Hermit Crabs - What Do They Eat?

Hermit crabs are usual and unusual creatures at the same time. It is usual in that they are not unavailable, and is not an about-to-be extinct species. But their active, inquisitive, nature brands them apart from many other pets. And to complete the quota of their unusualness is their exclusive habit of going through their lives with a shell that they borrow from snails. These shells are their survival hats without which they cannot exist.

People love to keep them as pets. Feeding them is easy because they are not fastidious about food. They are omnivores who eat both vegetable matter and animal matter. Leaves, grass, litter, and decaying wood or fruit, are victuals for them. Besides that, they eat many of the things that humans eat.

While they may eat everything that their owners feed them, owners should make sure that they are getting a balanced diet. It is important that they have enough of the plant pigment carotene, as well as calcium in their diet. Hermit crabs that have carotene deficiency will typically have a faded colour after they moult.

Sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables in the diet is enough to rectify the problem. 

The following are the things that they can be fed to keep them healthy:

o Brightly coloured vegetables like corn and carrot will satisfy their carotene requirement. 

o Hermit crabs need extra food after moulting. Dairy foods like cheese at this stage will provide them with sufficient calcium and will also help them to recuperate fast. 

o Tropical fruits like coconuts, papayas, bananas, and mangoes are recommended in their diet. 

o Meat is all right for hermit crabs, but should be without the sauces and oils that humans add to it. 

o Many things that humans love, like nuts, raisins, popcorn, cereals, crackers, and peanut butter are the favourites of hermit crabs also.

Besides these things, which are generally available in all households, pet stores will have special hermit crab feed. These are generally things like seaweeds, fish food flake, escargot, dried shrimps, brine shrimps, or frozen fruit. All these are rich in nutrients that crabs need.

After observing the crabs for a while the owners will understand the food preferences of their pets. They can make the diet interesting by mixing nutritive food and foods that their pets like.

Crab food recipes are also available over the internet. These are also a good way for balancing taste and nutrition.

What Do Our Hermit Crabs Eat?

Have you ever stopped to wonder what do hermit crabs eat? Well you may be surprised to learn that they eat pretty much anything they can get their hands, or rather pincers, on! In the wild they are termed as foragers and live on a diet of fallen fruit, plants, grasses and tree bark. They also have cannibalistic tendencies and will eat small dead crustaceans!

If you long to own an exotic pet and are wondering what do your little hermies feed on, then you can rest assured that they are NOT picky eaters. In fact, if I was given the choice between feeding a fussy adolescent to that of feeding a little hermie, I would definitely choose the latter.

The hermies can be fed solely on commercially produced crab food which also contains essential supplements such as carotene, calcium and a variety of antioxidants, but because it is well documented that your new little buddy enjoys a varied diet, I would suggest that you combine this with a diet of fresh food. The hermie is naturally omnivorous, like us humans, which means they eat meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. So, in effect, you need never suffer a headache from wondering what do you feed your little hermie because you can pick up all of their requirements, when you do the weekly supermarket shop!

When feeding your "hermie" make sure to wash and rinse all of his food in clear water and then leave it to dry naturally. He likes to munch with a crunch so try not to let his food get soggy. Try giving him small pieces of meat or fish, but make sure they are not covered with any type of sauce, together with a variety of vegetables. You can follow this with a fruit dessert of may be mango, papaya or coconut, such as he would have in the tropics, although he will be equally as happy with citrus fruit. The great thing when wondering what do hermies actually consume is that the answer really is pretty much anything and you won't have to spend hours and lots of dosh, sourcing expensive special exotic food.

A baby crab will learn what do other hermies or adult hermies eat by watching his peers as well as using his antennae to sniff out food. You can have fun by serving up a new "dish of the day" and watching him rush to his food bowl with his antenna poised. Like many humans, your hermi would like an occasional junk food fix and is also partial to chocolate. Just be careful, though, not to over indulge this habit. He also loves peanut butter and popcorn.

If you are not using commercially produced crab food you will need to ensure that your crab is getting enough of both calcium and carotene. The latter can be found predominantly in carrots and corn and is vital to your crab's well being. A crab who is carotene deficient, will lose his lovely vibrant color and turn a mushy grey. He may also experience difficulties when next molting. Although calcium can be provided by offering a small amount of dairy produce, an easier way is to give your crab a piece of cuttlebone. This can be grated and added to your crab's food. You can source this in the bird section of your local pet store - so no problem there.

All You Need to Know About What Hermit Crabs Eat

The biggest question usually asked when people want to get hermit crabs as pets is, what do hermit crabs eat? Well, the best way to think of what hermit crabs eat is to decide what is healthier for them. You obviously don't want to give them anything that is not good for them, something that will not keep them healthy. This article is aimed at helping you understand what these wonderful crabs like to eat and what is actually healthy for them.

In the wild, these crabs eat plants, leaves, trees, grass, or just about anything that comes to the shore from the tides.

I can safely say these crabs eat just about everything that you eat on a daily basis. I know, I know, you are thinking "they can't possibly eat everything I eat". But, it is actually true. You can give them fruits, veggies, crab meat, fish, tuna, just about anything you can think of. If you buy something from the store for your pet crab to eat, make sure you wash it in cold water, to get all the chemicals off, so that it is safe for your crab to eat.

These crabs eat a variety of thing, anything you are willing to give them to eat. You can buy a pellet from the pet store to feed them, if you don't want to give them the food that you eat every day. There are some people that like to make their own food for their pet crabs to eat, that has cuttlebone or calcium in it for them. If you have the time, that is great. But, like I said, these crabs are not picky and there are many different things they can eat.

There is one important thing to take into consideration when deciding what you will feed them. The important task is to make sure that if you do not feed your crab processed food, and that you must have some calcium in there. Boiled eggs can be a great source of calcium. You can also, even though you may cringe at the idea, use the skin they shed to feed back to them, in order for them to get the calcium they need. If you leave it in there with your crab, he will eventually eat it and he will get the calcium he needs. This is not only the best, but the most important thing to do. You have to be sure that your hermit crab is getting the calcium he needs, so he can stay healthy and live for many years to come.

What Do Hermit Crab Eat I Wonder!

Similar to human beings, hermit crabs need to have a proper balanced diet and a good dosage of exercise in their daily living. But unlike human beings, the goal of hermits is not to lose weight; rather, they need to maintain these healthy habits in order to simply be comfortable, happy and active. Otherwise, they would not be able to enjoy a long life.

So, what do hermit crabs eat? In the natural habitat, hermits scavenge their way to find something to eat. Since they are omnivores, they can eat plants or tiny insects and animals. Hermits have very modest appetites and they can usually go on for days without food, but not without water. On the other hand, hermits that are in captivity can be fed with various kinds of food. Pet owners of hermits can offer different fruits and vegetables to them that are cut into bits - such as banana, apple, papaya, broccoli and lettuce. Bread, dog food, cat food, worms, flies, raisins, crackers, dry cereal and even peanut butter can all be a part of the hermit crab food diet. However, even if these adorable creatures can eat just about anything, they should never be overfed since they can eat only a very small portion of foods per day. Plus, they should not be given processed foods, sugar-laden foods and very salty foods to eat. Beef, chicken and pork meat are definitely not good for these creatures as well.

What Can a Hermit Crab Eat to Keep Your Pet Happy and Healthy

You just got yourself a new pet hermit crab and you already bought him a nice home and toys but you now ask yourself "what can a hermit crab eat?"

Land hermit crabs are pets that require low maintenance especially when it comes to their diet because they will eat just about anything, from fruits and fish to popcorn and tofu.

Nowadays, you can buy hermit crab foods from a pet store. Make sure that they do not have too much chemicals or preservatives. This can be bad for your hermit crab's health. However, if chosen carefully and if given properly, commercial crab food can provide your pet with the required nutrients that can keep them healthy and happy exotic pets.

Commercial foods for these fascinating creatures could be in the form of pellets to powder. Some food products have to be moistened while others have to be mad into smaller pieces such as large pellets.

For these small animals, foods should also be given in small amounts and they should also be soft and easy to digest. Overfeeding your pets could be fatal.

However, try to give them a variety of foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables so that they will not get tired of the same old commercial foods every day. Crabs are omnivores and scavengers which makes it easy for you to try to give them new foods or tastes such as scrambled eggs, sardines, or chips that can make your hermit crabs' mouth water. Try not to give them too oily, spicy, or hot foods.

It is also interesting to note that hermit crabs love sweet foods with a variety of flavors, especially those flavours that babies usually like such as apples, bananas, pears, mango, kiwi, applesauce, sweet corn casserole, sweet potatoes, fruit medley, guava dessert, mango dessert, and papaya dessert. You can mix 2 to 3 flavors in one meal, just like baby foods.

If your crabitat is in an open area, you can give them fresh fish head. This is only ideal for a large group of hermit crabs. They can finish it off after a few hours. The smell can be strong, though, and you might not want to smell this in your house every day.

Other foods that they love are coconut shavings, natural peanut butte, hard boiled eggs and even shells, and plain, unbuttered, and unsalted popcorn. Raw meat is also a favourite meal for these little creatures.

Provide them with a water dish with enough fresh water in it and another dish with salt water in the aquarium. Saltwater does not mean you will sprinkle in table salt to fresh water. It should be real saltwater that you got from the ocean. Just make sure that the dishes are not so big or the water is not too much to prevent your crabs from drowning, especially the small ones.

What Can a Hermit Crab Eat?

One of the most important question for each hermit crab owner is "What can a hermit crab eat?" As a general rule, these exotic pets are fairly easy to feed. They can survive on almost any commercial hermit crab food that you can buy from your favorite pet shop. Some fish flakes may also be okay, depending on the main ingredients.

You should carefully read labels. Any fish food flakes or pellets hat contain copper sulfate or ethoxyquin may be lethal to your pet. Tocopherols are okay since these are natural preservative found in fish food.

You do have to remember that most land hermit crabs are omnivores, and they are not finicky eaters. Hermit crabs love as much variety of food as possible, starting from all sorts of fresh vegetables and fruits. Make sure that these are freshly washed and patted dry. Vegetable leaves (like those from cabbage, lettuce, and spinach) should be dry and crisp.

Fruits should at least be chopped into manageable pieces and patted dry before serving to your pets. If you like giving them citrus fruits (which these small animals also love) try letting some of the pulp remain on a piece of paper towel first so that the juices do not drip a lot into your pet's enclosure. However, make sure that you do remove leftovers the next day, since these can rot very quickly.

If you want, you can also serve a bit of (unsalted / air popped) popcorn, large pinches of plain bread and even fresh (but washed) tree bark for more variety.

A note of warning though: although hermit crabs are omnivores, it would be best to steer your pets from meat. Any food that contains meat can become toxic. Fish meat is okay as long as it if fresh and not from an already processed dish. Raw fish meat or any type of seafood is also okay, especially if you can spare a slice of sushi (tuna) or two. Also try not to give your pet anything that contains too salt or sugar. Junk food like potato chips and doughnuts should not be introduced to your pet at all.

Remember to always provide fresh clean drinking water in a shallow dish in their crabitat. You should replace this water about twice a day.

8 Tips on How Much to Feed a Hermit Crab

If they're living in the wild, hermit crabs eat a wide variety of food from decaying wood, fallen fruits, leaves and grasses and items that are washed ashore. These pets are omnivorous, meaning they eat both meat and vegetables. They might be very fussy with picking the shells they will use as their homes but they are not at all picky with the food they eat. They locate food in two ways: by smelling the food and by seeing other crabs eating the food.

• You can buy hermit crab food from most pet stores that sell land hermit crabs. These commercially prepared foods are suitable for your crabs' diet. However, your pet hermit crab can also live with the foods we eat.
• Your small pets will eat almost anything you serve them. But these foods make suitable additions to your pet's diet: apples, chicken, bananas, carrots, bread, corn, cornmeal, crackers, cereal, coconut, grapes, fish, lettuce, and shrimps with its shell. If you serve meat, make sure that they are well cooked and have no butter or sauce in them.
• If the pet store near your area doesn't sell special foods, you can also buy pelleted food for turtles. Find pellets that are appropriate for the size of your hermits to prevent them from choking on large pellets.
• You don't need to worry how much to feeding your pets. You can provide as much food your land hermit crab can and is willing to eat. But don't forget to remove uneaten fresh foods from their crabitat the following day to prevent the food from spoiling and attracting insects.
• These fascinating creatures can also go for long periods of time without eating anything. Don't fret if your hermies do not eat for a period of time. Continue offering food and they will eat when they feel they're ready to eat again.
• How much to feed a hermit crab? How much of the fresh foods and the commercially prepared foods? The key here is to balance it out. Never make your hermit crabs eat too much commercially prepared food. Always alternate it with fresh foods.
• Always have fresh clean water in their cage. Keep the water in a shallow dish, or a shallow shell is preferred. These small animals can drown in the water dish if it can't climb out of the dish so make sure that it does have climbing steps of stone or wood. Seashells in their tank are the best food and water dishes since it can also be a good source of calcium for the crabs. Another good source of calcium for your hermit crabs is cuttlebone. Never use metal dishes for your crab because metal can be poisonous for them.
• You can do this test on how much to feed a hermit crab. Offer two or three kinds of food at the same time. Your crab will eat the treat that has a stronger and better smell than the others, and this is the food that they like best. But of course, offer them a variety of food and not just the same food all the time.