Torts + Crabs

[Scirish]

Hey! So I have been looking at getting some Hermit crabs to go in the same enclosure as my redfoot. He is kind of a messy eater and enjoys dragging his food around and making it hard for me to clean up. From what I have read Hermit crabs make pretty good cleaners. I am just worried on if the crabs would be compatible with the tortoise. I also have heard that I need to get more then one crab is two enough or should i be looking at 3+? Any info on them living together or just hermit crabs in general would be extremely helpful! Thanks in advance!

 

[N2TORTS]

A mature redfoot will eat your crab if it can catch it out of its shell...FYI~
JD~

 

[allegraf]

Madkins keeps hermit crabs with his torts. I'm sure he will chime in any time. I'm not sure if he mentions it on his website. You can also check out his site tortoiselibrary.com

Allegra

 

[llamas55]

the people who are successful have a lot of climbing/hides for the hermits- MHO eventually they will be eaten. Somewhere about a year ago, is a huge thread on this topic

 

[Mao Senpai]

I have... like 3 crabs in each one of my enclosures. They seem to get along fine, and even eating together at times. I don't know about redfoots if they have predation habits though

 

[tortoisenerd]

I don't really get the appeal of keeping crabs with a redfoot, but thats a personal opinion. I'd work more on trying to limit the amount of food drug around, such as putting a large eating area in a corner with the food piled up around it...maybe some river rocks around that, which are also great for exercising the tort naturally. Some food will get drug around though...you just take the precautions you can, but otherwise pick it up and make sure you use one of the safer substrates for if your tort does end up eating the loose food (potentially then with substrate).

Here's a cool thread: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-redfoot-and-land-hermit-crabs#axzz1DtQuSpLW

 

[Scirish]

Thanks for all the info! Especially the link to the other thread! I will keep thinking on whether or not I want to mix.

 

[Madkins007]

I've done it now for about, what, 2-3 years. The biggest bad thing has been the torts (from baby to 8") trying to gnaw on the crab's shell. Otherwise, there has been no issues between them- but that is just my experience.

The crabs are not magical cleaners- they do not clear every little bit- they are like catfish in an aquarium- helpful but not the sole solution.

They do need their own hiding places. Mine hide in the plant pots, under the plants, in unused hides, etc.

 

[B K]

I have started using them.