Shell bully- repeat offender

[crabby_D]

So I am in the process of trying to get my temp up in my tanks. Winter is making keeping temps and humidity in the proper range here in Maryland a nightmare....

So today I added sand and cocofiber, and added a UTH to each of my tanks. My 5 gal. now has 2 small zoomed UTHs on the side above substrate line, and my 10 gal now has 1 medium zoomed UTH on the side above the substrate. I am going to purchase some moss and a caddy from Amazon tonight based on some more reading....

Anyway,as I was changing tanks, I put in two new shells for my two that share the 5 gal. Theo is a med, and Davey Jones is a small. Theo is a shell thief, regularly. So I kept an eye on them for awhile before I had to go finish dinner. I came back about 30 minutes later, and not only had Theo taken a new shell, but so had Davey. I caught Theo in classic shell fight position, and promtly moved Davey into the 10 gal with the 4 other teenys-smalls.

My question is this: what do I do with this repeat offender? I hate to leave him alone, but I worry that overnight he will bully the heck out of whomever is in the tank with him. I am not going to lie, I am also hoping that Calypso, one of my smalls in the 10 gal, switches into Davey Jones' old shell; her shell is her original beach shop shell, a pretty tree snail shell, but it's too small for her!! I can't seem to coax her out of it.

Thanks for your input.

[crabby_D]

I put a teeny in there with Theo the bully (med). Is that a better pairing? I will keep an eye on them until I have to go to bed. I have plenty of shells in there, so hopefully it's not an issue.

Is it OK to leave them overnight together?

Thanks again!

[AutumnHermie]

This may be wrong, but this could actually be a space inssue. The minimum tank size is 10 gallons, and even in that you wouldn't be able to go bigger than 2 small mediums. The

[crabby_D]

I suspect it isn't a space issue, but I may be wrong too.
Davey and Theo, or Theo and any other crab, for that matter, co-exist just fine most of the time. I think Theo is curious, and gets shell envy. He is a cuddler, too. He will quickly cuddle up to whomever for company, so he isn't 100% bully. I suppose I just need to watch him when new shells are introduced. He seems fine with the teeny in there. I think my teeny is annoyed at being "moved." LOL.

The 5 gal started as a molt tank, but all 6 are currently up, so I have them all spread out for the extra room. I will keep a better watch on the spacing.

I have a new tank arrangement in the works...
Thank you!

[CallaLily]

Space could be part of the issue. A 5 gallon is much too small for anything but a hospital tank. These guys can get quite bored if they don't have enough space and issues like this are more common in overcrowded conditions.

Is the shell bully new?

It's recommended to provide at least 3 extra shells per crab in appropriate types and sizes. Check out the Preferred Shell Guide.

[crabby_D]

Space could be part of the issue. A 5 gallon is much too small for anything but a hospital tank. These guys can get quite bored if they don't have enough space and issues like this are more common in overcrowded conditions.

Is the shell bully new?

It's recommended to provide at least 3 extra shells per crab in appropriate types and sizes. Check out the Preferred Shell Guide.

The shell bully is not new. Last time we had a shell-changing party, he got aggressive with the other crab who had the most similar sized shell.
He flips the crab over on it's "back" with claws on either side of the opening. I never saw any shaking or other physical stuff, but I broke it up both times. It wasn't long lived, he got over it pretty quickly, and once they settled into their new shells, everyone was fine. Envy?? Curiosity? I don't know!!
I am setting up a much larger tank soon, hopefully this weekend, so I will keep an eye on them in the mean time. I will be getting rid of the 5, and keeping the 10 g for molters.

Thank you for your help!

I have tons of questions about heat lamps. Let me finish reading and trim down my thoughts for a concise post.