Hermit Crab Food
A Quick Guide to Hermit Crab Food
No one really knows what the actual nutritional requirements are for pet land hermit crabs, but as more and more people are raising them and sharing their successes, we do have some idea of what sort of hermit crab food will keep your little guy or gal healthy.
Hermit crabs who live in the wild are quite happy to eat a wide variety of different foods. These can include fruit that they may find on the ground, dead wood, leaves, grasses and other kind of plants. Hermit crabs aren’t fussy and if it smells OK or they see another crab eating it, chances are good they’ll give it a try too. Many pet owners get a kick out of watching their hermit crab check out a new food, because they wiggle their antennae and if they like the smell, they will make a rush for the food bowl. If not, they will ignore it.
Hermit crab food does have to have a few absolutes for health reasons. For instance, they need calcium, beta-carotene, and a variety of anti-oxidants which come from plants. Without enough carotene, a hermit crab can change from orange to more of a gray color. So, hermit crab food should contain some carrots and corn to keep the coloring bright. When you do give your crab veggies, make sure you know how they were grown so you know no pesticides have been used. These can make a little crab very sick.
The best advice about hermit crab food is to never feed only the packaged brands of food that come from pet stores. You should either give them a little of that, supplemented with fresh people food or give them only human-type food. Hermit crabs can eat fruit, vegetables, breads and meats and you should feed a good variety of foods out of all of these groups.
Hermit crab food can include pieces of mango, papaya or coconut, which are fruits that remind them of the tropics from where they came. They can eat just about any kind of vegetable that exists so don’t be afraid to let them try different ones out. Green, leafy vegetables with anti-oxidants are good for them just like people. Also don’t forget broccoli, spinach, beans, squash, and other types of vegetables like these.
Hermit crabs love to eat other crustaceans, shrimp tails, small fish pieces, and even cooked eggs. No fatty meats as fat is to be avoided with crabs. In addition, hermit crabs like peanut butter, nuts (no salt), crackers (no salt), rice cakes (plain) cereals without sugar like oatmeal, applesauce, raisins, popcorn with no butter, and tree leaves and bark. Hermit crab food should not have salt, butter, and sugar. Don’t let the kids test giving them cookies, chips, or cake.
Make sure to give your hermit crabs a lot of calcium. Here are some good choices: cuttlebone (in the bird section of the pet store), crushed egg shells or oyster shells, coral sand, or the calcium supplements that are sold for reptiles. Most lizards also need extra calcium.
Just try different foods to give your hermit crabs plenty of variety, and like humans, with choices from each food group each day, you should have no problem keeping them healthy and happy.