaped bone from a cuttlefish. Leave that in their tank at all times to munch on. Calcium's very important-- it makes their exoskeletons hard and durable. Pretty much any type of meat is a good source of protein; they especially like fish and shrimp. Make sure to feed meat either freeze-dried (freeze-dried brine shrimp, found in the fish supply section of a pet store, is a cheap and easy option) or boiled with no salt, spices or seasonings of any kind in water that has been treated with conditioner to remove the chlorine. NEVER let hermit crabs touch or drink untreated tap water, as chlorine burns their sensitive gills. Always give de-chlorinated tap water or distilled water. Water de-chlorinator is found at pet stores in the fish supply section. One little bottle will last you ages; you only need a few drops to purify each gallon.

Whatever you do, DO NOT release the aggressive crab! Be responsible and find him a new home, or keep him in a seperate habitat. That crab will never be able to survive if you leave him outside. He will suffocate in the dry outside air-- remember that land hermit crabs need a humidity of between 74% and 80% to breathe comfortably-- or freeze to death, or overheat depending on the weather in your area... even if somehow he miraculously doesn't get eaten or starve or die of thirst, not to mention pesticide exposure! It would be very cruel to put him "back in the wild" even if you have the best intentions.

Answer 6

Do you have enough shells available for them? Between two hermit crabs you should have a pile of about 20 different sized shells in the tank for them to pick one they like.

Answer 7

How do hermit crabs make love?

Surely that shell gets in the way?

Do you, perhaps, have a randy crab?

(randy • adjective (randier, randiest) informal, chiefly Brit. sexually aroused or excited.)

Answer 8

it must have liked that one better or just hated the other crab