HCA: Hermit Crab Association

well what happened last night was so awful! I will never stop grieving over my long gone hermit crab! Yesterday i noticed that marshawn pinch's shell hadn't moved an inch since the night before, so i went to check on him and make sure he wasn't depressed about his friend molting and about his temporarily blocked off habitat. Well i lifted his shell up and it was empty! Then i started wondering if he had gone streaking, but then i saw one of the shells missing and knew he changed shells, and i didn't see the shell so i panicked once i again looked at the book barrier and again saw that it had fallen that day, but i had thought that it had just fallen on its own, because it had been getting wetter and weaker. But now i put the pieces together and realized that he must be on the other side of the barrier attacking richard! I picked up the water bowl and sure enough marshawn was in the new shell with richard's body parts ripped off and the shell he was in, in the dirt! I was so angry at myself for not doing better, shocked that marshawn would do that, and shocked at his ability, and very sad. I feel like this is the worst thing that has ever happened in my life! Instead of getting mad at marshawn i realized, hey this is what their natural instincts are, no matter how good of friends they were before that, so i just held my last hermit crab and savoured him. The reason i didn't isolate marshawn by putting him in the new cage is because i have to get different playsand, because i am very suspicious that there are dangerous chemicals in that sand, so i didn't want it to kill marshawn. I even put the two book barriers to block off marshawn and richard and he got through them! I am so so sad and angry at how it had to go this way, but i feel like i did everything i could. Marshawn just played and awful, slick move and really tricked me. I will get 2 more hermit crab friends for marshawn after i get different playsand and make the habitat again, then i will put marshawn in the new cage and isolate the two new ones for a week and bathe them. Please don't be too harsh, i only had two big tanks and i put up the barrier, so i did everything i could. I am so depressed!

I'm so sorry to hear about this but like you said this is a natural instinct for hermitcrabs they will readily eat a soft molter if the chance arises which is why its recommended to have a substrate depth no less than six inches this gives the molting crab the depth necessary to create a secure and hidden molt pocket underground.It sounds like the molter was attempting to molt in a very shallow pocket which led to him being easily discoverable by his tank mate and was subsequently eaten.Hermitcrabs will also cannibalize one another if their diet is not adequate they will attempt to rectify any nutritional gaps on their own by what ever means necessary which includes downing a vulnerable or weak tank mate.I would focus on getting the new safe substrate to the proper depth and getting your little guy on a good diet plan that covers all the bases ie protein, healthy fats, cellulose, chitin, calcium, nitrogen and beta carotene before introducing any more friends this should help to lower the risk of any future late night sneak attacks.Don't beat yourself up over this as its not really your fault you did what you were told to do when you bought the crabs and unfortunately the info most stores give out these days is 99% wrong which leads to a lot of necessary hermit crab deaths each year.The only thing you can do now is try to start over but with better information this time.

Sorry to hear that.

Back in the day when I didn't have an iso tank I tried seperate my tank into two parts using glass from picture frames my crab figured out how to get over and under it every time! I had to go get a tank. I asked PEOPLE on Facebook an got a cracked 10 gallon. Not the best but it saved my buried crab. I have one crab that is just the biggest bully! He will attack a new crab and Miller.