shrimp

[suckafreesather]

i decided i needed to feed the hermit crabs some protiene so i feed them some shrimp and as i put it in there they freaked out and had a feeler fight that i was worrid that it would get agressive so i gave them some time out side the tank please tell me what happend

[CrabbyJo]

Don't worry about feeler fights. They are fine, and they are the crab's way of asserting dominance and of communicating. Was there enough shrimp that everyone could grab their own piece? Even if there was, they may not have realized this because chances are all the crabs see is food, not how much is there.

I would suggest you let them have their feeler fights, and sometimes one will even knock another around. If you see one climb on another aggressively (sometimes they ride each other's shells and it's not really an aggressive looking activity) and grab at the other with his big pincer, then I would suggest separating them to cool down for a little bit.

Sounds like they really do want some shrimp! Did you leave the tails on? That's their favorite part.

[suckafreesather]

actually there was enough for both of the because i took one piece of salad shrimp and cot it in half and then one of them ran to the corner and the other one chased him they like freaked out when i put the shrimp in i think mabey they thought it was a hermit crab that i was trying to feed to them? it was just so unusual

[CrabbyJo]

It sounds more like it was a food they were very glad to get because maybe they'd been needing that type of food (protein, chitin) for a long time, and the one crab chased the other because he wanted some too, but didn't see there was more there.

I would cut it into more pieces than just two, and if you can talk mom or dad into buying some whole, raw shrimp from the meat case at the grocery store (it will cost less than a dollar) and ask mom to steam it for you (no seasoning) with the shell and tail still on, then you can chop it up and put it into a baggie and keep it in the freezer so you can put a few chunks in every few days.
Remember to change their food out daily, and also remember that they don't like to eat the same thing two days in a row. They won't touch it even if they are hungry. So give them a good variety.

[suckafreesather]

hmm but the thing is i pulled out on of my hermit crabs and put them infront of the food bowl and the secound he saw it he went running around and didnt even eat any of it and then the other one came out jumped in the bowl didnt eat the food (but he was definately smeeling it) and chased after the other one?

[CrabbyJo]

I'm sure it probably had nothing to do with the shrimp. Sometimes they just do things we don't understand. If they weren't beating up each other and pinching each other with their claws, then I'm sure it was fine.

[suckafreesather]

i actually found out the problem they were having a feeler fight because i cut the shrimp in half and they were seeing which crab gets to eat the tail so i solved the problem by placing two hole salad shrimps in their dish now the eat together