Killer Electric Blue Leg Hermit

[NinaStarr]

I have an electric Blue Leg Hermit in my 6g nano... He's already killed & eaten 2 margarita snails, and I had to stop him from trying to eat my 2 nassarius'. Any Ideas why he is making meals out of my snails? Does he want a new shell (the snails shells are way too small for him) or maybe that they're eating all his food?

 

[Hara]

it is natural for crabs to eat snails. You should have extra shells,just a little larger, in the tank for it to move to when the need arises.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Agree. My blue hermits ate all my nassarius snails as well, but won't touch the astrea snails. Natural for them.

 

[roka64]

I agree with the extra shells. Hermits will, gennerally eat what they can forage/kill.

 

[melosu58]

I bought some margerita snails awhile back and now all the shells have hermits in them.

 

[NinaStarr]

Thanks, then I guess theres no way of stopping my serial killer hermit... If he wasn't so damn pretty I would sell him back to the lfs, so it looks like Im just gonna keep him and keep his foraging habit happy with a steady diet of snails.

 

[Innovator]

Do take into consideration that the size of your tank also gives any and all predators the likelihood of an easy meal 100% of the time. You can try keeping the lil devil hermit happy with fleshy meals of the already prepared kind in hopes of limiting the snail massacres.

 

[melosu58]

I agree maybe he wont eat the snails if you keep them fed with other stuff.

 

[austinsdad]

Some think they are one of the more agressive hermits. I have a tendency to agree. Then again, I've had some seemingly mild ones too. The coloration is worth the risk/issues they may have with snails or other hermits. Heck, I just get some more.