Is my crab trying to eat the other/steal their shell?

[Perenprak]

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Playsand, about 15-20 cm deep depending on the spot

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?
yes, on the left front panel opposite the heating mat. anywhere from 85-95 usually

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Two black heating mats above the sand line on the side of the tank. One on the long side (110 cm) one on the short "depth" side (40 cm)/ the other two are left as a "cool" area.

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
Both a fresh and salt water bowl, I use Seachem to treat Dutch tap water, which i usually let out for 24 hours first. Dupla premium reef salt for the salt water bowl.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Daily i give one dry food one fresh. Grapes, apple, corn, carrot, pepper, some others and dried shrimp, dried dates, figs, puffed rice, puffed wheat, coconut chips, dried banana, raisins. I always check if they can have it if i introduce a new food.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
I've had them for one and a half years now, Coenobita Rugosus.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
They all molted just a day ago (hadnt seen any for a few weeks, today all up suddenly)

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
A glass terrarium with a plastic cover lid and some mesh holes. Its 120cm wide 50 deep 50 tall.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
three crabs, but one grew a little faster than the others (the female). they're about 3cm in diameter? like a bouncy ball.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
I keep about 30-40 ish shells, i take out the very smallest ones if i know they wont fit in them anymore. I make sure there are some bigger (oversized) ones so they could go up a size or two at once.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
no

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I clean the food bowl daily. the surface whenever it gets too dirty (could be one week, could be 3) water bowls as needed (once a week usually) and i do a more in-depth clean every few months to take out a large portion of the sand, stir the old sand up a bit, and add some new sand. I also keep a few patches of moss that i swap out with a separate moss terrarium so the old patches can recuperate (the crabs roughhouse it a lot)

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
no

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
no

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?
I have a lot of climbing twine, depth differences, a large piece of driftwood and some spider plants, and an epoxy castle and wizard tower (crab safe paint)

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
One crab might be trying to eat the other?
One crab (Bors) who is the largest and the only girl, came out with the other two (Arthur and Gareth) today after they all molted/hung out underground for a month. Now suddenly Bors is constantly flipping over Arthur and enveloping his shell with her claws, sometimes poking one or two pincers in? Arthur is fully tucked in and doesnt seem able to come out. Gareth is also constantly very close to them when this is happening. they dont hang out together that often and usually not all three together. I'm just hoping Bors is not trying to steal Arthur's shell or eat him.

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[JoeHermits]

Hermits can be particular about their shells and someone else wearing one is a good sign the shell is good. Do you have any shells that are similar to what Arthur is wearing?

Increasing protein availability can help reduce cannibalism. I notice that you didn’t mention much for protein sources when listing foods offered. Dried shrimp or mealworms from the pet store can be a simple and economical way to increase protein in their diet, which should be offered daily


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[Perenprak]

Yes, the one arthur is wearing has 6 copies laying around in roughly the same size. As for protein, the shrimp i offer twice a week but maybe i could also get mealworms. They also have a cuttlefish bone in the enclosure by the way.