no, they wont hurt each other. but they wont eat the dog food either. they want small bugs. when hatched in the wild they dont have a supply of dog food. they hide in leaf litter and wait for a bug to come by. dig up or buy some earth worms, cut them into small wiggly pieces, place them in a plate of water, add the boxies and walk out of the room for a few 15 minutes. they will eat.