Help! Do hermies commite murder?

lilhermitgirl17 · Post by **lilhermitgirl17** » 24 Mar 2005, 03:43

Ok fellow hermie owners, especially experienced hermie owners. I have reason to believe that murder was committed in my hermie-tank last night. But I want to give you the facts and see what you think, and maybe figure out if it was my fault.

Here is what has happened. Last Saturday I bought 2 more hermit crabs at the Hermit Hut in the Boise mall. They were bigger than the 2 that I had already. So then I had 4. I didn’t get home to my house until Sunday, but they had the proper water and food in their tub all day and over night. When I got home, I put them in a separate tank than my other little ones for another night with salt water, fresh water, food, and a choya wood. My Hermie Hut was too small for them. They seemed to do well the first day and everything. I noticed that one seemed more calm and social than the other. He would come out and walk around. I started calling it Kitty. The other was really shy, and then when he did come out, he seemed all panicky and would run away if I moved around our go back in his shell. He also would go up to the tank wall and reach his legs up it, like he was trying to climb out. I started calling him Zipper.

Since they seemed to do ok and settle in alright I put them in my main tank. The first night they were fine, and everything went well. The only disaster was when one trenched a bunch of sand over the food dish, which is a regular occurrence anyway. Now, when I woke up this morning, I found a real disaster. Zipper was in one of the 3 extra shells I had put in for him and the other large hermit crab. (I have lots, so I rotate them that way they don’t get crowded but have a good selection.) There was sand all over in the dishes, some of the other shells and stuff were rearranged all over. Then I noticed Kitty. She was dead, in the corner of the tank. Like 3 of her legs were broken off of her, and she was kinda hanging out of her shell.

Now, I don’t really know what to think. Do you think they could have been fighting for the shell or something? I didn’t know that they would fight to the death like that… What do you think happened? I’m just kind of confused and sad, and I want to know if I did something wrong to cause it, or if things like this happen sometimes.

Post by **Wai** » 24 Mar 2005, 18:26

Hermit crabs are known to kill each other in various ways. By the sound of it, Kitty may have been attacked, but I'm not sure who is responsible. Or even worse, some hermit crabs even eat their victims, but this is mainly a hazard for freshly molted crabs.

Sorry for your loss

. You can post a tribute for Kitty in the Memorial forum.

ayianna · Post by **ayianna** » 25 Mar 2005, 07:11

It sounds like your crabs were in a shell fight. None of mine have been fatal, and only one resulted in serious injury. Crabs literally crush things with their pincers, and legs are no exception.

To help you in the future, let me give you some advice.

First, when you get new crabs, you need to be careful to watch their behavior. Some crabs are more aggressive than others.
When you first get new crabs, they should remain in iso for 2 weeks from the others. This is to determine if they have mites, shell rot, other diseases, stress, or what have you. This iso should remain in a dark area at all times except for when you check up on them for at least the first week. Some crabs die otherwise.

When you introduce new crabs to your tank, even if you don't bathe them regularly, it is best to bathe them all together. Watch them crawling around in the bowl together. They will smell a little like each other to their own sniffers. This helps them 'bond' a little, and know that they belong together.

I know it doesn't help now, but doing these things can help in the future when you get new crabs -- and you will.

lilhermitgirl17 · Post by **lilhermitgirl17** » 25 Mar 2005, 07:53

Ok, thanks for the advice. The other seems to be doing ok. Man, I was inspecting the shells that Kitty and Zipper left behind... I wasn't going to use them over again because they are painted, but looking at the inside of them, they shouldn't have been used in the first place. The inside was all broken and really sharp. I'm surprised that they didn't hurt the crab's bodies. How awful that people would give them those shells! I'm glad that I bought them, even just so they have a better home.

ayianna · Post by **ayianna** » 25 Mar 2005, 08:05

Here's a tip. To get good shells if you don't live near the ocean, don't pay for shells individually. Either buy a small amount online within the size range of your crab's shell or go to a craft store (walmart or whatever if you have something like that generally has some in the craft section) and pick up a basket of assorted shells. The bottom half are generally filled with scallops, but the top have the nice turbos and other shells for your crabs, all /unpainted/. ^_^ Good luck getting them a better option for living quarters!

lilhermitgirl17 · Post by **lilhermitgirl17** » 25 Mar 2005, 10:14

Thanks. I bought all the extras I have for my hermies, big and small, online at Ebay from the same guy, and they are great. Thats where I got the ones that my hermies moved into. Thanks for the help!

strawbearedlyte · Post by **strawbearedlyte** » 25 Mar 2005, 16:10

Ok i'm really worried that this will happen with my crabs...i just got my first ever hermie on saturday and then today me and my brother bought one that we thought was the same size but wasn't it was much bigger just in the same size shell as Vesta(first crab) Vesta is kinda timid and shy and wont come out until the room is completely pitch black and the other one (haven't named yet) is very active it has even found a more comfortable shell...i'm just really afraid that the new one will kill vesta...are there any signs that might indicate whether or not this may happen?

Post by **Wai** » 25 Mar 2005, 22:56

ayianna wrote:Here's a tip. To get good shells if you don't live near the ocean, don't pay for shells individually. Either buy a small amount online within the size range of your crab's shell or go to a craft store (walmart or whatever if you have something like that generally has some in the craft section) and pick up a basket of assorted shells. The bottom half are generally filled with scallops, but the top have the nice turbos and other shells for your crabs, all /unpainted/. ^_^ Good luck getting them a better option for living quarters!

I got a basket of shells too, for only $2.00! The scallop shells weren't that useful, although I kept the pretty ones to decorate the tank. There were a few nice turbos

.

lilhermitgirl17 · Post by **lilhermitgirl17** » 26 Mar 2005, 03:35

I got a bag of shells that were in really good shape from a craft store for about $2 once also. I use the scallope shells for dishes. They work pretty well, the deeper ones.

I have a question. When you say new hermit crabs should be kept in Iso for a few weeks after you get them, do you mean totally by themselves? like the 2 I bought, should I have separated them and kept them in Iso? is that what you ment?

ayianna · Post by **ayianna** » 08 Apr 2005, 10:08

Signs of Aggressive Crabs

1. Bullying

Crabs that seem to poke and prod at other crabs, maybe even grabbing their legs and/or claws are exhibiting aggressive tendencies.

2. Pushing

Crabs that push or drag other crabs around are going to need to be watched carefully for further aggression.

3. Unburying

If a crab is unburied by another crab (with or without actual molt), this crab is exhibiting highly dangerous signs. Remove it from your crabitat AT ONCE. This crab should likely remain in ISO and is probably happier alone anyway.

Help! Do hermies commite murder?

Help! Do hermies commite murder?

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