What Are My Hermits Doing?

[youngfisher]

I added a fairly large hermit in my orca from my dads tank, as he didnt want it and my tanks being collected on friday so we are giving it the guy who purchased the tank. As soon as I put it in, the new hermit, and the old hermit (both fairly big) seemed to "lock" into each other and stayed there, and I looked today and one is on top of the other with its claws holding onto the other shell, is this just fighting or breeding or what? Any ideas?

- Two days later...

I seperated them to the other side of the tank yesterday, and within two minutes they were together again with my old hermit on top of the other. I noticed this morning they had a small peice of LR clutched within them, so I got my grabbers moved the bigger hermit who was underneath away, the other one chased it, in the end dropped the rock it was carrying and clutched onto the other hermit. So I used my grabber on the other one that just chased it and it wouldnt let go I lifted it all the way up and it carried the other one with it! its really bugging me

Anybody have any ideas? I wouldnt say they are fighting for one anothers shells because there are plenty on there that are visable, and it wouldnt take 3 days to take a shell would it.

 

[M.R Otter]

as far as I know...... maybe just maybe, they are courting or mating.... if I'm wrong I wish that someone correct's me.

 

[Anguilla82]

some of my hermits have done this, but i've always put it down to territory or heirachy squabbles.

 

[seffieuk]

some of my hermits have done this, but i've always put it down to territory or heirachy squabbles.

would agree, asbo crab doesn't like the other hermit in 'his' tank

Seffie x

 

[OneOnion]

Well, I have land hermit crabs and sometimes they have "shell fights". Maybe one of them wants the other one's shell. You could try adding more shells for them to change in to. Either that or it could be a hierarchy thing, I know that land hermit crabs sometimes travel in groups and they establish a ranking or hierarchy, so they could be just finding out who the better hermit crab is. I don't know if aquatic hermit crabs do this, becuase land hermits and aquatic hermits could be very different animals.