Hatefull Hermit

[Foxydiva3]

I Have A Crab Named Pincher. He has always been grouchy and always pinches me hard. He has lived in the crabbitat and never really bothered any one untill I got a few strawberries. He attacks this one all the time and viciously. He hasnt bothered any of the other crabs and only this particular strawberry not the others. There is plenty of room, food, shells, water for drinking and swimming. So I seperated him for a month in his own crabbitat. today I put him back in and wouldn't you know it he walked all around the crabbitat until finding this particular crab and then jumped on him and attacked him. Any one else have this issue? I don't want to keep him in solitary forever because the Crabbitat is so large and much better for him then the iso. But I Dont want him to kill the other crab. Any suggestions? Or will he be a loner for life? I feel bad for him because he came from a really bad place and was scared hence the pinching behavior. I Have tried to get him used to being held but he doesnt like it, I THink he was super truamatized and woud hate to see him iso for the rest of his life

[Hermie's rule]

Lots of TLC and soft sweet talking will do the trick. Bathe both hermies in the same kind of water and see if that helps. It could be shell aggression. Do you have lots of empty shells about this one crabs size?

[Foxydiva3]

Thanks for the eply Hermies rule, Yes I Have a boat load of shells of all sizes and differn't shapes. Each time I Have reintroduced them I Bathe everyone together in a salt water bath. But every time they go in the same place even though I put them in at differnt points Pncher seeks out this one crab and goes to town on him. I have a 46 bow front with lots of room, hiding places and levels but this crab is really wanting a piece of this crab. I Will keep trying to gentel poor pinchy he's had a rough time being social. I have a hunch he may have killed one of my other crabs Dottie that I Found in te moss pit dismembered. I Have a lot of crabs of differnt species and sizes living together in harmony and never heard one chirp till he went after Jellybean the Straw and poor Jellybean can scream. Ill keep trying

[ladybug15057]

When you bathed them altogether, did you put them in a neutral area for introduction? Maybe even rearrange the tank a little? You may have an alpha hermie situation going on and possibly they need to get their shoving done in a neutral area under close supervision? Just make sure there is no large pincher damage done to either one...

[erikleeson]

I agree it is probably an alpha crab issue. Perhaps when the straws where introduced, they won the "antennae wars" and became the alpha crab, and then the attacker wanted revenge?

[deathbatbabe6661]

mabe he wants the shell that the strawbarry is in,mabe you could get a simmalar shell and he could change into it,and things could be good.mabe its a tarritorial thing,who knows.mabe you could get another crab and a bigger tank,have two seperat tanks,so he wont be ISO i really dont know ive never had this.