Hermit Crabs eating snails

[diver0077]

Do Hermit crabs tend to attack and eat snails? I have lost about 12 snails and have seen the Hermit crabs eating them, but do not know if they killed them to eat them or not.

 

[pr0teus]

sometimes the hermits will attack a snail, if the hermit wants the snail's shell. having said that, sometimes the snails die and then the hermits do their job and scavenge.

if you think your snails are dying to something in the water, check your calcium level. i remember when i first started to put snails in my tank, they would all die with 3 or 4 days b/c i never dosed my tank with calcium.

 

[Juck]

My red and blue legged hermits don't attack snails (or I've never seen them) but my zebra hermits do it quite often,, they're all walking around with astrea shells.

If an astrea falls off the glass or a rock and ends-up upside down it's as good as dead in my tank.

 

[diver0077]

Maybe that was my problem, I did not know that snails needed calcium. I just started to use it for some of my corals.

 

[Anonymous]

You should probably measure you Ca first before adding it in....its probably not necessary...its definitely not necessary for snails. but the small hermits will if they want eat small enough snails...mainly for the home not i guess to eat...thats just a benefit....but ive watched my hermits mall eachother....

 

[K9coral]

Hermits will attack snails sometimes for no reason as I have had in my tanks now and then. I guess they get bored!!

 

[DaGoldenChild]

Hermits will attack snails sometimes for no reason as I have had in my tanks now and then. I guess they get bored!!

I had the same experience but i was told it was because they are constantly searching for food

 

[K9coral]

Probably so, but Ive seen hermits leave a chunck of mysis shrimp and move in on a snail! Maybe it was sick or something but I know it wasnt dead.

 

[PeeJ]

Hermit crabs attack everything.

I found one of my large crabs shells busted open...no sign of the crab. I think the zebra took him out.

 

[K9coral]

Has anyone ever seen them attack coral, mushrooms, or polyps? Im watching 2 of them eat a feather duster as we speak!

 

[diver0077]

I also have seen mine eating on my feather duster, but I do not know if they are actually eating the coating of the duster or just picking algae off from the tube. The tube does seem to be getting more transparent. I am not such about those guys.