Peacock having troubles striking

[DanInSD]

Hi there. Since my peacock's last molt, she doesn't seem to be able to strike effectively. The raptorial appendages appear intact, as far as I can see, without visible deformities. However, she no longer is "pure death" to the hermit crabs wandering around. She's taken one or two into her cave and I heard a few weak attacks. However, she gives up quickly and "chucks" the crab out.

She is happy in her new, 36" long 30 gallon tank (with 10 gal sump/fuge!) and readily accepts lots of different foods. She's just not "whacking" anything.

I'm assuming this is a "molt issue"... anything I can do to ensure better success next time around?

Thanks,
Dan

[justinl]

how recent was the last molt? a smasher shouldnt be handling hard shells for a couple of weeks after a molt because the raps are still hardening in that time. if i remember correctly, i think they can even ruin their raps if they strike hard stuff too soon after a molt.

[ZC]

Mine does the same thing, give it a few weeks and it'll be back to the same old killer it once was.

[DanInSD]

Hmmm... it's been about a month. In the past, she has been aggressive within about a week after the molt. Methinks something is wrong. Anyways, I'm just going to continue feeding her a varied diet.

Dan